Flooring calculator: boxes for laminate, vinyl and wood

What this calculator does

Flooring that comes in boxes, such as laminate, vinyl plank, engineered wood and carpet tile, is sold by the area that one box covers. This calculator turns the area of your floor into the number of boxes to buy.

It works for any product that states its coverage per box or pack. It does not calculate underlay, adhesive, trims or transition strips.

How to use it

1. Choose metric or US units.
2. Enter the length and width of the room, or choose Area and enter the floor area if you already know it.
3. Enter the area one box covers. It is printed on the box and on the product page, usually in square metres or square feet.
4. Set the allowance for cuts. The example uses 10 percent.
5. Select Calculate.

How the result is calculated

1. Floor area = length × width, or the area you entered.
2. Flooring needed = floor area × (1 + allowance ÷ 100).
3. Boxes = flooring needed ÷ area covered by one box, rounded up to the next whole box.
4. Flooring in those boxes = boxes × area covered by one box.

The allowance is added before rounding. Rounding first and adding the allowance afterwards would give a different and less reliable number.

Worked example

A room is 5 m long and 4 m wide, and one box covers 2.2 m². Floor area: 5 × 4 = 20 m². With 10 percent allowance: 20 × 1.1 = 22 m². Boxes: 22 ÷ 2.2 = 10, so you buy 10 boxes, which contain 22 m².

If the room were 5.1 m long, the floor area would be 20.4 m² and the flooring needed 22.44 m². 22.44 ÷ 2.2 = 10.2, which rounds up to 11 boxes.

In US units: a room of 15 ft by 12 ft has 180 sq ft. With 10 percent allowance that is 198 sq ft. With boxes that cover 20 sq ft each: 198 ÷ 20 = 9.9, so you buy 10 boxes, which contain 200 sq ft.

About the example values

The coverage of one box differs from product to product, because boards differ in size and in number per box. The values 2.2 m² and 20 sq ft are examples only. Always enter the coverage printed on the product you are buying.

The flooring manufacturer Quick-Step advises 5 percent extra for a regular room and 10 percent for a room with many angles and curves. The calculator starts with 10 percent, the higher of the two. Follow the recommendation of the manufacturer of your floor where there is one.

Common mistakes

• Using the area of the room from a listing or plan instead of measuring it.
• Forgetting closets, alcoves and the area under doors that get the same floor.
• Entering the size of one board instead of the coverage of one box.
• Setting the allowance to zero. Boards at the walls are cut to fit, and the offcuts cannot always be reused.
• Buying additional boxes later. Colour and pattern can differ between production batches, so buy everything for one room at once and keep a box for repairs.