Tile calculator

Tiles = every tile position, cut ones included, plus extra, in whole boxes: a 12 × 10 ft floor in 24 × 12 in tile has 60 positions, so 66 tiles with 10% extra, or 7 boxes of 10.

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.

Surface 1

Length (ft) Width (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. Obstacles on this surface A drain, toilet flange, niche or cabinet that the tile goes around. Obstacles may overlap: the area they share is left out once. Untiled area, by its corners A tub, an island or any shape the tile goes around, written like the outline, from the same first corner. Leave blank when there is none. Second untiled area, by its corners Where two areas overlap, the shared part is left out once.

Measure from Extra for cuts (%) The layout already counts a tile for each cut position. Extra adds more tiles for breakage, mistakes or spares before rounding to boxes. Compare patterns and starting points first; ask the supplier which spare pieces to keep.

Details Package sizes, prices and materials

Tile shape Hexagons lie in a honeycomb and triangles in alternating rows. For squares with long tiles, choose a mixed-size layout pattern below. Tile length Tile width Grout joint Tiles per box Layout pattern By default each cut position consumes a tile. Choose the straight-piece offcut plan below to compare reuse with your blade loss. Tile thickness Grout fills each joint to the full depth of the tile. Thinset trowel Matched: a 1/4 × 1/4 in notch for tiles under 8 in, 1/4 × 3/8 in up to 15 in, a large-tile U-notch above that. Lift a tile now and then: the back should be at least 80% covered, 95% in showers and outdoors. Your grout’s coverage per package (sq ft) Leave blank to use CUSTOM Polyblend Plus sanded grout in 25 lb bags, worked out for your tile, joint and depth. Your thinset’s coverage per bag (sq ft) Leave blank to use CUSTOM VersaBond in 50 lb bags, at the low end of its range for the trowel. Exposed tile edges to finish with trim Edges that end in the open, such as the top of a backsplash or an outside corner. Your price per box ($) Tile orientation Starting offset across length Starting offset across width Offcut plan Reuse counts only rectangular pieces, without turning them. Confirm usable edges, matching pattern and batch with your installer. Angled and notched cuts still take their own tiles.

Example: replace these measurements

Your material list

7 boxes of tile+ 2 more items on the list

120 sq ft measured

Your measured layout

Cut pieces by size: 3 sizes
Pieces	Along the length × along the width	Cut
9	23.38 in × 12 in	straight
5	24 in × 10.88 in	straight
1	23.38 in × 10.88 in	straight

Top view of the calculated tile positions. Each cut piece uses a tile; offcuts are not reused. Sizes are the outside measurements of each cut piece; a piece cut around an obstacle is listed at its size before the notch.

Your shopping list

7 boxes of tile
3 bags of 50 lb thinset mortar (VersaBond-LFT)
1 bag of 25 lb sanded grout (Polyblend Plus)

At posted store prices

$90.78 3 × $30.26 a bag, CUSTOM VersaBond-LFT large-format tile mortar, Gray, 50 lb at Mill Supply Co. in Baltimore, MD on Oct 12, 2026
$25.26 1 × $25.26 a bag, CUSTOM Polyblend Plus sanded grout, Delorean Gray, 25 lb at Shell Lumber and Hardware in Miami, FL on Oct 26, 2026

$116.04 for these 2 items, before tax and delivery.

Not priced here: boxes of tile. Each price is one store’s posted price on the day shown, for the product named. Prices vary between stores: check yours.

Already have some? See what it covers

How many boxes of tile you have

Quantities and package details

Tile positions: 60
Full tile positions: 45
Cut tile positions: 15 (25%)
Different cut sizes: 3
Tiles before extra: 60
Tiles saved by reusing straight offcuts: 0
Tiles with extra: 66
Tiles in purchased boxes: 70
Surface area: 120 sq ft
Offcut area before reuse: 1.64 sq ft
Thinset mortar: 3 bags of 50 lb (VersaBond-LFT)
Sanded grout: 1 bag of 25 lb (Polyblend Plus)
Edges and corners left for sealant: 44 ft
Tile subtotal: Add your box price

Large tiles often need thinset on their backs as well (back-troweling); add to the thinset for that. This is a geometric purchase allowance. Every cut position consumes a tile; no offcut reuse, blade kerf, edge qualification or installation approval is assumed.

