Paint quantities · room guide

How much paint do I need for a 5m x 5m room?

You need about 8.3 litres of emulsion to give the walls of a 5m x 5m room two coats, which is 2 × 5L. That assumes 2.4 metre ceilings, one door and one window, leaving 44.9 m² of wall, and includes 10% spare. Painting the ceiling as well adds 4.6 litres.

Coverage figures checked against Dulux product pages on 24 September 2026.

Paint for the walls

8.3 L

two coats, 10% spare

Tins to buy

2 × 5L

walls only

Wall area

44.9 m²

2.4m high, 1 door, 1 window

Ceiling

4.6 L

25 m², two coats

Paint for a 5m x 5m room by wall surface

Two coats on the walls. Tins quote up to 13 to 14 m² per litre, but that is on smooth, sealed walls in ideal conditions.

Walls	Coverage	Paint needed	Tins
Smooth, already painted	12 m² per litre	8.3 L	2 × 5L
Big colour change	10 m² per litre	9.9 L	2 × 5L
New plaster	8 m² per litre	12.4 L + mist coat	2 × 5L + 1 × 2.5L
Textured or porous	7 m² per litre	14.2 L	3 × 5L

By ceiling height

Most modern UK rooms are about 2.4 metres high. Older houses are often 2.7 to 3 metres.

Ceiling height	Wall area	Paint for two coats	Tins
2.3 m	42.9 m²	7.9 L	2 × 5L
2.4 m	44.9 m²	8.3 L	2 × 5L
2.7 m	50.9 m²	9.4 L	2 × 5L
3 m	56.9 m²	10.5 L	2 × 5L + 1 × 2.5L

By number of coats

Walls only, on smooth painted walls.

Coats	Paint needed	Tins
1 coat	4.2 L	1 × 5L
2 coats	8.3 L	2 × 5L
3 coats	12.4 L	2 × 5L + 1 × 2.5L

Walls and ceiling together

The ceiling of a 5m x 5m room is 25 m². Two coats on the walls and ceiling need 12.9 litres, or 3 × 5L, which is 4.6 litres more than the walls alone. Ceilings are usually a flat white matt, so that extra is often a separate tin.

New plaster needs a mist coat

On freshly plastered walls in a 5m x 5m room, the mist coat of thinned emulsion uses around 5 litres, and the plaster keeps soaking up paint after that, so plan on 17.4 litres in total rather than 8.3.

How much is left in the tins

Two coats leave 1.7 litres in the 2 × 5L, enough to touch up about 20 m² of wall later. The same tins still cover 2.7 metre ceilings, but at 3 metres you would need 2 × 5L + 1 × 2.5L. One coat would need only 1 × 5L, which is worth knowing if you are refreshing the same colour. All four walls are 5 metres wide, so a feature colour on any one of them takes about 2.2 litres for two coats. A 2.5 litre tin is enough for that.

Other room sizes

2m x 2m room (3 L for two coats)
3m x 2m room (3.9 L for two coats)
3m x 3m room (4.8 L for two coats)
4m x 3m room (5.6 L for two coats)
4m x 4m room (6.5 L for two coats)
5m x 3m room (6.5 L for two coats)
5m x 4m room (7.4 L for two coats)
6m x 4m room (8.3 L for two coats)
6m x 5m room (9.2 L for two coats)
6m x 6m room (10 L for two coats)

Paint calculator for any room · Measure your own room

Common questions

How much paint do I need for a 5m x 5m room?

About 8.3 litres for two coats on the walls, with 2.4 metre ceilings, one door and one window. That is 2 × 5L. Add 4.6 litres if you are painting the ceiling.

What is the wall area of a 5m x 5m room?

The walls run 2 × (5 + 5) = 20 metres around the room. At 2.4 metres high that is 48 m², or 44.9 m² once a door and a window are taken off.

Is one 5 litre tin enough for a 5m x 5m room?

No. Two coats on the walls need about 8.3 litres, so you need 2 × 5L. One 5 litre tin would give you roughly one and a half coats.

How much paint for one coat on a 5m x 5m room?

About 4.2 litres, including 10% spare, covering 44.9 m² once. That is usually enough only when you are refreshing the same colour.

Sources and assumptions

Doors count as 1.6 m² and windows as 1.5 m². Skirting boards and radiators are not taken off.
10% is added for paint left in the tray and on the roller, and for touch-ups. Litres are rounded up to the nearest 0.1.

These are estimates. Check the coverage printed on your tin, as it varies between brands and finishes.