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Calculating Square Footage of a Room:
Knowing how to calculate the square footage of a room is essential when you are planning to buy new flooring. Figuring out your square footage is quite easy! Use our free square footage calculator to make calculating your square footage even easier.
To measure the total square footage of flooring you will need for your project, you must find the square footage of all the areas in the room that you are going to install your new floor in. This includes little nooks and crannies. When you’ve done that, you just add all of those measurements together.
Planning a new flooring project takes time and countless measurements. Be sure to double and triple check your measurements, especially when ordering an item that you cannot find locally or you’re purchasing your flooring online. Knowing the exact amount and ordering 5-10% more will prevent you from paying double shipping costs down the road to return excess boxes or order additional material.
Before you order, you will need to know the square footage of your room, as well as how many square feet are in each box of flooring you want to purchase. Square footage per box will depend on the type of floor and manufacturer. This will differ from floor to floor!
If you order on Bestlaminate.com, all you will need to do is enter the square footage needed and it will automatically calculate the number of boxes needed. On our product page, you will even find a pop up to calculate your square footage!
How to Calculate Square Footage of a Room:
Depending on the layout of your space, you may use one of the methods below to calculate your square footage. Regardless, the base equation is the length of your room multiplied by the width of your room. It is not complicated at all, but it could get seem tricky when your room isn’t a perfect rectangle. Below, we will walk you through several room scenarios and describe the process of calculating the square footage of each.
To start, you will need:
- Tape measure
- Calculator
- Notepad and pen/pencil or a device to record your measurements
Next, follow our steps that apply to your room layout.
1. How to measure and calculate the square footage of a simple, rectangular room:
Calculating the square footage of a rectangular room is a very simple equation. To calculate the square footage, you will multiply the length of the room by the width of the room. You will measure this from the inside of the room. We will use a room that is 10 ft x 15 ft as an example in all of our room scenarios:
- This is the simple equation: Length (ft) x Width (ft) = Square Footage
Example:
10 ft x 15 ft = 150 sq. ft
2. How to measure and calculate the square footage of a room that has closets:
Do you have closets in the room and are installing flooring there as well? Here is how to properly measure and calculate the total square footage of the room plus a closet.
- Split the room into separate areas
- In the diagram below they’re listed as “Room”, “Closet 1”, and “Closet 2”
- Measure each area of the room separately
- Calculate the square footage of each space by multiplying the length by width.
- Room: Length (ft) x Width (ft) = Room SQFT (Square Footage)
- Closet# 1: Length (ft) x Width (ft) = Closet #1 SQFT
- Closet# 2: Length (ft) x Width (ft) = Closet #2 SQFT
- Add the calculations of each space to equal total square footage.
- Formula: Room SQFT + Closet #1 SQFT + Closet #2 SQFT = Total square footage of the room
3. How to measure and calculate the square footage of an odd-shaped room:
Based on our experience, most of the customers who are having trouble figuring out the square footage of a complex space try to measure the entire space all at once. This is where the problems start. It is not uncommon to deal with a room that may have an open floor plan with several closets, nooks, built-ins, or odd shaped spaces.
The solution is simple! All you need to do is to divide your space into even shapes, (squares or rectangles) and be able to use the simple calculation formula of length multiplied by width. After you are done with this step, the only thing to do is to add all individual spaces you just calculated together.
- Separate the room into squares or rectangles
- In the diagram below they’re listed as “Area 1”, “Area 2”, and “Area 3”
- Measure each rectangle or square area separately
- Calculate the square footage of each space by multiplying the length by width.
- Area 1: A (length) x B (width) = Area 1 SQFT
- Area 2: A (length) x B (width) = Area 2 SQFT
- Area 3: A (length) x B (width) = Area 3 SQFT
- Add the calculations of each space to equal total square footage.
- Formula: Area 1 SQFT + Area 2 SQFT + Area 3 SQFT = Total square footage of the room
- Formula: Area 1 SQFT + Area 2 SQFT + Area 3 SQFT = Total square footage of the room
Don’t forget to add the waste factor!
When buying new floors, don’t forget to add the waste factor. You will want to add 5-10% extra to your total square footage to account for waste during the installation process, such as errors, damage, or extra cuts. You don’t want to end up in the middle of the installation a be a few boxes short! Calculating waste is also a simple, two-step equation.
To Calculate for 5% Waste:
- Calculate the Waste Amount with the following equation: Total Room SQFT x 0.05 = Waste Amount
- Add the Waste Amount to your Total Room SQFT to find the final amount of flooring you need to purchase: Waste Amount + Total Room SQFT = Final Square Footage
Example:
150 sqft x 0.05= 7.5 sqft
150 sq.ft + 7.5 sq.ft = 157.5 sq.ft
To Calculate for 10% Waste:
- Calculate the Waste Amount with the following equation: Total Room SQFT x 0.10 = Waste Amount
- Add the Waste Amount to your Total Room SQFT to find the final amount of flooring you need to purchase: Waste Amount + Total Room SQFT = Final Square Footage
Example:
150 sqft x 0.10 = 15 sqft
150 sq.ft + 15 sq.ft = 165 sq.ft
Thanks for your question, Justin. We suggest using our free room calculator tool – https://www.bestlaminate.com/room-calculator/.
If I have a room that’s 16.16/+8.2/+6.10/+15.5 how do I calculate that not a square room at all
Thanks for your question, Walter! You would need at least 8 boxes of flooring to cover your room. However, we would suggest ordering at least 9 boxes so that you have extra flooring for any cuts you have to make.
If I have 11×14 how many boxes would it take at 20.8 per box.
Thank you for viewing!
Thank you for this post.
Hi Christina! It is dependent on the flooring that you are interested to determine how many boxes that you will need. You will take your length times with (roughly 160sf) and divide by the amount of square feet found in the box.
