The number of people who need to read the board clearly, and how far the furthest seat is from it, matters more than the room’s total floor area. A board sized for the room’s dimensions alone can still feel too small once people are seated at a realistic distance. Measuring from the furthest relevant seat to the proposed board location gives a more reliable starting point than measuring the wall. This is also worth checking from the seats furthest from the board specifically, since those are the positions that will reveal whether the chosen size genuinely works for the whole room. Chameleon panels come in a standard maximum size of 1180 x 2980mm, which is worth using as a reference point when judging whether a single panel will comfortably cover the room or whether a modular wall makes more sense.

This is usually the single most useful number to record on the checklist, since it drives most of the decisions that follow.

A board used mainly for short status updates needs less space than one used for workshops or detailed planning sessions. Sizing for the room’s most demanding realistic use, rather than its average use, avoids the board feeling undersized when it matters most. It helps to think through a specific, busy session in the room and check whether the proposed size would genuinely accommodate it. Sessions that bring in participants from outside the usual team also tend to need more space than routine internal work, since more gets externalised onto the board rather than assumed as shared context.

The available wall space needs to be measured alongside any existing fittings, such as sockets, light switches or nearby doors, which can constrain where and how large a board can actually be mounted. Confirming this before ordering avoids discovering a mismatch only once installation is already underway. It is also worth checking the wall’s construction specifically, since a flush installation is considerably more straightforward on solid masonry than on a stud wall with limited backing. A TÜV-certified magnetic mounting system still needs a properly prepared wall behind it, so this check is worth doing before, not after, a size is finalised.

Confirming the wall can support Chameleon’s standard mounting system alongside the available space avoids a late mismatch between what the checklist specifies and what the wall can actually support.

Teams and their working patterns tend to grow into a board’s capacity over time rather than needing progressively less space. Sizing with some margin for this, rather than for exactly today’s needs, tends to avoid outgrowing the board within a year or two. This is particularly worth considering for rooms used by teams whose size or scope is likely to expand. Reworking a room’s layout after the fact is considerably more disruptive than building modest growth allowance into the original sizing decision.

The underlying ceramic steel panel also carries a lifetime warranty on writing and erasing and is built on an FSC-certified MDF core with a Cradle to Cradle Bronze certified enamel layer, so a board sized generously for growth is not trading away durability or sustainability to get there.

Before finalising an order, it is worth having the proposed size confirmed against the room’s actual measurements by whoever is managing the specification, rather than relying on an initial estimate alone. This final check is a small step that catches most remaining sizing mistakes before they become expensive to fix. This is a small step, but it consistently catches the sizing mistakes that slip through when an initial estimate is treated as final without a second look. Requesting a physical sample of the finish at this stage, rather than after the order is placed, is a similarly cheap way to confirm the choice before it becomes a fixed part of the room.

It is also worth confirming the finish at this stage, whether standard white or one of Chameleon’s 15 SatinTones tones, since this is far easier to adjust before manufacture than afterward.

A sizing checklist is most useful when reviewed while standing in the actual room, rather than completed entirely from a floor plan or set of photos. Details such as how a door swings, where a light fitting hangs, or how furniture is likely to be arranged are far easier to catch in person than on paper, and each one can affect the final size decision for a large whiteboard. This in-person step catches details a floor plan alone simply cannot show.

Once a sizing checklist has been worked through for one large whiteboard purchase, keeping a copy on file makes the next one considerably faster, since many of the same considerations, such as viewing distance and wall condition, tend to recur across similar rooms in the same building.

Recording the exact panel size against Chameleon’s standard maximum of 1180 by 2980 millimetres, along with the finish chosen, makes it straightforward to specify a matching board for a different room later.

Use this checklist alongside Chameleon large whiteboards to get the sizing right the first time.