Flooring Calculator
This flooring calculator finds how many planks you need from the room size and the plank size. Enter the room length and width and the plank length and width, and the flooring calculator returns the floor area and the plank count. It works for laminate, vinyl plank, and wood, so one flooring calculator covers most floating and glue down floors.
Results
The Flooring Calculator is part of our Floor & Wall collection. Browse more floor & wall to size, convert, and check your work alongside this tool.
What the flooring calculator shows
The flooring calculator turns a room into a plank count. It multiplies the room length by the width to get the floor area, then divides by the area of one plank and rounds up. Because it works from area, this flooring calculator serves as a laminate flooring calculator, a wood flooring calculator, or a vinyl plank flooring calculator; only the plank size changes.
How the flooring square foot calculator counts planks
The flooring square foot calculator uses two steps, floor area and then plank count:
The ceiling brackets round up, since you cannot lay part of a plank. This is how a floor square feet calculator turns a room into boxes to buy, and adding a waste allowance on top covers the offcuts at the walls.
Flooring calculator square feet example
A room 5 m by 4 m with planks 1200 mm by 190 mm. The flooring calculator square feet method gives:
Each plank covers 0.228 m², so 20 m² needs 88 planks before you add cutting waste. Enter your own room and the flooring calculator updates the count at once.
How to use the flooring calculator
Enter the room length and width in meters and the plank length and width in millimeters, and the flooring calculator returns the floor area and the number of planks. For an odd shaped room, split it into rectangles and add the results. As a sq ft flooring calculator or a sq foot calculator for flooring it works the same way, and figuring out square footage for flooring or figuring sq ft for flooring uses the same length times width step, no matter which unit you measure in.
Reading the flooring calculator result
The plank count is how many boards to buy, rounded up to whole planks. Add 5 to 10 percent on top for cuts, a diagonal layout, or a busy room shape, since the bare count assumes no waste. The floor area is what you compare against the coverage printed on a carton, so you can buy by the box. For a big order, keep one carton spare from the same batch, since dye lots shift between runs.
When to use the flooring calculator
- Buying boards for a remodel with the flooring calculator
- Figuring square feet for flooring on a quote
- Sizing a laminate flooring calculator order by the box
- Comparing a plank floor with a carpet calculator by area
Common flooring calculator mistakes
- Forgetting waste. The plank count assumes no offcuts, so add 5 to 10 percent before you buy.
- Averaging an odd room. Split it into rectangles when figuring square feet for flooring, then add them.
- Mixing dye lots. Order all the boxes together so the shade matches across the floor.
Tips for ordering flooring
- Measure twice and split odd rooms into simple rectangles.
- Add more waste for diagonal or herringbone layouts.
- Keep one spare carton from the same batch for later repairs.
Figuring square footage for flooring
Figuring square footage for flooring is where an order goes right or wrong. Measure each room as length times width, and split an L shaped space into rectangles rather than guessing an average, since a wrong area throws off every box. A sq footage calculator for flooring only divides the number you give it, so the measuring is on you. Order in whole cartons: divide your area by the coverage on the box, round up, then add waste. Diagonal and herringbone layouts waste more at the edges than a straight lay, so a floor that needs 5 percent extra straight can need 10 to 15 percent on the diagonal. Buy from one dye lot, since a late top up carton can differ in shade.
Carpet calculator and wood flooring calculator options
The covering changes the waste, not the area. A carpet calculator or carpet sq ft calculator works from the same floor area but adds seam planning, because broadloom comes in fixed roll widths and the offcuts are larger than plank offcuts, and to price a swap an estimate to replace carpet starts from that same area. A wood flooring calculator, a vinyl plank flooring calculator, and a vinyl tile flooring calculator all count boards the way this tool does, though solid wood needs an expansion gap at the walls and a bit more acclimation stock. Whichever you pick, start from the floor area, apply the coverage per unit, and add the waste that fits the layout, and the flooring calculator gives the count to order. For a plaster finish on the walls of the same room, the plaster calculator estimates the coat.
Laminate flooring calculator plank sizes
Common plank sizes and coverage, to plug into the laminate flooring calculator, a laminate floor estimate calculator, a laminate flooring estimate calculator, or a wood flooring calculator:
| Plank size | Coverage per plank | Planks per 20 m² |
|---|---|---|
| 1200 × 190 mm | 0.228 m² | 88 |
| 1220 × 230 mm | 0.281 m² | 72 |
| 1500 × 180 mm | 0.270 m² | 75 |
| 900 × 150 mm | 0.135 m² | 149 |
Flooring Calculator FAQ
How does the flooring calculator count planks?
It multiplies room length by width to get the floor area, then divides by the area of one plank and rounds up. The flooring calculator returns whole planks only.
How do I figure square feet for flooring?
Multiply the room length by the width, then split odd rooms into rectangles and add them. Figuring square footage for flooring first lets the tool divide it into planks.
How much waste should I add?
About 5 to 10 percent for a plain layout, more for diagonal runs or a room with many corners. The plank count from the tool assumes no waste, so add it on top.
Does it work for laminate, vinyl, and wood?
Yes. As a laminate flooring calculator, a vinyl plank flooring calculator, or a wood flooring calculator it uses the same math; only the plank size changes.