Hi how many boxes of flooring would I need for a room that is 10ft14inc by 14 tf
Hi Traci, with 5% waste factored in, you will need 134.14 sqft. You can find the sqft by inches here: https://www.bestlaminate.com/room-calculator/
When measuring rooms should we adjust up for inches? One room is 12′ 2″ x 10′ 6″so should we say 46 sq ft?
Hi DJ, this will depend on how many planks are in each box. You will divide your square footage by the sq.ft. in each box.
I have 1256 feet a flooring I’m using us 6 by 36 plank flooring how many boxes do I need
Hi Mickevious, thanks for the question. With 5% waste added in, you will need 180 sqft of flooring. The amount of boxes you will need depends on the sqft that is included in each box.
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Hello I want to do my living room it’s measure 15ft wide 12 ft long how many boxes for it or if I choose too do carpet what would be best?
Hi Deanna, thanks for reaching out. The number of boxes will depend on which floor you are selecting and how much square footage is in each box. This will vary floor to floor and brand to brand. You will need a total of 199.29 sqft. for your project. This includes 5% for waste.
I have a room 14.6×13 how many box’s do I need of vinyl plank flooring
Hey Kim. Yes you definitely can!
An I lay vinyl flooring over my ceramic tile?
Hey Victor, I would not recommend that as it would not be completely flat. My apologies.
Can this be used on a popcorn ceiling to cover up? Any of the flooring?
Hey Pat, thank you for reaching out. Per those dimensions, 7 boxes would cover your flooring needs! Just keep in mind every brand is different square footage per box.
Hey Pat, thank you for reaching out. Per those dimensions, 7 boxes would cover your flooring needs! Just keep in mind every brand is different square footage per box.
Hello I have a room that measures 11’long x 10′ wide. I’m looking at laminated flooring the box says it will do 15.93sf. How many boxes would I need.
I have a room that 10’wide x11′ long. The box says it will do 15.93 square’ per box, how many boxes wood I need.
Hi Deirdre, thanks for reaching out. You will need 77 sq.ft. of flooring for your project, and this will include a 7% waste factor. The number of boxes will depend on what flooring you decide to purchase. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
My kitchen measurements are 8ft x 9ft. How many boxes would I need including waste?
Hi Dee, thank you for reaching out. The number of boxes you will need for your project will depend on how many square feet are in each box of flooring. You can use our box calculator on the product page by entering the total square footage of your project. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
I need 600 square feet how many boxes do i need
Hi Isabella, you would need 6 boxes for your project. If you would like some extra planks for cuts and waste, you’d want to order 7 boxes.
Room is 12 foot 4 inches X 9 foot 4 inches
Flooring is 19.62 feet/box. How many boxes do I need
Hi Diane! The amount of boxes will differ in sq. footage. You will need at least 196 sqft for your project! On our website, it will automatically calculate the number of boxes based on sqft!
I have a kitchen I am redoing, I wanted to know how many boxes of laminate flooring would I need for a room that is 14 foot by 14 foot
Hi Sonia, you are looking at 120 sqft. Since each tile is 1 sqft, you will need 120. It is recommended you apply some additional percentage for waste.
If I’m putting a pergola in my yard and it measures 12 x 10 and I want like to lay a floor of those brick tiles that are 12 by 12 how many tiles would I need for that pergola can anybody help? Thank you so much
Hi Andy, thanks for reaching out. You will need 61.83 sq.ft. of flooring for your project, and this includes 5% extra to cover any waste. Here is our room calculator for future reference: https://www.bestlaminate.com/room-calculator/
How many square feet do I need for a room that is 8ft 10 x 6ft 8 thanks
Hi Tim, we do offer price matching! You can view all the details and submit it to us to have your price match request reviewed here: https://www.bestlaminate.com/price-match-policy/. Thanks!
Do you match pricing with Floor City
Hi Norma, it will depend on how much square footage your room is. You can easily find that with our room calculator here: https://www.bestlaminate.com/room-calculator/
Each box is 16.25 square feet how many boxes do I need for a room
Hi Gregg, you’re looking at 52.8 sqft. Check out our room calculator to help with your project: https://www.bestlaminate.com/room-calculator/
I have 2 areas to cover. One is 3’9”x8’. The other is 3’6”x6’. How many sq.ft. are in the 2 areas?
Hi Joseph – We would be happy to help you either see if we offer the discontinued flooring you are looking for or find a suitable match. Please email us at [email protected] or give us a call at 1-800-520-0961 to speak with one of our knowledgeable sales representatives.
I’m trying to find a discontinued laminate flooring to match my original flooring the board says it was made in 2013 but when I went to buy same kind it was totally different
Hi Verna – You will need 35 boxes of flooring.
I have 496 sq ft of flooring space, how much porcelain flooring do I need for tiles that covers 14.55 sq ft in a case?
Hi Mark, if your total sqft is 630sqft and there are 20sqft per box of flooring, and you calculate 5%-10% for waste, the total amount of floor you need to purchase is 34 to 35 boxes of flooring.
There are 20sq. Ft per box.
Hi Mark – In order to help you calculate how many boxes you will need, I will need to know how many sq.ft. are in the box of flooring you are considering. Each manufacturer and each collection of flooring usually has a different sq.ft. per box, which you can find on the box itself or on the website where the floor is being sold. Please comment with the sq.ft. per box and I will be happy to help you!
I have about 630 square feet that I need to cover. I’m figuring in the footage underneath my counters also, probably about 15 lineal feet. What is your estimation of what I need.
Thank you! Glad it is helpful.
Hello,
You have done very interesting work. All tricks and calculation is very useful. Especially, calculate the square footage of an odd shaped room is an interesting method.