diff --git a/applications/utilities/mesh/generation/snappyHexMesh/snappyHexMesh.C b/applications/utilities/mesh/generation/snappyHexMesh/snappyHexMesh.C
index 84a0589546..2002149f22 100644
--- a/applications/utilities/mesh/generation/snappyHexMesh/snappyHexMesh.C
+++ b/applications/utilities/mesh/generation/snappyHexMesh/snappyHexMesh.C
@@ -721,9 +721,13 @@ void writeMesh
     const meshRefinement::writeType writeLevel
 )
 {
+    // Note: don't want to use time().cpuTimeIncrement since layer addition
+    // somehow resets timer ...
+    cpuTime timer;
+
     const fvMesh& mesh = meshRefiner.mesh();
 
-    meshRefiner.printMeshInfo(debugLevel, msg);
+    meshRefiner.printMeshInfo(debugLevel, msg, true);
     Info<< "Writing mesh to time " << meshRefiner.timeName() << endl;
 
     processorMeshes::removeFiles(mesh);
@@ -740,7 +744,7 @@ void writeMesh
         mesh.time().path()/meshRefiner.timeName()
     );
     Info<< "Wrote mesh in = "
-        << mesh.time().cpuTimeIncrement() << " s." << endl;
+        << timer.cpuTimeIncrement() << " s." << endl;
 }
 
 
@@ -1346,7 +1350,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     }
 
     // Some stats
-    meshRefiner.printMeshInfo(debugLevel, "Initial mesh");
+    meshRefiner.printMeshInfo(debugLevel, "Initial mesh", true);
 
     meshRefiner.write
     (
diff --git a/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinement.C b/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinement.C
index 096364b04c..f8c2037a83 100644
--- a/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinement.C
+++ b/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinement.C
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
      \\/     M anipulation  |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Copyright (C) 2011-2017 OpenFOAM Foundation
-    Copyright (C) 2015-2022 OpenCFD Ltd.
+    Copyright (C) 2015-2023 OpenCFD Ltd.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 License
     This file is part of OpenFOAM.
@@ -3503,7 +3503,12 @@ Foam::bitSet Foam::meshRefinement::getMasterEdges
 }
 
 
-void Foam::meshRefinement::printMeshInfo(const bool debug, const string& msg)
+void Foam::meshRefinement::printMeshInfo
+(
+    const bool debug,
+    const string& msg,
+    const bool printCellLevel
+)
 const
 {
     const globalMeshData& pData = mesh_.globalData();
@@ -3527,12 +3532,22 @@ const
         Info<< msg.c_str()
             << " : cells:" << pData.nTotalCells()
             << "  faces:" << returnReduce(nMasterFaces, sumOp<label>())
-            << "  points:" << returnReduce(nMasterPoints, sumOp<label>())
-            << endl;
+            << "  points:" << returnReduce(nMasterPoints, sumOp<label>());
+
+        if (UPstream::parRun())
+        {
+            const scalar nIdealCells = pData.nTotalCells()/Pstream::nProcs();
+            const scalar unbalance = returnReduce
+            (
+                mag(1.0-mesh_.nCells()/nIdealCells),
+                maxOp<scalar>()
+            );
+            Info<< "  unbalance:" << unbalance;
+        }
+        Info<< endl;
     }
 
-
-    //if (debug)
+    if (printCellLevel)
     {
         const labelList& cellLevel = meshCutter_.cellLevel();
 
diff --git a/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinement.H b/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinement.H
index 6961ac7927..40607fbe18 100644
--- a/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinement.H
+++ b/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinement.H
@@ -1793,7 +1793,12 @@ public:
             );
 
             //- Print some mesh stats.
-            void printMeshInfo(const bool, const string&) const;
+            void printMeshInfo
+            (
+                const bool debug,
+                const string& msg,
+                const bool printCellLevel
+            ) const;
 
             //- Replacement for Time::timeName() that returns oldInstance
             //- (if overwrite_)
diff --git a/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinementBaffles.C b/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinementBaffles.C
index 57822b772c..1286200ced 100644
--- a/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinementBaffles.C
+++ b/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinementBaffles.C
@@ -3860,7 +3860,7 @@ void Foam::meshRefinement::handleSnapProblems
     Info<< "Created baffles in = "
         << runTime.cpuTimeIncrement() << " s\n" << nl << endl;
 
-    printMeshInfo(debug, "After introducing baffles");
+    printMeshInfo(debug, "After introducing baffles", true);
 
     if (debug&MESH)
     {
@@ -4644,7 +4644,7 @@ void Foam::meshRefinement::baffleAndSplitMesh
     Info<< "Created baffles in = "
         << runTime.cpuTimeIncrement() << " s\n" << nl << endl;
 
-    printMeshInfo(debug, "After introducing baffles");
+    printMeshInfo(debug, "After introducing baffles", true);
 
     if (debug&MESH)
     {
@@ -4752,7 +4752,7 @@ void Foam::meshRefinement::baffleAndSplitMesh
     Info<< "Split mesh in = "
         << runTime.cpuTimeIncrement() << " s\n" << nl << endl;
 
