Enter your room's area and each box's coverage to find exactly how many boxes of laminate, vinyl plank, or hardwood flooring you need.
Flooring Calculator
LiveThe formula
A 150 sq ft room, planks covering 22 sq ft per box, 10% waste: 150 x 1.10 = 165 sq ft needed, / 22 = 7.5, rounds up to 8 boxes - covering 176 sq ft total, about 26 sq ft more than the bare minimum.
Step-by-step guide
- Measure your room's total area in square feet.
- Check the coverage per box printed on your flooring product's packaging.
- Set a waste allowance and read the number of boxes to buy.
Why the "extra material" figure matters
Because boxes are a fixed size, you'll almost always end up buying somewhat more than the bare minimum plus waste allowance - this calculator shows exactly how much extra that is, which is useful both as a sanity check and to know how much material you'll realistically have left over for future repairs.
Common mistakes
Frequently asked questions
Why do I need extra for waste on a simple rectangular room?
Even a simple room needs edge cuts along every wall, and planks or tiles rarely divide evenly into the room's dimensions - the offcuts from those edge pieces are usually too small to reuse elsewhere.
Should I buy extra boxes for future repairs?
It's a common recommendation, especially for discontinued or seasonal product lines - flooring styles get discontinued, making an exact future match difficult if you don't have leftover material.
Does this work for hardwood, laminate, and vinyl the same way?
Yes - the box-coverage math is the same regardless of material. Just enter the coverage per box listed on your specific product's packaging, since this varies by brand and plank size.
Related calculators
See the full list of Construction calculators, or try: