Free carpet cost calculator. Enter room size, carpet price, padding and labor to see installed cost per square foot and total.
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Enter the room's length and width in feet, the carpet price per square foot, the padding price and the installation labor rate. The calculator finds the room area, adds a 10% carpet waste factor to the material line, then prices padding and labor by the square foot and adds a flat fee if you are carpeting stairs. Divide the total by the room area for your own installed carpet cost per square foot, a number you can compare directly with store quotes. Use the currency selector to relabel the totals. Results are estimates for budgeting, not professional quotes.
Every carpet job breaks into the same five lines. Room area = length × width. Carpet material = area × 1.10 × carpet price, where the 1.10 is the 10% waste factor for cuts and matching. Padding = area × padding price and labor = area × labor price, both priced by the square foot. Stairs add a flat fee by step count. The total is the sum of all five lines.
Worked example: a 12x15 room is 180 sq ft, which is 20 square yards (divide by 9). At 3.50 per sq ft for the carpet with 10% waste, the material is 180 × 1.10 × 3.50 = 693.00. Padding at 0.75 adds 135.00, labor at 1.00 adds 180.00, and with no stairs the total is 1008.00, or 5.60 installed per square foot. That per-square-foot figure is the one to hold every quote against.
Rooms are measured in square feet, but carpet is priced and sold by the square yard, and 1 square yard = 9 square feet. How do I calculate carpet in square yards? Measure the room in feet, multiply length by width for square feet, then divide by 9.
A 12x12 room is 144 sq ft, which is exactly 16 square yards. A 10x12 room is 120 sq ft, or 13.33 square yards. Quotes that mix the two units are a classic source of confusion, so convert everything to one unit before comparing prices; this calculator keeps everything in square feet and shows the per-square-foot installed cost so the math stays transparent.
Material choice sets the floor of your budget. Polyester runs 1 to 4 per sq ft and suits low-traffic bedrooms. Nylon at 2 to 5 is the workhorse for living rooms and hallways because it resists crushing. Olefin or berber at 1.50 to 4 handles basements and rentals well and shrugs off moisture. Wool at 5 to 15 is the luxury option with the longest natural lifespan and the highest price.
Total installed carpet cost typically lands between 3 and 11 per sq ft in 2026, with most projects between 5 and 8; wool jobs can exceed 11 to 17.50. When a quote beats the material price ranges here by a wide margin, check whether it is really the fiber you asked for.
Cut pile has upright trimmed fibers and a soft, formal look; plush and frieze are cut-pile styles, with frieze's twisted fibers hiding footprints well. Loop pile, sold as berber, keeps the yarn uncut for a durable low profile that suits stairs and offices. Cut-and-loop blends the two for patterned texture that hides wear.
Pile affects price and maintenance more than comfort: dense cut pile costs more and shows vacuum marks, loop pile resists matting but can snag, and frieze hides traffic lanes the best of the three. Match the pile to the room's traffic, not just the showroom feel.
How much extra carpet should I order for waste? The carpet waste factor covers cuts, pattern matching and seams. Plan 5% for plain carpet in a simple rectangle, 10% as the standard allowance this calculator uses, 15% for stairs or irregular rooms, and 15 to 20% for patterned carpet that must be matched at every seam.
What is a carpet waste factor, exactly? It is the extra yardage beyond the room's net area, and skimping on it is the most common DIY mistake: a shortfall mid-room means buying a second dye lot that may not match. Stairs with a patterned carpet can add 20 to 30% over the net stair area, so measure generously there.
Do I need carpet padding? Yes, in almost every case. Padding costs 0.30 to 0.60 per sq ft, and it is the highest-return line item in the whole job: good pad extends carpet life by about 50%, improves comfort and insulation, and protects the carpet backing from the subfloor.
The standard choice is 7/16 inch 6 lb rebond, with premium 8 lb pad for heavy traffic. Never exceed 1/2 inch thickness; too-thick pad lets the carpet flex and voids warranties. Skipping pad to save a few hundred dollars usually costs far more in early carpet replacement.
Stairs are measured differently from rooms. The rule: tread depth + riser height + about 2 inches to wrap the nose, per step, times the number of steps. A standard 13-step staircase needs roughly 21 linear feet of carpet, about 78 sq ft.
How do I calculate carpet for stairs in this tool? Select your step count band and the flat fee is added automatically. Carpet installation cost per step for stairs runs roughly 5 to 15 per step for labor depending on the wrap style (waterfall is cheapest, cap-and-band and bullnose cost more), so yes, labor does cost more for stairs than for flat rooms, and installers often price stairs per step rather than by the square foot.
A 10x12 room is 120 sq ft, or 13.33 square yards; at mid-range pricing the installed cost lands near 670 to 960. A 12x12 room is 144 sq ft (16 square yards), the classic reference size; the 12x12 room carpet cost with installation usually lands between 800 and 1150 for mid-range carpet that a pro crew can install in one visit. A 12x15 or 15x12 room is 180 sq ft (20 square yards), around 1000 to 1440, and the worked example above hits 1008.