-    printMeshInfo(debug, "After subsetting");
+    printMeshInfo(debug, "After subsetting", true);
 
     if (debug&MESH)
     {
diff --git a/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinementRefine.C b/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinementRefine.C
index 4bbd5808d6..4d55996564 100644
--- a/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinementRefine.C
+++ b/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/meshRefinement/meshRefinementRefine.C
@@ -2664,6 +2664,10 @@ Foam::autoPtr<Foam::mapDistributePolyMesh> Foam::meshRefinement::balance
             }
             else
             {
+                Info<< "Balancing since max unbalance " << unbalance
+                    << " is larger than allowable " << maxLoadUnbalance
+                    << endl;
+
                 scalarField cellWeights(mesh_.nCells(), 1);
                 forAll(cellsToRefine, i)
                 {
@@ -2685,7 +2689,7 @@ Foam::autoPtr<Foam::mapDistributePolyMesh> Foam::meshRefinement::balance
                 Info<< "Balanced mesh in = "
                     << mesh_.time().cpuTimeIncrement() << " s" << endl;
 
-                printMeshInfo(debug, "After balancing " + msg);
+                printMeshInfo(debug, "After balancing " + msg, true);
 
 
                 if (debug&meshRefinement::MESH)
@@ -2749,7 +2753,7 @@ Foam::meshRefinement::refineAndBalance
 
     Info<< "Refined mesh in = "
         << mesh_.time().cpuTimeIncrement() << " s" << endl;
-    printMeshInfo(debug, "After refinement " + msg);
+    printMeshInfo(debug, "After refinement " + msg, true);
 
 
     // Load balancing
@@ -2862,7 +2866,7 @@ Foam::meshRefinement::balanceAndRefine
     //    Info<< endl;
     //}
 
-    printMeshInfo(debug, "After refinement " + msg);
+    printMeshInfo(debug, "After refinement " + msg, true);
 
     return distMap;
 }
diff --git a/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/snappyHexMeshDriver/snappyLayerDriver.C b/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/snappyHexMeshDriver/snappyLayerDriver.C
index 572c6673a3..0e045f0f7c 100644
--- a/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/snappyHexMeshDriver/snappyLayerDriver.C
+++ b/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/snappyHexMeshDriver/snappyLayerDriver.C
@@ -3072,6 +3072,9 @@ void Foam::snappyLayerDriver::printLayerData
         maxPatchNameLen = max(maxPatchNameLen, label(patchName.size()));
     }
 
+    // Print some global mesh statistics
+    meshRefiner_.printMeshInfo(false, "Mesh with layers", false);
+
     Info<< nl
         << setf(ios_base::left) << setw(maxPatchNameLen) << "patch"
         << setw(0) << " faces    layers   overall thickness" << nl
@@ -5501,16 +5504,11 @@ void Foam::snappyLayerDriver::doLayers
             Pstream::reduceOr(faceZoneOnCoupledFace);
         }
 
-
-
-
         // Balance
-        if (Pstream::parRun() && (preBalance || faceZoneOnCoupledFace))
+        if (Pstream::parRun())
         {
-            Info<< nl
-                << "Doing initial balancing" << nl
-                << "-----------------------" << nl
-                << endl;
+            // Calculate wanted number of cells after adding layers
+            // (expressed as weight to be passed into decompositionMethod)
 
             scalarField cellWeights(mesh.nCells(), 1);
             forAll(numLayers, patchi)
@@ -5562,17 +5560,54 @@ void Foam::snappyLayerDriver::doLayers
                 }
             }
 
-            // Balance mesh (and meshRefinement). Restrict faceZones to
-            // be on internal faces only since they will be converted into
-            // baffles.
-            autoPtr<mapDistributePolyMesh> map = meshRefiner_.balance
+
+            // Print starting mesh
+            Info<< nl;
+            meshRefiner_.printMeshInfo
             (
-                true,           // keepZoneFaces
                 false,
-                cellWeights,
-                decomposer,
-                distributor
+                "Before layer addition",
+                false           //printCellLevel
             );
+
+            // Print expected mesh (if all layers added)
+            {
+                const scalar nNewCells = sum(cellWeights);
+                const scalar nNewCellsAll =
+                    returnReduce(nNewCells, sumOp<scalar>());
+                const scalar nIdealNewCells = nNewCellsAll / Pstream::nProcs();
+                const scalar unbalance = returnReduce
+                (
+                    mag(1.0-nNewCells/nIdealNewCells),
+                    maxOp<scalar>()
+                );
+
+                Info<< "Ideal layer addition"
+                    << " : cells:" << nNewCellsAll
+                    << "  unbalance:" << unbalance
+                    << nl << endl;
+            }
+
+
+            if (preBalance || faceZoneOnCoupledFace)
+            {
+                Info<< nl
+                    << "Doing initial balancing" << nl
+                    << "-----------------------" << nl
+                    << endl;
+
+                // Balance mesh (and meshRefinement). Restrict faceZones to
+                // be on internal faces only since they will be converted into
+                // baffles.
+                autoPtr<mapDistributePolyMesh> map = meshRefiner_.balance
+                (
+                    true,           // keepZoneFaces
+                    false,
+                    cellWeights,
+                    decomposer,
+                    distributor
+                );
+            }
         }
 
 
diff --git a/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/snappyHexMeshDriver/snappyRefineDriver.C b/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/snappyHexMeshDriver/snappyRefineDriver.C
index 680c5a0313..8837ce8801 100644
--- a/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/snappyHexMeshDriver/snappyRefineDriver.C
+++ b/src/mesh/snappyHexMesh/snappyHexMeshDriver/snappyRefineDriver.C
@@ -2199,7 +2199,8 @@ Foam::label Foam::snappyRefineDriver::directionalShellRefine
         meshRefiner_.printMeshInfo
         (
             debug,
-            "After directional refinement iteration " + name(iter)
+            "After directional refinement iteration " + name(iter),
+            true
         );
 
         if (debug&meshRefinement::MESH)