Hardwood flooring calculator

Cartons = floor area plus extra ÷ the coverage on the carton, rounded up: a 12 × 10 ft room in 6 in boards is 120 sq ft, or 7 cartons of 20 sq ft with 10% extra. Counting every cut board as a whole one, the layout needs 8: order the larger.

Your measurements

Example

Use the unit shown for each box, or type another one: 12 ft 6 in, 150 in, 3.8 m and 600 mm all work, as do the marks on a tape measure.

Room 1

Room length (ft) Room width (ft) Area left uncovered (sq ft) Surface shape L: one corner missing. U: a gap in one side, between two arms. T: a bar across the top with a stem below. For any other shape, type its corners. Area left uncovered, by its corners A kitchen island, a hearth or any shape the flooring goes around, written like the outline, from the same first corner. Leave blank when there is none. Second uncovered area, by its corners Where two areas overlap, the shared part is left out once.

Extra for cuts (%) Your extra is added to both counts: by area and by cut layout. Check board widths and lengths first; mixed-width positions are listed separately. Confirm the actual width mix in the packs you buy. Board widths

Details Package sizes, prices and materials

Planks run along Plank length Plank face width Perimeter gap from product instructions Offset of alternating rows Shortest end-joint offset your flooring allows From the installation instructions: how far apart end joints in neighboring rows must be. Shortest piece your flooring allows From the installation instructions: the shortest piece allowed at the start or end of a row. Carton coverage (sq ft) Doorways where the floor meets another floor Each takes a transition strip: T-molding to a floor of the same height, a reducer to a lower one, an end molding at a door threshold. Your price per carton ($) Fastening interval from plan Finish coverage per container (sq ft) Site-applied finish coats

Example: replace these measurements

Your material list

8 cartons by cut layout, the larger count (7 by area)

120 sq ft measured

Your measured layout

First room, turned so the planks run across. Rows show your board widths and the offset of alternating rows. Each cut uses a new plank; offcuts are not reused. Very large rooms show the first 1,800 planks.

Your shopping list

8 cartons by cut layout, the larger count (7 by area)

Already have some? See what it covers

How many cartons you have

Quantities and package details

Net room area: 120 sq ft
Area with allowance: 132 sq ft
Coverage bought beyond the floor area: 20 sq ft
Cartons by cut layout: 8 cartons; offcuts not reused
Whole plank positions: 50
Cut plank positions: 20
Offcut area before reuse: 20 sq ft
Room 1: 120 sq ft · 20 rows · 70 plank positions
Room edges, for base shoe or quarter round: 44 ft, less the doorways (none if the baseboard comes off and goes back over the gap)
Transition strips: 1 strip, one a doorway
End joints in neighboring rows: 16 in apart
Shortest piece at a row end: 16 in
6-inch width positions: 70
Finish containers: No site-finish coats entered
Fastening points before the end-of-board rule: Enter the fastening interval
Price of the cartons to order: Enter your unit price

Area cartons and the conservative cut allowance answer different questions. The cutting layout follows the room’s shape and any area left uncovered that you outline by its corners; an excluded area typed in square feet changes only the area count.

The calculation

120 × (1 + 10/100) ÷ 20, rounded up = 7
Cut allowance: 70 plank positions with 20 sq ft offcut; no reuse assumed.

Common questions

How much hardwood flooring do I need?

Measure each room, add your extra for cuts and divide by the square feet in a carton, rounding up. The cut layout gives a second figure that counts each cut board as whole: order the larger, which the answer leads with. Random-length bundles vary, so check the carton label.

Can I plan mixed-width boards?

Yes. Choose repeating mixed widths and enter the three face widths. The calculator counts the rows of each width across the room.

How much finish do I need for site-finished floors?

Enter the finish coats and the coverage on the finish label. Prefinished flooring needs no site coats; leave the coats at zero.

How to plan the quantity

Mixed-width mode repeats the first, second and third board widths. It counts each width separately across the room. This is a specified repeating layout, not a random-length carton optimizer.

Length and stagger use an equal-length example. For assorted lengths, cartons still follow their label coverage; confirm the cut allowance against the actual bundle mix.

Site finish is counted only if you enter coats and product coverage. Factory-finished flooring may need no site coating; the tool does not choose it.

For an L-shaped floor, enter the widest length and width, then the size of the missing top-right corner. The plank layout removes that corner in either plank direction and allows the perimeter gap at its inner edges. A U, a T or any outline typed by its corners is laid the same way: rows run across the whole floor, the gap follows every wall and every uncovered area you outline, and each plank is cut where the floor ends. An excluded area typed in square feet affects the area order only.

Before you order

Moisture, acclimation, grade, species, fastening and the installation method belong to the chosen product and accepted plan.
Parquet and complex patterns need their own measured layout; area cartons alone cannot specify cuts.

Have prices moved?

Lumber cost 8.7% more in September 2026 than a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price index, preliminary).

Every building material we track, month by month, with the change in a year.

What owners paid: the typical flooring, carpeting, paneling and ceiling tile job cost $3,000 in the 2023 Census survey.

Before ordering, read the guide: How much flooring do I need? Square feet, boxes and waste. Or choose another calculator.