Calculate how many floor or wall tiles you need from room dimensions, tile size, waste percentage, boxes per pack, and price per tile, with an instant cost estimate.
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The calculator converts every measurement to meters first, so feet and meters, or inches and centimeters, can be mixed freely. It multiplies room length by room width to get the room area, then divides by the area of one tile (tile length times tile width) to get the raw tile count. A waste allowance is applied for cuts and breakage, tiles_with_waste = ceil(tiles_raw × (1 + waste_percent/100)), and the result is rounded up to whole tiles. Boxes are rounded up to whole boxes since stores only sell complete boxes, and the estimated material cost is tiles_with_waste times the price per tile. Use 10% waste for a straight grid layout, 12% for brick or offset, 15% for diagonal, and 20% for herringbone. The results show total area in square meters, tiles needed with waste included, boxes to order, and the estimated cost in your selected currency.
A tile calculator tells you how many tiles to buy for a floor or wall project. You enter the room length and width, the size of one tile, a waste allowance for cuts and breakage, and how many tiles come in a box. It returns the total area, the tile count with waste included, the number of whole boxes to order, and an estimated material cost. It removes the two mistakes that cost DIY tilers money: ordering too few tiles and running out mid-job, or ordering far too many and paying for boxes that never get opened.
Start by picking your currency and the units for the room dimensions (feet or meters) and the tile size (inches or centimeters). Enter the room length and width, then the tile length and width from the box label. Set the waste percentage: 10% is standard for a straight grid layout. Enter how many tiles are in one box (printed on the box or the product page) and the price per tile. The calculator instantly shows the total area, tiles needed with waste, boxes to order, and the estimated cost.
The calculator converts everything to meters first, so imperial and metric inputs mix freely. Step one: room_area = room_length × room_width. Step two: tile_area = tile_length × tile_width. Step three: tiles_raw = room_area / tile_area. Step four: tiles_with_waste = ceil(tiles_raw × (1 + waste_percent/100)), rounded up because you cannot buy part of a tile. Step five: boxes = ceil(tiles_with_waste / tiles_per_box), rounded up because stores sell whole boxes. Step six: estimated_cost = tiles_with_waste × price_per_tile. Example: a 12x10 ft room is 120 sq ft. With 12x12 in tiles (1 sq ft each) that is 120 tiles raw, 132 with 10% waste, 14 boxes of 10, and $330 at $2.50 per tile.
Every installation cuts tiles at walls, corners, and around fixtures, and a few tiles always break, so never order the raw count. Standard guidance from tile industry associations: straight grid layout, 10% waste; brick or offset pattern, 12%; diagonal 45-degree layout, 15%; herringbone, 20%; chevron, 22%. Add a few extra percent for rooms with many corners, L-shapes, alcoves, or obstacles like toilet flanges and columns. On a 120 sq ft kitchen the difference between straight (10%) and herringbone (20%) is about 12 extra tiles, so matching the waste to your actual pattern is the cheapest decision on this page.
Tile size changes the count and the feel of the room. Common sizes and their coverage per tile: 4x4 in covers 0.11 sq ft (backsplash and accent walls); 6x6 in covers 0.25 sq ft (small bathrooms and walls); 12x12 in covers exactly 1 sq ft, which makes mental math easy and is the most common floor tile; 12x24 in covers 2 sq ft (modern floors and walls, fewer grout lines); 18x18 in covers 2.25 sq ft (larger rooms); 24x24 in covers 4 sq ft (open floor plans, fast to lay but harder to cut and more expensive per tile). Metric equivalents: 30x30 cm tiles cover 0.09 m2 (about 11 tiles per m2), 60x60 cm cover 0.36 m2 (about 2.75 per m2). Larger tiles need fewer pieces and less grout but each break costs more, so raise the waste allowance for large-format layouts.
Tiles are sold in whole boxes, so always round up to complete boxes and buy one extra box from the same production batch for future repairs. Tiles from different batches (dye lots) can have subtle shade differences that show clearly next to your original floor, so check the batch number on every box before leaving the store. Keep 5 to 10 spare tiles after the job, stored flat in a dry place. For L-shaped or irregular rooms, split the area into rectangles, calculate each, and add them together. Measure the room yourself even when plans exist, since real walls are rarely perfectly square.
