Laminate flooring calculator

Cartons = floor area plus extra ÷ the coverage on the carton, rounded up: a 12 × 10 ft room is 120 sq ft, or 7 cartons of 20 sq ft with 10% extra, laid as 70 planks in 20 rows. Counting every cut plank 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 both figures and the carton coverage. The layout counts a new plank for each cut position; it does not reuse offcuts.

Details Package sizes, prices and materials

Installation rules from Choose your flooring to fill in its maker’s gap, end-joint offset and shortest piece; typing your own replaces them. 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 ($) Underlayment roll coverage (sq ft)

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
Underlayment rolls: Enter coverage if required
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 laminate flooring do I need?

Enter each room, the plank size and the carton coverage. You get two answers: cartons by area with your extra, and a cut layout that counts every cut plank as a whole one. Order the larger.

Do I subtract the expansion gap?

Leave the gap the laminate maker gives at every wall. The calculator takes it off the layout, not off the order.

How far apart should laminate end joints be?

As far as your flooring’s instructions say. Pergo Pro asks for end joints at least 12 inches apart, a first piece at least 8 inches long and a 3/8 inch gap at the walls. Choose it under Details and the list checks your layout against those limits.

Source: Pergo Pro laminate flooring installation instructions. Listed on the Sources page.

Do I need underlayment under laminate?

Only if the product calls for it. Some laminate has a pad attached. Enter the underlayment roll coverage only when a separate layer is needed.

How to plan the quantity

The perimeter gap reduces the plank-layout dimensions, while the purchase allowance uses net room area. Keep both numbers visible rather than treating the gap as a way to reduce the order.

Rows alternate between a full-plank start and your chosen offset. The cutting allowance counts a new plank for every cut position; offcuts are listed but not silently reused.

Underlayment is a separate product decision. Leave its coverage blank until you know whether a separate layer belongs in this installation.

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

Choose your flooring under Details, or type the gap, the end-joint offset and the shortest piece from its instructions: the list checks the layout against them. It does not choose an underlayment.
Add each closet as a room of its own. Door undercuts, stairs and transitions remain separate measurements.

Plan the work as well as the order: How to install laminate or vinyl plank flooring: subfloor, gaps and rows.

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