Enter the size of the floor or wall and the size of one tile to estimate how many tiles to buy. The same calculation works for laminate, vinyl planks and other flooring sold by the piece.
Formula
Tiles = ⌈ Area ÷ Tile area × (1 + Waste %) ⌉
Grout lines are small enough to ignore for an estimate. For L-shaped rooms, split the floor into rectangles and add the results.
Worked example
A 12 ft × 10 ft floor is 120 ft². With 12 in × 12 in tiles (1 ft² each) that is 120 tiles, or 132 with 10% extra.
How much extra should I buy?
10% is typical for straight layouts. Use 15% or more for diagonal or herringbone patterns, large tiles, or rooms with lots of corners. Spare tiles from the same batch are also handy for future repairs.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate how many tiles I need?
Divide the area to cover by the area of one tile, add 10% for cuts and breakage, and round up.
How many 12×12 tiles are in a square metre?
A 12 in tile is about 0.093 m², so roughly 10.8 tiles cover one square metre before waste.
Last updated · Calculations checked by automated tests· Editorial policy