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Calculator Answers

Tile Calculator

Blake Boege
Written by Blake Boege · Founder, Calculator Answers

A tile calculator is a home improvement tool that estimates the number of floor or wall tiles needed to cover a specific area. It calculates the total square footage of the room or wall, incorporates the dimensions of the chosen tiles, and determines the base tile count required. The calculator also computes an additional waste allowance (typically ten percent) to account for cuts, breakages, and patterns. DIY homeowners and tiling contractors use this tool to estimate material quantities and budget for home renovations.

Enter the area and the tile size in your preferred units, set a waste allowance, and we compute the tile count before and after waste. Add a price per tile for an optional cost estimate.

See also: Paint Calculator and Flooring Calculator.

Quick Answer

Estimate the number of tiles needed for your floor or wall project. Enter area dimensions, tile size, and waste margins to calculate total tile counts.

Area unit

ft

e.g. 10

ft

e.g. 8

Tile unit

in

e.g. 12

in

e.g. 12

%

10 to 15% is common for square tile. · e.g. 10

$

Leave blank to skip the cost estimate. · e.g. 2.49

Round up and keep a few spare tiles. Pattern layouts (herringbone, diagonal) and rooms with many cuts need more waste.

Tile estimate

80 sq ft area

88 tiles

Includes 10% waste

Area80 sq ft
Tile area1 sq ft
Tiles before waste80
Tiles with waste88
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Examples

10 × 8 ft room, 12 × 12 in tiles, 10% waste

80 sq ft, 88 tiles

30 sq ft backsplash, 4 × 4 in subway tiles, 15% waste

≈ 311 tiles

Bathroom floor 6 × 8 ft, 18 × 18 in tile, 10% waste

48 sq ft, 24 tiles

How it works

Convert the area and the tile size to the same unit (square feet inside the calculator). Divide the area by one tile's area to get bare tile count. Multiply by one plus the waste percent and round up. That is the order quantity.

Tiles · ⌈(area ÷ tile area) × (1 + waste %)⌉

Default waste: 10%. Use 15 to 20% for diagonal or herringbone patterns, and for rooms with many cuts.

Related home measurement calculators

Related Calculators

More tools from Home

Paint CalculatorEstimate the gallons of paint needed for a room or wall. Subtracts doors and windows, applies coats, and rounds up to a whole gallon order.Flooring CalculatorEstimate the number of flooring boxes for a room from length, width, box coverage, and a waste allowance. Works for laminate, vinyl plank, hardwood, and similar.

Frequently asked questions

Compute the area in square feet (length × width) and the area of one tile (tile length × tile width). Divide the floor or wall area by the area of one tile to get tiles needed before waste. Multiply by one plus the waste percent and round up to the next whole tile. Always order a few extra for cuts, breakage, and future repairs.

10 percent is a fair default for a rectangular room with straight-set square tile. Add more for diagonal or herringbone patterns (15 to 20 percent), small mosaic sheets, oddly shaped rooms, or projects with many cuts. The waste percent you enter is added on top of the bare tile count and the total is rounded up.

Use the nominal tile size as sold (for example, 12 × 12 inch, 6 × 24 inch, 18 × 18 inch, or metric sizes like 30 × 30 cm). Do not subtract grout-line width unless the grout joints are wide enough to materially change the per-tile area. For most square or rectangular tile work, the nominal size is the right input.

Yes. Compute the wall area you want to tile and use that for area length × area width (or enter the total square footage as length and use width = 1 for a quick override). The math is the same for floor and wall installations; the waste allowance is often a touch higher on vertical surfaces because of cuts around outlets, faucets, and corners.

The cost line is tiles-with-waste multiplied by your entered price per tile. It does not include grout, thinset, spacers, edge trim, sealer, underlayment, removal, delivery, sales tax, or installation labor. Treat it as a tile-only planning figure and add the surrounding materials separately.

Yes. Boxes of tile usually come in fixed counts, so the order will round up regardless. The calculator returns the final ceiling number of tiles needed including waste, but it is still worth verifying box quantities at purchase. Saving a few intact tiles after the install is helpful for future repairs.