Crown Molding Angle Chart
Pre-computed miter and bevel settings for common crown molding spring angles at 90° corners.
90° Corner (standard walls)
| Spring Angle | Miter | Bevel | Comp. Miter | Comp. Bevel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38° 52/38 crown — most common | 31.6° | 33.9° | 58.4° | 56.1° |
| 45° 45/45 crown | 35.3° | 30° | 54.7° | 60° |
Miter = miter gauge setting. Bevel = blade tilt. Values are for crown cut flat on the saw table (not nested against the fence) — the 38° spring row matches the factory crown detents (31.6°/33.9°) on most compound miter saws.
Complementary angles are for saws that read from the fence or tilt the other way.
Need a different angle? Use the Compound Miter Calculator.
See where these numbers come from below.
Crown molding spring angles explained
The "spring angle" is the angle between the back of the crown molding and the wall when the crown is held in position. The two most common types:
- 52/38 crown — the back makes a 38° angle with the wall (52° with the ceiling). This is the most common residential crown molding. Sometimes labeled "38° spring" or "52/38."
- 45/45 crown — equal angles to wall and ceiling. Less common but simpler to work with.
To check your crown's spring angle: hold a piece against the wall in its installed position and measure the angle between the back and the wall with a protractor or angle finder.
Where the miter and bevel numbers come from
Both settings fall out of projecting the flat corner angle through the spring-angle tilt. Cut flat, the joint's true half-angle is corner ÷ 2 (half the wall corner, since two matching pieces share it). Tilting the stock up to the spring angle rotates that flat cut into 3D, and rotating a line by an angle scales its components by that angle's sine and cosine:
- Miter = atan( sin(spring) × tan(corner ÷ 2) ) — the miter-gauge (horizontal) component is scaled by sin(spring), because tilting the piece shortens how much of the joint line's run still shows up in the horizontal plane the miter gauge measures.
- Bevel = asin( cos(spring) × sin(corner ÷ 2) ) — the blade-tilt component is scaled by cos(spring), the part of the corner's half-angle that survives the tilt and still has to be cut through the workpiece's thickness.
A sanity check the formula has to pass: flat stock (spring = 90°) gives bevel = 0 and miter = corner ÷ 2 — an ordinary flat miter, since sin(90°) = 1 and cos(90°) = 0. Plugging in a 38° spring at a 90° corner gives miter 31.6° and bevel 33.9° — the row above. For outside corners, substitute (360° − corner) ÷ 2 for corner ÷ 2.
How to use this chart
- Identify your crown molding's spring angle (38° or 45°).
- Find the row in the chart above.
- Set your miter saw's gauge to the Miter value.
- Tilt the blade to the Bevel value.
- If your saw reads differently, use the complementary columns.
- Always test on scrap first.
What if my walls aren't 90°?
Older homes often have corners that aren't exactly 90°. If your joints don't close tightly with the chart values, measure your actual corner angle with an angle finder and use the Compound Miter Calculator for exact settings.