Tile Calculator - How Many Tiles Do I Need
Calculate the number of tiles needed for a room from room area, tile size, and a waste/breakage allowance.
Room Dimensions (ft)
Tile Size (in)
Room Area
120 sq ft
Tiles Needed (with waste)
132
120 tiles without waste allowanceHow to Calculate the Number of Tiles Needed
Enter your room's length and width to get its total area, then enter a single tile's dimensions to find its area. Dividing room area by tile area gives the raw tile count — add a waste percentage on top to account for cuts, breakage, and pattern-matching, since tiling almost always uses more material than the bare minimum.
Example
A 12×10 ft room has an area of 120 sq ft. Using 12×12 inch tiles (1 sq ft each), you'd need 120 tiles at minimum. Adding a standard 10% waste allowance for cuts and breakage brings the total to 132 tiles to buy.
Common Use Cases
- Estimating how many floor or wall tiles to purchase for a renovation.
- Budgeting a tiling project by knowing the exact quantity of material needed.
- Comparing material needs between different tile sizes for the same room.
FAQs
Why add a waste percentage?
Tiles get cut to fit room edges, corners, and around fixtures, and some break during installation. A 10% waste allowance is a common default for straightforward layouts — diagonal patterns, intricate layouts, or rooms with many cuts may need 15% or more.
Should I round the result up?
Yes — always round up to the next whole tile (and often to the next full box, since tiles are typically sold by the box), since you can't buy a fraction of a tile.
Does this account for grout lines?
No — grout line width is small enough relative to typical tile sizes that it's usually absorbed into the waste percentage rather than calculated separately.