diff --git a/src/layouts/QskLayoutConstraint.cpp b/src/layouts/QskLayoutConstraint.cpp
index 103de00c..69bf25e4 100644
--- a/src/layouts/QskLayoutConstraint.cpp
+++ b/src/layouts/QskLayoutConstraint.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include "QskLayoutConstraint.h"
 #include "QskControl.h"
 #include "QskSizePolicy.h"
+#include "QskLayoutHint.h"
 #include "QskFunctions.h"
 
 #include <functional>
@@ -129,6 +130,22 @@ QskLayoutConstraint::Type QskLayoutConstraint::constraintType( const QQuickItem*
     return constraintType;
 }
 
+bool QskLayoutConstraint::isConstrained(
+    const QQuickItem* item, Qt::Orientation orientation )
+{
+    switch( constraintType( item ) )
+    {
+        case QskLayoutConstraint::WidthForHeight:
+            return orientation == Qt::Horizontal;
+
+        case QskLayoutConstraint::HeightForWidth:
+            return orientation == Qt::Vertical;
+
+        default:
+            return false;
+    }
+}
+
 qreal QskLayoutConstraint::heightForWidth( const QQuickItem* item, qreal width )
 {
     if ( auto control = qskControlCast( item ) )
@@ -186,7 +203,7 @@ qreal QskLayoutConstraint::constrainedMetric(
 }
 
 qreal QskLayoutConstraint::constrainedChildrenMetric(
-    Type type, const QskControl* control, qreal widthOrHeight )
+    Type type, const QskControl* control, qreal constraint )
 {
     auto constrainFunction =
         ( type == WidthForHeight ) ? widthForHeight : heightForWidth;
@@ -200,7 +217,7 @@ qreal QskLayoutConstraint::constrainedChildrenMetric(
         {
             if ( !control->isTransparentForPositioner() )
             {
-                const auto v = constrainFunction( control, widthOrHeight );
+                const auto v = constrainFunction( control, constraint );
                 if ( v > constrainedValue )
                     constrainedValue = v;
             }
@@ -460,3 +477,50 @@ QRectF QskLayoutConstraint::itemRect( const QQuickItem* item,
     return qskAlignedRectF( rect, size.width(), size.height(), alignment );
 }
 
+QskLayoutHint QskLayoutConstraint::layoutHint(
+    const QQuickItem* item, Qt::Orientation orientation, qreal constraint )
+{
+    if ( item == nullptr )
+        return QskLayoutHint();
+
+    const auto policy = sizePolicy( item ).policy( orientation );
+
+    if ( constraint >= 0.0 )
+    {
+        if ( !isConstrained( item, orientation ) )
+            constraint = -1.0;
+    }
+
+    qreal minimum, preferred, maximum;
+
+    const auto expandFlags = QskSizePolicy::GrowFlag | QskSizePolicy::ExpandFlag;
+
+    if ( ( policy & QskSizePolicy::ShrinkFlag ) &&
+        ( policy & expandFlags ) && ( policy & QskSizePolicy::IgnoreFlag ) )
+    {
+        // we don't need to calculate the preferred size
+
+        minimum = sizeHint( item, Qt::MinimumSize, orientation, constraint );
+        maximum = sizeHint( item, Qt::MaximumSize, orientation, constraint );
+        preferred = minimum;
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        preferred = sizeHint( item, Qt::PreferredSize, orientation, constraint );
+
+        if ( policy & QskSizePolicy::ShrinkFlag )
+            minimum = sizeHint( item, Qt::MinimumSize, orientation, constraint );
+        else
+            minimum = preferred;
+
+        if ( policy & expandFlags )
+            maximum = sizeHint( item, Qt::MaximumSize, orientation, constraint );
+        else
+            maximum = preferred;
+
+        if ( policy & QskSizePolicy::IgnoreFlag )
+            preferred = minimum;
+    }
+
+    return QskLayoutHint( minimum, preferred, maximum );
+}
diff --git a/src/layouts/QskLayoutConstraint.h b/src/layouts/QskLayoutConstraint.h
index 657c31a0..734e0ef0 100644
--- a/src/layouts/QskLayoutConstraint.h
+++ b/src/layouts/QskLayoutConstraint.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 
 class QskSizePolicy;
 class QskControl;
+class QskLayoutHint;
 class QQuickItem;
 class QSizeF;
 class QRectF;
@@ -33,17 +34,18 @@ namespace QskLayoutConstraint
     QSK_EXPORT qreal widthForHeight( const QQuickItem*, qreal height );
 
     QSK_EXPORT Type constraintType( const QQuickItem* );
+    QSK_EXPORT bool isConstrained( const QQuickItem*, Qt::Orientation );
 
     QSK_EXPORT qreal constrainedMetric(
         Type, const QskControl*, qreal value,
         std::function< qreal( Type, const QskControl*, qreal ) > );
 
-    QSK_EXPORT qreal constrainedChildrenMetric( Type, const QskControl*, qreal width );
+    QSK_EXPORT qreal constrainedChildrenMetric(
+        Type, const QskControl*, qreal constraint );
 
     QSK_EXPORT QSizeF effectiveConstraint( const QQuickItem*, Qt::SizeHint );
     QSK_EXPORT QskSizePolicy sizePolicy( const QQuickItem* );
 
-    // bounded by Qt::MinimumSize/Qt::MaximumSize
     QSK_EXPORT QSizeF boundedSize( const QQuickItem*, const QSizeF& );
     QSK_EXPORT QSizeF adjustedSize( const QQuickItem*, const QSizeF& );
 