Cost to carpet 3 bedrooms? Three 12x12 bedrooms total 432 sq ft (48 square yards), typically 2400 to 3450 installed at mid-range rates. How much to carpet a 1500 sq ft house? Whole-house jobs get volume pricing, but as a planning figure, 1500 sq ft at 5 to 8 per sq ft installed runs 7500 to 12000 before stairs and extras.
The per-square-foot quote is rarely the final number. Tear-out and disposal of old carpet runs 0.35 to 2.00 per sq ft. Furniture moving, subfloor repair, tack strip replacement and transitions between flooring types are usually priced separately, and patterned carpet can push the waste factor to 20%.
The easiest legitimate saving is doing the demolition yourself: pulling up old carpet and pad is unskilled labor that most homeowners can handle in an afternoon. Get the extras itemized in writing before installation day so none of them arrive as surprises on the invoice.
Carpet installation cost runs 1 to 3 per sq ft for flat rooms, and what that labor line buys is a power-stretched, seam-sealed floor that lies flat for years. DIY carpet jobs usually skip the power stretcher, which leads to ripples and wrinkles within a year, especially on stairs.
The warranty argument settles it for most people: many carpet manufacturers require professional installation to honor wear and texture warranties. If you want to save money, DIY the tear-out and the furniture moving, and leave the stretching and seaming to a pro.
What carpet roll width should I choose? Standard rolls are 12 ft wide, with 13.5 ft and 15 ft options for large rooms. The right width is the narrowest roll that covers the room with the fewest seams, since wider rolls cost more per yard but eliminate seam labor and waste.
Should I seam carpet or buy a wider roll? For a 12x15 room, a 12 ft roll needs one seam while a 15 ft roll needs none; the wider roll usually wins once seam labor and extra waste are counted. Seams belong under furniture and out of traffic lanes, and the pile direction must run the same way on every piece or the seam will show as a color difference.
This calculator gives you a budget-grade estimate and a per-square-foot figure to compare against real quotes. Store and installer prices move with local labor rates, current promotions and the exact product line, so collect two or three itemized quotes and check that their material, padding and labor lines sit near this estimate.
How long does carpet last? Polyester and olefin 5 to 10 years, nylon 10 to 15 with good pad, wool 15 to 25 or more. The results here are estimates for planning, not professional advice, and a reputable installer will measure in person before giving a binding price.
A 12x12 room is 144 square feet, which is exactly 16 square yards (divide by 9). Add your waste factor on top: 10% brings it to about 17.6 square yards to order. This calculator applies 10% waste to the material line automatically.
Measure the room's length and width in feet, multiply them for square feet, then divide by 9. A 15x12 room is 180 sq ft, or 20 square yards. Then add waste: 10% for a standard room, 15% for stairs or irregular layouts, 15 to 20% for patterned carpet.
A 10x12 room is 120 sq ft. At typical mid-range pricing of 5 to 8 installed per sq ft, expect roughly 600 to 960, plus any extras like tear-out or furniture moving. Enter your exact prices above for a tailored figure.
Yes, padding is the highest-return line item: it extends carpet life by about 50% and costs only 0.30 to 0.60 per sq ft. The standard choice is 7/16 inch 6 lb rebond, or 8 lb for heavy traffic. Never exceed 1/2 inch thickness, and check that your carpet warranty approves the pad you choose.
Order 5% extra for plain carpet in a simple rectangle, 10% as the standard allowance, 15% for stairs or irregular rooms, and 15 to 20% for patterned carpet that must be matched. Stairs with pattern can need 20 to 30% over the net area. Running short mid-room is far more expensive than ordering a little extra.
Measure tread depth plus riser height plus about 2 inches to wrap the nose, per step, then multiply by the step count. A standard 13-step staircase needs roughly 78 sq ft. In this calculator, just pick your step-count band and the stair fee is added to the total.
A 15x12 room is 180 sq ft (20 square yards). At 5 to 8 installed per sq ft, budget roughly 900 to 1440. The worked example on this page, 3.50 carpet with 10% waste plus 0.75 padding and 1.00 labor, totals 1008.
Labor alone typically runs 1 to 3 per sq ft for flat rooms. Stairs are priced per step instead, roughly 5 to 15 per step depending on the wrap style. The full installed cost including carpet, padding and labor usually lands between 3 and 11 per sq ft.
Pick the narrowest standard roll (12 ft, 13.5 ft or 15 ft) that covers the room with the fewest seams. A wider roll costs more per yard but saves seam labor and waste, and seams should sit under furniture, never in traffic lanes.
Polyester and olefin last 5 to 10 years, nylon 10 to 15 with good padding, wool 15 to 25 or more. Quality padding, professional installation and regular vacuuming all push a carpet toward the top of its range.
Yes. Stair carpet labor runs roughly 5 to 15 per step versus 1 to 3 per sq ft for flat rooms, because each step is cut, wrapped and tacked individually. Waterfall wraps are cheapest; cap-and-band and bullnose styles cost more.
Usually yes. Tear-out and disposal runs 0.35 to 2.00 per sq ft when the installer does it, while pulling up old carpet and pad is unskilled work most homeowners finish in an afternoon. Confirm the installer will still haul the debris away, or arrange disposal yourself.
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