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Flooring calculator: square feet and boxes to buy
The short answer
Multiply length by width, add waste and divide by the square feet in a box. A 16 by 12 foot room is 192 square feet. With 10% waste that’s 211.2 square feet, which is 11 boxes at 20 square feet each. Allow more for diagonal or herringbone, and check the box, since coverage varies by product.
For vinyl plank, laminate, hardwood or carpet. Enter the room and the box size to see how much to buy and what’s left over.
Flooring you need
11 boxes
192 square feet of floor, 211.2 with waste.
- Square feet to buy
- 211.2
- Square yards (for carpet)
- 23.47
- Left over after the job
- 28 sq ft
Price for this job
- Materials (11 × $60.00)
- $660.00
- Labor
- $0.00
- Markup
- $132.00
- Price to quote
- $792.00
How it works
Square feet to buy = length × width × (1 + waste ÷ 100). Boxes = that ÷ square feet in a box, rounded up.
Carpet is often priced by the square yard, so the calculator shows that too. A square yard is 9 square feet.
| Room | Floor area | To buy |
|---|---|---|
| 12 × 10 ft | 120 sq ft | 132 sq ft |
| 14 × 12 ft | 168 sq ft | 184.8 sq ft |
| 16 × 12 ft | 192 sq ft | 211.2 sq ft |
| 20 × 15 ft | 300 sq ft | 330 sq ft |
Several rooms
Use the square footage calculator to add up rooms and hallways. Then enter the total here as a length, with a width of 1.
Common questions
How do I calculate how much flooring I need?
How much extra flooring should I order?
How many boxes of flooring do I need?
How do I convert square feet to square yards for carpet?
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