Find how many tiles your floor or wall needs. Enter the area, tile size, grout joint, waste percentage, and tiles per box to get the exact buy count and full boxes.
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Tile counting starts with the area you need to cover and the true area each tile occupies. The calculator converts your tile length and width from inches to square feet, then adds the grout joint width to each side, because the joints occupy real area that tiles do not cover. It divides the project area by this effective tile area to get the base count, always rounding up since you cannot buy part of a tile. Then it applies your waste allowance for cuts, breakage, and future repairs, and divides by the tiles per box to give the number of whole boxes to buy.
The number of tiles you need depends on four things: total area, tile size, grout gap, and waste. First, compute the effective tile area: (tile length + joint) × (tile width + joint), converted to square feet. A 12x12 inch tile with a 1/8 inch grout joint has an effective area of 12.125 × 12.125 / 144 = 1.021 square feet, slightly more than 1 square foot. Base tiles = project area / effective tile area, rounded up. Tiles to buy = base × (1 + waste%), rounded up. Boxes = tiles to buy / tiles per box, rounded up. For example, a 10x10 foot bathroom floor (100 square feet) with 12x12 tiles, 1/8 inch joints, and 10 percent waste needs ceil(100 / 1.021) = 98 base tiles, ceil(98 × 1.10) = 108 tiles to buy, and 11 boxes at 10 tiles per box.
Measure the area to tile in square feet. For a wall, multiply width by height for each wall and add them, subtracting doors and windows. For an L-shaped room, split the floor into two rectangles, calculate each separately, and add the areas. Enter the tile length and width in inches exactly as printed on the box, since nominal sizes can differ slightly from the real size. Set the grout joint width you plan to use, pick a waste percentage that matches your layout pattern, and enter the tiles per box from the packaging. The calculator returns the base count, the buy count with waste, and the number of whole boxes to order. This tile estimator works for any room shape and for kitchen backsplash projects too; a backsplash uses the same math, just with a smaller area and the classic 3x6 inch subway tile.
Waste covers the cuts at edges, breakage during installation, and spare tiles for future repairs. Straight grid layouts need about 10 percent, since cuts only happen along two edges. Running bond or brick patterns also sit around 10 percent. Diagonal layouts set at 45 degrees need about 15 percent, because every perimeter tile produces triangular offcuts. Herringbone and chevron patterns need 15 to 20 percent for their complex angled cuts. Rooms with many corners, pipes, columns, or niches deserve the higher end of the range. When in doubt, round up: leftover tiles from the same batch are valuable for future repairs, and shade can vary between batches.
The grout joint width changes each tile's effective coverage and the final look of the job. Use 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) for rectified tiles with clean edges, 1/8 inch (3 mm) for standard ceramic tile, 3/16 inch (5 mm) for natural stone, and 1/4 inch (6 mm) for handmade or rustic tiles. Larger gaps need sanded grout, while joints of 1/8 inch or less use unsanded grout. Because the joint adds to the effective tile size, wider joints slightly reduce the number of tiles needed. The difference is small on large tiles but noticeable with small mosaics, which is why this calculator includes the joint in the math.
Tile sizes follow standard coverage figures that are worth knowing when you compare options. A 3x6 inch subway tile covers 0.125 square feet, so 800 tiles cover 100 square feet. A 4x4 inch tile covers 0.111 square feet (900 per 100). A 6x6 inch tile covers 0.25 (400 per 100). The popular 12x12 inch floor tile covers exactly 1 square foot (100 per 100). A 12x24 inch tile covers 2 square feet (50 per 100), 18x18 covers 2.25 (about 45 per 100), 24x24 covers 4 (25 per 100), and large-format 24x48 covers 8 (about 13 per 100). Larger tiles mean fewer grout lines and can make small rooms feel bigger, but they demand a flatter substrate.
Tiles are only half the material list; the bedding and joints need budgeting too. Thinset mortar covers about 50 square feet per 50 lb bag when applied with a 1/4 inch v-notch trowel, which suits tiles up to 12x12 inches. Large-format tiles over 15 inches need a 1/2 inch trowel or back-buttering, dropping coverage to about 30 square feet per bag. For grout, sanded grout covers roughly 25 square feet per 25 lb bag for joints wider than 1/8 inch, unsanded grout covers about 50 square feet per bag for narrow joints, and epoxy grout covers about 30 square feet per 9 lb kit and is the stain-resistant choice for wet areas and high traffic.
A 12x12 tile covers exactly 1 square foot, so 100 square feet needs 100 base tiles. With a 1/8 inch grout joint the effective tile area is 1.021 square feet, giving about 98 base tiles. Add 10 percent waste for a straight layout and you get 108 tiles, or 11 boxes at 10 tiles per box.
Buy 10 percent extra for straight or grid layouts, 15 percent for diagonal patterns, and 15 to 20 percent for herringbone or chevron. Always buy whole boxes, and buy all of your tile from the same dye lot in one order: shade varies between batches, and leftover tiles are your repair stock for the future.
Yes, slightly. Grout joints occupy area that tiles do not cover, so each tile's effective area is (tile length + joint) × (tile width + joint). A 1/8 inch joint on a 12x12 tile raises its effective coverage from 1.0 to 1.021 square feet. This calculator includes the joint in the count; many simpler calculators ignore it.
Use 15 percent for diagonal layouts. Tiles set at 45 degrees produce triangular offcuts along every wall, which means more waste per cut than a straight layout. For herringbone or chevron patterns, raise the waste factor to 20 percent because of the complex angled cuts.
It depends on the tile size and brand: 12x12 tiles often come 10 to a box, while 2x2 foot tiles may come 3 or 4 to a box. Always check the packaging, enter the tiles per box in the calculator, and round your purchase up to whole boxes.
Split the L-shape into two rectangles. Calculate each rectangle's area separately (length × width), add the areas together, then divide by the effective tile area and add waste. Apply the waste and round-up to the combined total, not to each rectangle separately, to avoid over-ordering.
Use 1/16 inch for rectified tiles, 1/8 inch for standard ceramic, 3/16 inch for natural stone, and 1/4 inch for handmade or rustic tiles. Joints wider than 1/8 inch need sanded grout; narrower joints use unsanded grout.
About one 50 lb bag of thinset per 50 square feet using a 1/4 inch v-notch trowel, which suits tiles up to 12x12 inches. Large-format tiles or back-buttering consume more, roughly one bag per 30 square feet. For grout, allow one 25 lb bag of sanded grout per 25 square feet of wide-joint tile.