Free tool
Flooring tiles calculator
Estimate how many floor tiles you need for a room, by tile size and wastage.
How it works
We divide your floor area by the area of one tile and add wastage for cutting. Round up to full boxes and keep a few spare tiles for future repairs.
How the calculation works
Your floor area is divided by the area of one tile, then increased by the wastage percentage, and rounded up to a whole tile. Wastage covers the cuts at walls, around columns and at doorways, where the offcut is usually unusable.
| Tile size | Covers about | Commonly used for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 x 1 ft | 1 sq ft | Bathrooms, utility, small areas |
| 1.5 x 1.5 ft | 2.25 sq ft | Bedrooms, smaller rooms |
| 2 x 2 ft (600 x 600 mm) | 4 sq ft | The default for living areas and bedrooms |
| 800 x 800 mm | ~6.9 sq ft | Larger living and dining areas |
| 600 x 1200 mm | ~7.75 sq ft | Feature floors, fewer joints |
| 2 x 4 ft | 8 sq ft | Large open areas |
How much wastage to allow
Eight to twelve percent covers most straightforward rooms, and 10 percent is a sensible default. Push it higher when the layout forces more cuts: diagonal laying, a patterned or directional tile that has to be oriented consistently, several small rooms rather than one large one, or a room with many corners, niches and columns. Larger tiles also waste more per cut, because each spoiled tile is a bigger loss.
Buy full boxes, and buy one spare box
Tiles are sold by the box, so round your figure up to whole boxes and ask your supplier how many tiles each box holds. Then deliberately buy one box more than you need and keep it somewhere dry.
The reason is shade variation between production batches. Tiles are manufactured in lots, and the same product code from a different lot months later is often visibly different in tone. If a tile cracks in two years and you have no spares from the original lot, you are choosing between a mismatched patch and relaying the room. One spare box is the cheapest insurance in the whole build.
What this estimate excludes
- Skirting, which is calculated separately from the room perimeter and skirting height
- Wall tiles for bathrooms and kitchens, which are a separate area calculation
- Adhesive or the cement mortar bed, grout and spacers
- Labour and the cost of levelling an uneven floor before laying
Frequently asked questions
Does this include skirting?
No, this is floor area only. For skirting, measure the room perimeter, multiply by your skirting height, and calculate that as a separate area. Skirting is often cut from full tiles, so it consumes more tiles than the strip area suggests.
Which tile size suits a small room?
Larger tiles mean fewer grout lines and a visually calmer floor, but in a small or awkwardly shaped room they force more cutting and more waste. A 2 x 2 ft tile is the practical middle ground for most Bangalore bedrooms, with smaller formats used in bathrooms and utility areas where slope and drainage matter.
Vitrified or ceramic?
Vitrified tiles absorb less water and are harder, which suits living areas and anywhere that sees traffic. Ceramic is usually cheaper and is common on walls and in low-traffic areas. Either way, the quantity calculation is identical; only the price per square foot changes.