Laminate Flooring Calculator
Boxes to buy, plank rows, and a live floor plan showing the stagger pattern.
Your estimate
You'll need 10 boxes — about $420.
168 sq ft of floor · 23 plank rows · roughly 74 planks including waste
Room size
Product details
Printed on the carton
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
Top-down floor plan drawn at your plank size, with the staggered end joints you'll install.
The breakdown
- Boxes to buy
- 10
- Room area
- 168 sq ft
- Areas subtracted
- −0 sq ft
- Net floor area
- 168 sq ft
- Waste overage (10%)
- 16.8 sq ft
- Total to purchase
- 184.8 sq ft
- Coverage per box
- 20.1 sq ft
- Coverage bought
- 201 sq ft
- Plank rows
- 23
- Approx. plank count
- 74
- Estimated cost
- $420
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
Laminate is sold by the box, so the only number that matters at the register is boxes — square footage is an intermediate step.
- net area = room area − obstruction area
- area with waste = net area × (1 + waste)
- boxes = ceil(area with waste ÷ coverage per box)
- planks = ceil(area with waste ÷ plank area)
- rows = ceil(room length ÷ plank width)
Buy one extra box beyond the estimate if you can return it — dye lots vary, and a replacement plank two years later rarely matches.
- 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.
- 3Enter box coverageLaminate is sold by the box. Enter the square feet per box printed on the carton.
- 4Add a waste overageKeep the default 10% waste allowance for cuts and mistakes, or adjust it for complex layouts and diagonal patterns.
- 5Read 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 much extra laminate flooring should I buy?
10% for a simple rectangular room, 15% for rooms with lots of angles, closets, or a diagonal layout.
How many boxes of laminate do I need?
Divide your room's square footage plus waste by the square feet per box, then round up. Never round down — partial boxes finish rooms.
Which direction should laminate planks run?
Usually parallel to the longest wall or toward the main light source. Running planks the long way makes a room feel larger.
Do I need an expansion gap?
Yes, about a quarter inch around the entire perimeter. It does not change material quantity but it does prevent buckling.