How much waste allowance should I use?

10% works for a simple straight-lay pattern in a rectangular room. Use 15% for diagonal layouts or rooms with many corners, and up to 20% for complex patterns like herringbone.

Does this account for grout lines?

No — grout line width has a negligible effect on tile count for most standard tile sizes. For very small mosaic tiles with wide grout lines, add a small extra margin.

Should I buy tiles from the same batch?

Yes — tile color and shade can vary slightly between production batches (called 'dye lots'), so buy all your tiles, including the waste buffer, from the same batch when possible.

Is this calculation done on a server?

No — everything is computed instantly in your browser with basic arithmetic. Your room and tile dimensions are never sent anywhere.

Free Online Tile & Flooring Calculator

Calculate How Many Tiles You Need for Any Room

Need to use Tile & Flooring Calculator right now?

Tiling a floor requires buying enough tiles to cover the whole room plus extra for cuts, breakage, and pattern matching — but figuring out that exact number by hand means converting tile dimensions from inches to feet, computing room area, and adding a waste percentage on top, which is easy to get wrong.

No sign-upNo uploads 100% free

Room dimensions (feet)

Tile size (inches)

Waste/cut allowance: 10%

180 sq ftroom area

199tiles needed

Waste allowance accounts for cuts, breakage, and pattern matching — 10% is standard for a straight-lay pattern, higher for diagonal layouts.

Other tools in Home & DIY Calculators

Paint Calculator Concrete & Gravel Calculator Wallpaper Calculator

Features

Runs entirely in your browser
Privacy-first — your data is never uploaded
Real-time, instant results
100% free, no sign-up required
Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile
No installation needed

Who uses this tool?

StudentsProfessionalsFreelancersEveryday users

People also search for

Paint Calculator tool Concrete & Gravel Calculator tool Wallpaper Calculator tool

About Tile & Flooring Calculator

This calculator takes your room's length and width along with your tile's length and width in inches, computes the room's total square footage and each tile's coverage area, and divides one by the other — after adding your chosen waste allowance — to give you the exact number of tiles to purchase.

A waste allowance slider lets you adjust for your layout: 10% is standard for a straight-lay pattern, while diagonal layouts, herringbone patterns, or rooms with lots of corners and cutouts typically need 15-20% extra to account for cut pieces that can't be reused.

How it works

Enter room dimensions. Input the room's length and width in feet.
Enter tile size. Input your tile's length and width in inches.
Adjust waste allowance. Set the cut/breakage buffer based on your layout pattern.

Examples

15ft x 12ft room, 12x12 inch tiles, 10% waste

Input

Room: 15x12, Tile: 12x12 inches, Waste: 10%

Output

180 sq ft room → 198 tiles needed