@@ -56,7 +58,9 @@ namespace QskLayoutConstraint
     QSK_EXPORT QRectF itemRect(
         const QQuickItem*, const QRectF&, Qt::Alignment );
 
-    // QGridLayoutEngine internally uses FLT_MAX
+    QSK_EXPORT QskLayoutHint layoutHint(
+        const QQuickItem*, Qt::Orientation, qreal constraint );
+
     const qreal unlimited = std::numeric_limits< float >::max();
 }
 
diff --git a/src/layouts/QskLinearLayoutEngine.cpp b/src/layouts/QskLinearLayoutEngine.cpp
index 12e22eea..b0f6e12a 100644
--- a/src/layouts/QskLinearLayoutEngine.cpp
+++ b/src/layouts/QskLinearLayoutEngine.cpp
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@ namespace
         EntryData& operator=( const EntryData& );
 
         bool isIgnored() const;
-        bool isConstrained( Qt::Orientation ) const;
 
         qreal spacer() const { return m_isSpacer ? m_spacer : -1.0; }
         QQuickItem* item() const { return m_isSpacer ? nullptr : m_item; }
@@ -200,24 +199,6 @@ bool EntryData::isIgnored() const
     return false;
 }
 
-bool EntryData::isConstrained( Qt::Orientation orientation ) const
-{
-    if ( m_isSpacer )
-        return false;
-
-    switch( QskLayoutConstraint::constraintType( m_item ) )
-    {
-        case QskLayoutConstraint::WidthForHeight:
-            return orientation == Qt::Horizontal;
-
-        case QskLayoutConstraint::HeightForWidth:
-            return orientation == Qt::Vertical;
-
-        default:
-            return false;
-    }
-}
-
 EntryTable::EntryTable( Qt::Orientation orientation, uint dimension )
     : m_dimension( dimension )
     , m_sumIgnored( -1 )
@@ -496,95 +477,39 @@ QskLayoutConstraint::Type EntryTable::constraintType() const
 QskLayoutChain::Cell EntryTable::cell( const EntryData& entry,
     Qt::Orientation orientation, qreal constraint ) const
 {
-    int stretch = 0;
-    bool canGrow = true;
-    qreal minimum, preferred, maximum;
+    QskLayoutChain::Cell cell;
+    cell.canGrow = true;
 
     if ( const auto item = entry.item() )
     {
+        cell.hint = QskLayoutConstraint::layoutHint( item, orientation, constraint );
+
         const auto policy = QskLayoutConstraint::sizePolicy( item ).policy( orientation );
 
-        if ( constraint >= 0.0 )
-        {
-            if ( !entry.isConstrained( orientation ) )
-                constraint = -1.0;
-        }
-
-        const auto expandFlags = QskSizePolicy::GrowFlag | QskSizePolicy::ExpandFlag;
-
-        if ( ( policy & QskSizePolicy::ShrinkFlag ) &&
-            ( policy & expandFlags ) && ( policy & QskSizePolicy::IgnoreFlag ) )
-        {
-            // we don't need to calculate the preferred size
-
-            minimum = QskLayoutConstraint::sizeHint(
-                item, Qt::MinimumSize, orientation, constraint );
-
-            maximum = QskLayoutConstraint::sizeHint(
-                item, Qt::MaximumSize, orientation, constraint );
-
-            preferred = minimum;
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            preferred = QskLayoutConstraint::sizeHint(
-                item, Qt::PreferredSize, orientation, constraint );
-
-            minimum = maximum = preferred;
-
-            if ( policy & QskSizePolicy::ShrinkFlag )
-            {
-                minimum = QskLayoutConstraint::sizeHint(
-                    item, Qt::MinimumSize, orientation, constraint );
-            }
-
-            if ( policy & expandFlags )
-            {
-                maximum = QskLayoutConstraint::sizeHint(
-                    item, Qt::MaximumSize, orientation, constraint );
-            }
-
-            if ( policy & QskSizePolicy::IgnoreFlag )
-                preferred = minimum;
-        }
-
         if ( orientation == m_orientation )
         {
             if ( entry.stretch() < 0 )
-                stretch = ( policy & QskSizePolicy::ExpandFlag ) ? 1 : 0;
+                cell.stretch = ( policy & QskSizePolicy::ExpandFlag ) ? 1 : 0;
             else
-                stretch = entry.stretch();
+                cell.stretch = entry.stretch();
         }
 
-        canGrow = policy & QskSizePolicy::GrowFlag;
+        cell.canGrow = policy & QskSizePolicy::GrowFlag;
     }
     else
     {
-        // a spacer
-
         if ( orientation == m_orientation )
         {
-            minimum = preferred = maximum = entry.spacer();
+            cell.hint.setMinimum( entry.spacer() );
+            cell.hint.setPreferred( entry.spacer() );
 
-            // >= 0 ???
-            if ( entry.stretch() > 0 )
-                maximum = QskLayoutConstraint::unlimited;
+            if ( entry.stretch() <= 0 )
+                cell.hint.setMaximum( entry.spacer() );
 
-            stretch = qMax( entry.stretch(), 0 );
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            minimum = 0.0;
-            preferred = 0.0;
-            maximum = QskLayoutConstraint::unlimited;
+            cell.stretch = qMax( entry.stretch(), 0 );
         }
     }
 
-    QskLayoutChain::Cell cell;
-    cell.hint = QskLayoutHint( minimum, preferred, maximum );
-    cell.stretch = stretch;
-    cell.canGrow = canGrow;
-
     return cell;
 }