Flooring Calculator
for Boxes and Waste
Enter your room and flooring type. See how many boxes to order, with a waste factor suited to the material and layout.
Hardwood, LVP, tile and carpet · Waste set for you · Works on your phone
Estimates only. Your numbers stay in your browser and aren't saved or sent anywhere.
How to calculate flooring
Floor area = length × width
Area to order = floor area × (1 + waste %)
Boxes = area to order ÷ coverage per box, rounded up
For example, a 15' by 12' room is 180 sq ft. With 7% waste for LVP laid straight, you'd order 193 sq ft, which is 10 boxes at 20 sq ft per box. Coverage per box differs between products, so check the carton. For an L-shaped room, split it into rectangles and add them up.
Flooring waste factors
Choosing a material in the calculator fills in its waste factor, and you can change it:
| Material | Calculator uses | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Hardwood, straight | 10% | 7–10% |
| Hardwood, diagonal | 14% | 12–15% |
| Laminate / LVP, straight | 7% | 7% |
| Laminate / LVP, diagonal | 10% | 10% |
| Tile, straight | 10% | 10% |
| Tile, diagonal | 15% | 15% |
| Tile, complex pattern | 18% | 15–20% |
| Carpet / sheet vinyl | 12% | 10–15% |
Add more for rooms with lots of corners, closets or doorways, and for large-format tile.
What goes under the floor
| Floor type | Underlayment |
|---|---|
| Nail-down hardwood | None |
| Laminate | 2–3 mm foam and a vapor barrier |
| LVP / LVT | Check the product, because many have it attached |
| Carpet | 6–8 lb rebond pad |
| Ceramic or porcelain tile | Cement board or an uncoupling membrane |
| Sheet vinyl | Lauan or a self-leveling compound |
Follow the flooring maker's instructions, because the wrong underlayment can void a warranty.
Before you order
Buy everything from the same dye lot or run so the color matches. It's also worth keeping a box back in case of repairs later on.
Questions
- Usually 7% to 15%, depending on the material and layout. Straight LVP sits at the low end, and diagonal or patterned tile at the high end.
- Yes. Every board or tile that meets a wall gets cut at an angle, and the offcut often can't be used elsewhere.
- Split it into rectangles, work out each area, and add them together. Then enter a length and width that give you the total, such as the total area as the length and 1 as the width.
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