Flooring Calculator

Work out how much laminate, vinyl, wood or tile flooring you need, how many packs to buy and what it will cost, with an allowance for offcuts.

Reviewed by Dany, RightSums team · Updated

Runs in your browser. Free, no sign-up.

home-energy · Daily life · UK & US

Enter the length and width of the room, the area each pack covers and the price per square metre. The calculator adds a waste allowance for offcuts, rounds up to whole packs and shows the cost of what you actually have to buy, plus how much will be left over. Use 10% extra for a straight lay and 15% or more for herringbone, chevron or diagonal layouts.

Accepted inputs

  • Room length and width
  • Pack coverage
  • Price per m² or sq ft
  • Waste allowance
  • Metric or imperial

Outputs

  • Floor area
  • Area to buy with waste
  • Packs needed
  • Material cost
  • Spare flooring

How to use the Flooring Calculator

  1. Measure the length and width of the room at the widest points. For an L-shaped room, split it into rectangles and add the areas together.
  2. Enter the coverage printed on the pack, usually between 1.5 m² and 2.5 m² for laminate and vinyl planks, and the price per m².
  3. Pick a waste allowance: 10% for boards laid straight, 15% or more for herringbone, chevron or a diagonal layout.
  4. Read off how many packs to buy, what they cost and how much will be left over for future repairs.

Frequently asked questions

How much flooring do I need for my room?

Multiply the length of the room by the width to get the floor area in square metres, then add 10% for offcuts. A 4 m by 3 m room is 12 m², so you would buy 13.2 m², which is 6 packs if each pack covers 2.2 m².

How much extra flooring should I buy for waste?

Allow 10% for planks laid in straight rows. Herringbone, chevron and diagonal layouts create more angled cuts, so allow 15% or more. Small rooms with alcoves and pipework also waste a larger share of each board.

How many packs of laminate do I need?

Divide the area you need, including waste, by the coverage on the pack and round up. With 13.2 m² to cover and packs of 2.2 m², that is exactly 6 packs. If the answer is 6.1, you still need 7.

How do I convert square feet to square metres?

Divide square feet by 10.764, or multiply square metres by 10.764 to go the other way. A 12 m² room is about 129 sq ft. The calculator switches between the two for you.

How many floor tiles do I need?

Divide the floor area by the area of one tile. A 600 x 600 mm tile covers 0.36 m², so a 12 m² floor needs 34 tiles, or 37 with 10% extra for cuts and breakages.

Flooring needed by room size

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