Material cost is only part of the budget. Typical tile material prices: ceramic $1 to $8 per sq ft, porcelain $4 to $14, wood-look porcelain $5 to $15, natural stone $7 to $25, glass mosaic $12 to $35. Paying a professional to install the tiles adds roughly $5 to $22 per sq ft depending on pattern complexity, with herringbone at the top end. Subfloor preparation runs $2 to $5 per sq ft and demolition of an old floor $3 to $7. DIY saves the labor cost but takes a full weekend for a bathroom and longer for large rooms, plus the cost of a tile cutter, spacers, thinset mortar, and grout. Use the estimated material cost from this calculator as the baseline, then add labor or tool costs to compare the two routes honestly.
Multiply the room length by the room width to get the area, divide by the area of one tile, then add a waste allowance and round up. A 12x10 ft room is 120 sq ft; with 12x12 in tiles (1 sq ft each) you need 120 tiles raw, plus 10% waste = 132 tiles. This calculator does all of that, including unit conversion and box rounding.
Add 10% for a straight grid layout, 12% for a brick or offset pattern, 15% for a diagonal layout, and 20% for herringbone (22% for chevron). Add a few percent more for rooms with many corners, L-shapes, or obstacles like columns and toilet flanges. The most common DIY mistake is under-ordering, which forces a second trip and risks a mismatched batch.
Divide the total tiles needed (with waste) by the number of tiles per box and round up, because stores only sell whole boxes. For example, 132 tiles with 10 tiles per box = 13.2, so order 14 boxes. Always check the tiles-per-box value on the actual box label, since it varies by tile size and brand.
One 12x12 in tile covers exactly 1 sq ft, so you need one tile per square foot of area before waste. A 100 sq ft room needs 100 tiles raw, or 110 with a standard 10% waste allowance. In metric, a 30x30 cm tile covers 0.09 m2, which is about 11.1 tiles per square meter before waste.
Yes. Angled patterns create far more offcuts at the walls. Use 15% waste for a diagonal 45-degree layout and 20% for herringbone instead of the standard 10% for straight grid. Herringbone also costs more in labor, typically $3 to $5 extra per sq ft, because of the cutting complexity.
Strictly speaking yes: the effective tile footprint is (tile length + grout gap) × (tile width + grout gap), and a 1/4 in grout gap on 12x12 tiles adds about 4% to the count. In practice the standard 10% waste allowance absorbs this difference, so most estimators skip the grout math. This calculator uses the industry-standard simple formula plus waste, which matches what tile professionals quote.
Yes. Enter the wall length and height as the room length and width, and use the wall tile size (common wall sizes are 6x6 in, 4x4 in, and 3x6 in subway tile). For a backsplash, measure the wall area and subtract windows or large fixtures. Wall tiling typically uses 10% waste for a straight layout, the same as floors.
Yes, and this matters more than most people expect. Tiles from different production batches (dye lots) can have subtle color and shade differences that become obvious once installed next to each other. Buy every box for the project in one purchase from the same batch, note the batch number on your receipt, and keep one sealed spare box for future repairs.
A good tile estimator includes the room area, the exact tile size, a waste percentage for cuts and breakage, the number of boxes to buy, and a cost estimate. This tile estimator also handles mixed units, so feet, meters, inches and centimeters can be entered together.
A tile size comparison shows the math directly: large 24x24 inch tiles cover 4 sq ft each, while 12x12 inch tiles cover 1 sq ft each. For a 10x10 room (100 sq ft), you need 25 large tiles versus 100 small tiles before waste. Bigger tiles mean fewer pieces and faster laying, but more waste on irregular rooms and harder cuts.
A grout gap tile calculation subtracts the joint width from the effective tile coverage. A 1/8 inch grout joint on 12x12 tiles adds roughly 2% more tiles over a large floor. For standard joints under 3/16 inch, the waste percentage already covers it; only measure joints separately for wide-joint rustic tile.
Same batch tile dye lot numbers matter because tiles from different production runs can vary slightly in shade. Always buy same-batch dye lot tiles for one room, and check the lot code on every box before leaving the store. Ordering 10% extra from the same lot covers breakage later.
A 10x10 room is 100 sq ft. 12x12 tiles cover 1 sq ft each, so you need 100 tiles before waste. With a standard 10% waste allowance that becomes 110 tiles. At 10 tiles per box, order 11 boxes.
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