The calculation

Surface 1: 45 full + 15 cut = 60 tile positions
60 × (1 + 10/100), rounded up = 66 tiles
ceil(66 / 10) = 7 boxes
Thinset: 120 sq ft ÷ 42 sq ft a 50 lb bag (CUSTOM VersaBond-LFT with a 3/4 × 9/16 in U-notch at 30° trowel; its chart gives 42 to 47) = 2.86 bags
Grout: 24 in × 12 in tile, 3/8 in deep, 1/8 in joints: about 461 sq ft a 25 lb bag (CUSTOM’s Polyblend Plus chart, worked for this size); 120 ÷ 461 = 0.26 bags

Common questions

How much tile do I need?

Count the tile positions for your layout, add your extra for breakage and spares, and round up to whole boxes. This estimate uses one tile per cut position and does not reuse offcuts. The calculator does this for every surface and shows the count.

Does a herringbone or diagonal pattern need more tile?

Usually, because more tiles are cut at the edges. Switch the pattern in the details and compare the cut positions with a straight layout for the same room.

How do I avoid thin slivers of tile at the walls?

Move the starting point. The button under the drawing tries a grid of starting offsets and keeps the one with the fewest cuts it finds, then the widest narrowest cut. The cut list gives the size of every cut piece.

How do I tile an L-shaped room or go around a cabinet?

Choose L-shape for the surface and enter the missing corner. Add up to three obstacles per surface, such as a toilet flange or an island. The layout clips tiles around them, so the count matches the real floor.

How much grout and thinset do I need?

For 120 sq ft of 12 × 24 in tile with 1/8 in joints, about 3 bags of 50 lb large-tile thinset and 1 bag of 25 lb sanded grout. Thinset follows the trowel: CUSTOM gives a 50 lb bag of VersaBond 60 to 67 sq ft with a 1/4 × 3/8 in notch. Grout follows the joints: the same bag of Polyblend Plus covers about 461 sq ft of 12 × 24 in tile but 266 sq ft of 6 × 6 in tile. The calculator works both out for your tile, or uses the coverage on your own bags.

How to plan the quantity

Add each floor or wall as its own surface. Choose L, U or T for those room shapes, or type the corners of any other outline, then add up to three obstacles and two untiled areas of any shape. Tile dimensions and the joint determine how many whole or cut pieces cross each edge. The list counts a tile for each position, then adds your chosen extra allowance.

The layout clips each tile position to the surface, its missing corner if it is L-shaped, and any obstacles you add to it. Straight and half-offset rows, a diagonal grid and a two-rectangle herringbone lattice have different cuts. Hexagons and triangles are laid in their own pattern, and the mixed-size patterns set squares with long tiles; each size is counted and boxed on its own. Change orientation or starting offsets to compare borders, or let the planner try starting points and keep the one with the fewest cuts it finds. The cut list under the drawing gives the size of every cut piece. By default each cut position consumes one tile. The optional straight-piece stock plan combines rectangular cuts using your blade loss; angled and notched pieces stay separate.

Thinset is counted from the trowel: CUSTOM’s chart gives a 50 lb bag of VersaBond 85 to 95 sq ft with a 1/4 × 1/4 in notch and 60 to 67 sq ft with 1/4 × 3/8 in, and VersaBond-LFT 42 to 47 sq ft with its large-tile U-notch; the list uses the low figure. Grout is counted from the joints: the narrower the joint and the larger the tile, the further a bag goes. Type your own product’s coverage to use it instead.

Where tile meets a wall, a tub, a cabinet or another plane, leave the joint open and fill it with a flexible sealant, not grout. The perimeter line gives the length to seal.

Before you order

An opening rarely saves its area in whole tiles. Enter it as an obstacle or an untiled area, and the layout counts only the tiles it really saves.
Half-hexagon tiles and the French (Versailles) pattern are not offered: their makers publish a bounding size or nominal sizes, not the exact faces a layout needs. Measure your own tiles; the mixed-size patterns cover squares laid with long tiles.
Check substrate preparation and movement-joint details with the installer before ordering setting materials.

Have prices moved?

Ceramic floor and wall tile cost 0.8% 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.

Plan the work as well as the order: How to tile a floor or shower: backer, waterproofing and joints.

Before ordering, read the guide: How much tile do I need? Layout, cuts and boxes. Or choose another calculator.