Flooring Calculator
Find out how many boxes of flooring to buy for a room — laminate, vinyl plank, or hardwood — with a waste buffer and a cost estimate.
What's "flooring"?
The boards or planks you install over your subfloor to cover it — laminate, vinyl plank, or hardwood. They click, glue, or nail together and are sold in boxes, each covering a set number of square feet. Looking for ceramic or porcelain tile instead? Use the Tile Calculator.
Enter the room length & width
Flooring is sold in boxes — check the carton for how many square feet one box covers (laminate ~20, vinyl plank ~24, hardwood ~20).
Estimate only. These figures help you plan how much to buy — they are not engineering or structural advice. Actual needs vary with site conditions, waste, and installation method, so order a little extra and confirm final quantities with your supplier or contractor before you buy or start the job.
Popular room sizes
Jump to a ready-made answer for a common room.
How the flooring calculation works
Flooring is sold by the box, each covering a set square footage — divide your area (plus waste) by that coverage.
Room = length × width (ft), or enter the square footage directly.
Multiply by 1.10 for ~10% waste (1.15 for diagonal or patterned installs).
Area with waste ÷ coverage per box, rounded up to whole boxes.
Keep one extra box from the same lot for repairs and shade matching.
Sources & assumptions
Frequently asked questions
How much flooring do I need for a 12x15 room?
A 12 ft × 15 ft room is 180 sq ft. With 10% waste that's 198 sq ft. If each box covers 20 sq ft, you need 10 boxes (198 ÷ 20, rounded up).
How do I calculate how many boxes of flooring I need?
Find the room area in square feet, add about 10% for waste, then divide by the square-foot coverage printed on each box, rounding up.
How much extra flooring should I buy for waste?
Plan for about 10% extra for straight layouts and 15% for diagonal or herringbone patterns. Keeping a spare box also helps with future repairs.
How many square feet are in a box of flooring?
It depends on the product — laminate cartons often cover ~20 sq ft, luxury vinyl plank ~24 sq ft, and hardwood ~20 sq ft. The exact coverage is printed on the box.