Tile Calculator
Tiles and boxes for a floor from the room size and the tile size.
Enter your numbers
Example: 5
Example: 4
Example: 60
Example: 60
Example: 10
Example: 4
Recent
Formula
How the calculation works
The room area is length times width and the tile area is its two sides in metres, so a 60 by 60 centimetre tile is 0.36 square metres. The room area is then padded by the wastage percentage and divided by the tile area: wastage belongs to the room and the laying pattern, not to the tile, which is why it is added to the floor and not to each tile.
The tiles are rounded up, then grouped into boxes, then rounded up again to whole boxes, because boxes are what is sold. A spare box is deliberately kept in the count rather than shaved off: a broken tile a year later is only matchable if a spare from the same batch is on the shelf.
Common mistakes
- Dividing by the tile size in centimetres instead of metres, which undercounts by ten thousand.
- Buying exactly the floor area with no wastage, which leaves the last row short.
- Not keeping a spare box. A later repair from a different batch shows as a patch of the wrong shade.
When to use it
- Use it before buying tiles for a floor, and to check a tiler's list before you pay.
- It covers the floor only. Skirting and wall tiles need their own measurement.
Worked example
A 5 × 4 m room with 60 × 60 cm tiles at 10% wastage: 62 tiles, or sixteen 4-tile boxes.
Common questions
Why allow 10% wastage?
Because tiles are cut at corners and edges, and some break in cutting. A straight room needs 5-10%, but a diagonal or diamond pattern can take 15% -- raise the percentage when the pattern is harder.
Why does the same batch matter?
Even under the same colour name, the shade can differ from batch to batch. Buying a little extra means a broken tile later can be matched from the same batch, which is what the spare box is for.
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