Flooring Calculator
Count the boxes of flooring your room needs, waste included.
What you'll need to order
- flooring planks
- underlayment
- transition strips
- spacers
- quarter round
Prices vary by region and haul distance. Get quotes from at least two local suppliers.
How this calculator works
boxes = area × (1 + waste ÷ 100) ÷ coverage per box
Coverage per box is printed on the carton and varies between production runs of the same product, so check the box in front of you rather than the website.
Switch the site to metric — the control is in the footer — and your inputs, your results and the tables below follow. The formula, the constants, the guidance text and the sources stay in US units on purpose: that is how the standards they come from are written, and restating them would detach each figure from the document you are meant to be able to check it against.
Where these numbers come from
Coverage per box is printed on the carton you are holding and changes between production runs of the same product. Any figure we cited would be less accurate than the one in front of you.
Worked example
With room length 16 ft, room width 12 ft, coverage per box 20 sq ft, waste allowance 10 , this calculator returns 10.56 .
Flooring boxes by waste allowance
Figures below assume room length 16 ft × room width 12 ft × coverage per box 20 sq ft. Each row is a link that fills in the calculator above. Send one and the other end sees the same figures you do.
| Waste allowance | Boxes needed | Square footage to order (sq ft) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 10.08 | 201.6 |
| 10 | 10.56 | 211.2 |
| 15 | 11.04 | 220.8 |
| 20 | 11.52 | 230.4 |
| 25 | 12.00 | 240.0 |
A 16 by 12 ft room with boxes covering 20 sq ft each. Waste is set by the pattern, not by the room.
How much flooring for a room or whole floor?
Every row here opens the calculator already filled in. Copy that link and the numbers travel with it.
| Job | Size | Boxes needed |
|---|---|---|
| Small bedroom | 11 ft × 10 ft × 20 sq ft × 10 | 6.05 |
| Living room | 18 ft × 14 ft × 20 sq ft × 10 | 13.86 |
| Kitchen and diner | 24 ft × 14 ft × 20 sq ft × 15 | 19.32 |
| Whole ground floor | 50 ft × 28 ft × 20 sq ft × 12 | 78.40 |
| Hallway, diagonal lay | 20 ft × 5 ft × 20 sq ft × 20 | 6.00 |
Order the whole job in one delivery from the same batch. Dye and grain lots vary between production runs, and a top-up box two months later will not match.
What does flooring cost per square foot?
Material typically runs $2 to $12 per square foot. Material only. Professional installation adds $3 to $8 per square foot, more where the subfloor needs levelling or the old floor removing.
What moves the price:
- Material — laminate and vinyl plank at the bottom, engineered and solid hardwood at the top
- Underlayment, which some products include and others do not
- Subfloor preparation, the most common source of a quote going up
- Removal and disposal of the existing floor
- Transitions, thresholds and trim
Prices are US averages and move with fuel, season and haul distance. Always get two local quotes before budgeting.
Waste allowance by installation pattern
| Type | Extra to order (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Straight lay, square room | 10.00 | The standard allowance |
| Straight lay, irregular room | 15.00 | More cuts, more offcuts |
| Diagonal | 15.00 | Every perimeter board is cut at an angle |
| Herringbone or chevron | 20.00 | High waste at every edge |
| Long planks over 6 ft | 15.00 | Fewer usable offcuts |
Keep one unopened box after the job. Repairing a damaged plank from the original batch is straightforward; matching a discontinued product three years later is not.
Frequently asked questions
How many boxes of flooring do I need?
Divide the room area by the coverage printed on the box, then add 10 to 20% for waste and round up. A 16 by 12 ft room at 20 sq ft per box needs 11 boxes.
How much does it cost to floor a room?
A 200 sq ft room costs $400 to $2,400 in material, and roughly double that installed. Laminate is the cheap end, solid hardwood the expensive one.
Does flooring go under or around cabinets?
Floating floors stop at the cabinets — they need room to expand and cabinets pin them. Nailed or glued floors can run underneath, which makes future kitchen changes far easier.
How much extra flooring should I buy?
Ten percent for a straight lay in a rectangular room, 15% for diagonal layouts or rooms with alcoves and angles. Wide planks waste more than narrow ones because offcuts are harder to reuse.
How many boxes of laminate do I need?
Divide the room area plus waste by the coverage printed on the box, typically 18 to 24 sq ft. A 16 by 12 room at 10% waste with 20 sq ft boxes needs 11 boxes.
Should I buy an extra box to keep?
Yes. Products get discontinued and batch colours shift, so a spare box is your only realistic repair option years later. Store it flat in a conditioned space, not a garage.
Do I need underlayment?
Floating laminate and vinyl plank generally do, unless the pad is pre-attached. Nail-down hardwood needs rosin paper or felt instead. Over concrete, a vapour barrier is essential regardless of product.