Design of SAW ladder filters has been performed by a rather trial and error method, that is, by modifying the design variables step by step until designed performance of the filter satisfies given specifications. In this work, optimal design method has been developed that automatically determines the detailed pattern of the SAW ladder filter to meet the specification once desired performance is given. As a first step for the development, the analysis tool for the SAW ladder filter has been produced by means of the Smith equivalent circuit analysis technique, and its validity has been verified through comparison of its calculation result with experimental data. With the analysis tool, we have investigated the performance variation of the filter with the change of its design factors, and the result has led to the optimal design algorithm. Validity and efficiency of the algorithm has been checked through test design of several SAW ladder filter samples on the market.