Flooring Calculator
One calculator for any flooring material — square footage, waste, and units to buy.
Your estimate
You'll need 277.2 sq ft of flooring — 13 boxes, about $585.
252 sq ft of floor plus 10% waste · $2.05 per sq ft
Room size
Product details
Subtract islands, hearths & closets
No openings yet. Add each door or window and its area comes out of the total.
Waste & cost
10% is standard
Your room drawn to scale. Split L-shaped spaces into rectangles and run the numbers once per section.
The breakdown
- Boxes to buy
- 13
- Room area
- 252 sq ft
- Areas subtracted
- −0 sq ft
- Net floor area
- 252 sq ft
- Waste overage (10%)
- 25.2 sq ft
- Total to purchase
- 277.2 sq ft
- Coverage bought
- 286 sq ft
- Cost per square foot
- $2.05
- Estimated cost
- $585
Where to buy
Hand-picked search links for the materials on your list. As an Amazon Associate, ProjectMath earns from qualifying purchases.
Prices and availability are set by the retailer and change often. Always confirm the exact product size matches what this calculator assumed.
How this is calculated
The generic flooring estimate works for any material sold by the square foot or by the box: measure, subtract, add waste, round up.
- net area = length × width − obstructions
- area to buy = net area × (1 + waste)
- boxes = ceil(area to buy ÷ coverage per box)
- cost = area to buy × price per square foot
- 1Measure the surfaceMeasure the width and height (or length) of the area in feet, inches, or meters and enter them in the calculator.
- 2Subtract openingsAdd each door, window, or fixture by size and count so their area is removed from the total.
- 3Add a waste overageKeep the default 10% waste allowance for cuts and mistakes, or adjust it for complex layouts and diagonal patterns.
- 4Read the shopping listThe calculator rounds up to whole units to buy and multiplies by your price per unit for an estimated total. Copy or print the plan and take it to the store.
Common questions
How do I calculate flooring square footage?
Multiply room length by width. For L-shaped rooms, split the space into rectangles, calculate each, and add them together.
How much waste should I add to a flooring order?
10% covers cuts on a rectangular room. Use 15% for angled layouts, and 20% for herringbone.
Should I include closets?
Yes, if you are flooring them. Measure each closet as its own rectangle and add it to the total.
Does the calculator include underlayment?
Underlayment covers the same net square footage as your flooring, so use the total area figure — usually without the waste overage.