How much flooring do I need? Square feet, boxes and waste
Measure each room’s length and width, add the rooms that get the same floor, add about 10% for cuts (15% for diagonal or herringbone) and divide by the square feet printed on the box. Round up to whole boxes after adding the rooms together.
Rooms of 12 × 10 ft and 8 × 6 ft make 168 sq ft. With 10% extra that is 184.8 sq ft: 10 boxes of 20 sq ft.
Worked example
Example: rooms of 12 × 10 ft and 8 × 6 ft, 10% extra and boxes that cover 20 sq ft.
This example gives 10 boxes of flooring.
- 168 × (1 + 10/100) = 184.8
- ceil(184.8 ÷ 20) = 10
Other calculators for this job
Every step of a flooring project: measure, the list, what it costs and the quotes.
What changes the order?
More extra means more boxes. Rooms that get the same floor are added together before rounding up.
| Calculator input | Result from those inputs |
|---|---|
| Extra for cuts (%): 0 | 9 boxes of flooring |
| Extra for cuts (%): 5 | 9 boxes of flooring |
| Extra for cuts (%): 10 | 10 boxes of flooring |
| Extra for cuts (%): 20 | 11 boxes of flooring |
Try your own measurements in the flooring calculator.
Measure every room and closet
Measure each room at its widest, split an L-shape into rectangles that do not overlap, and include closets. Take out only what stays uncovered, such as a kitchen island. Stairs and thresholds are separate items.
Read the box
Use the square feet per box printed on the carton: plank sizes vary, so counting planks by face area can mislead. Buy every box from the same lot.
Extra for cuts
Add about 5% for one simple room laid straight, 10% for several rooms and closets, and 15% for diagonal or herringbone. The laminate, vinyl and hardwood calculators lay the planks out row by row and show every cut.
What else to buy
Laminate needs underlayment unless it has one attached; glue-down vinyl needs adhesive; wood may need nails or glue. Transitions, baseboard or quarter-round, and moving furniture belong in the quote.