Flooring Calculator
The two questions every flooring run comes down to: how many boxes, and what will they cost. Add each room, set the waste for your layout pattern, tell it what a box covers — done.
| Net floor area | — |
| Area incl. waste | — |
| Boxes to buy | — |
| Coverage those boxes give you | — |
| Total at price per box | — |
| Total at price per sq ft (on area incl. waste) | — |
Boxes always round up — you cannot buy 0.6 of a box, and the spare planks are your repair stock for the next decade. Calculated locally in your browser.
How much waste does your pattern need?
| Layout | Waste allowance | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Straight planks / tiles | 5–10% | End cuts and the odd damaged piece |
| Diagonal (45°) | 15% | Every edge piece is a angled cut |
| Herringbone / chevron | 15–20% | Pattern matching eats material at every border |
| Large-format tile | 10–15% | Breakage and lippage cuts on big pieces |
| Carpet (single room) | 10% | Seams and roll-width mismatch |
Worked example
The preset rooms — a 14 × 12 ft living room and a 4 × 8 ft hallway — total 200 sq ft. At the default 10% waste you need to cover 220 sq ft. With boxes that cover 20 sq ft each, that is exactly 11 boxes. Change the coverage to your product's real figure (it's printed on the box, typically 18–24 sq ft for laminate and LVP) and the count updates instantly.
Flooring questions
Why not just divide area by box coverage?
Because of cuts. The last row of every room is ripped to width, doorways chew up partial planks, and a few pieces always arrive damaged. The waste allowance is the difference between the floor you measured and the floor you can actually lay — skipping it is the classic reason for a second trip mid-install.
Should closets and under-appliance areas be included?
Closets: yes, they're floored. Under kitchen appliances: usually yes for floating floors (they run wall to wall), no for the footprint of a fixed island — subtract that on the main calculator with a cut-out row if it's large.
Does this work for tile and carpet too?
Yes — tile is sold by the box with a coverage figure, and carpet by the square yard (divide the area incl. waste by 9). For carpet, remember the roll width (usually 12 or 15 ft) can force more waste than the percentage suggests in narrow rooms.