How thick should batten boards be?

[Haleiwa]

Last fall I sided a shed with 12 inch pine boards.  Since the lumber was green I only put a few screws along the side of each board, and now that it's fairly dry I want to put on the battens and finish the screws.  I'm thinking three or four inches wide, but should they be a full four quarter thick or something less?  Eventually I want to paint it, but there are more pressing things than that so it will probably be unfinished at least until next year. 

[nopoint]

I usually go with 1.5" wide and a half inch thick. Although that's a totally different look.

[Durf700]

when I built my barn in 2016 the amish guy that I purchased the board and batten from (way before I ever even thought about getting a mill) recommended 1x10's with 1x3 bat strips.  they have held up well.  I wouldnt of wanted anything smaller than that with them being green and shrinking. 

[Brucer]

I've sawed battens for various customers at 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", and 7/8" thick. Width varies from 1-1/2" to 4".

I even gave one couple a 12' 1x6 and 1x8, and a few pieces of 2" stock of varying thicknesses. Told them to build a 4' high sample "wall" and try different combinations. They came back with an order for a huge house . Didn't even ask for a price .

[thecfarm]

I did a horse run in with 1x4 batten. I really like the looks of it. I drove buy a guys blacksmith shop that had it for months on the way to work. I finally saw him outside and stopped and really got a close look at it so I knew how wide the battens was. He went with 10 inch boards too.

[Chuck White]

When sawing out battens, I almost always saw them 1x3.

[moodnacreek]

They can be most any size. I like 1x2 on dry wide boards. What matters is the way they are fastened, one screw in the center between the boards to form an expansion joint allowing the board to move with the seasons.

[lazyflee]

They can be most any size. I like 1x2 on dry wide boards. What matters is the way they are fastened, one screw in the center between the boards to form an expansion joint allowing the board to move with the seasons.

Will this "one screw" method work with green wood? Wondering if it would warp and twist too much?

[Don P]

It will work far better than pinning the edges of green boards that are shrinking, that usually causes them to split as the boards dry and shrink.

But yes green wood warps, cups, twists and bows. It is a better idea to dry lumber, plane and straightline and then use it. Working with the material.

[scsmith42]

I usually recommend that the siding boards be 7/8" thick, and the battens 3/4" x 3" wide.  

The reason I go with these thicknesses is that they work well with standard nail guns that are limited to 3-1/4" fasteners.

1" thick boards and battens don't leave much nail embeddedment for the battens if you're using a nail gun.