Free tool
Tile calculator
Work out how many tiles you need for a floor or wall, plus the boxes, from the area and your tile size. Wastage for cuts and breakages is built in. Free, no sign-up.
For a wall, use its width and height.
- Area to tile
- 12.00 m²
- Each tile covers
- 0.36 m²
- Boxes (round up)
- 10
Includes a 10% wastage allowance. Buy your spare from the same batch, as shades vary between runs. Figures update as you type.
Order the wrong number of tiles and you're either short at the last row or stuck with three spare boxes you can't return. This calculator works out how many tiles a floor or wall needs, plus the boxes, with wastage built in. Here's how it's worked out.
How to work out how many tiles you need
It's the area you're tiling divided by the area of one tile, with some wastage added for cuts and breakages.
Tiles = area × (1 + wastage) ÷ tile area.
A 600mm by 600mm tile covers 0.36 square metres, so a 12 square metre floor needs about 33 tiles bare, or 37 once you add 10% for waste. The calculator works the area out from your room size and the tile area from the tile size, so you just read off the number of tiles and boxes.
Measuring the area
For a floor, the area is the length times the width of the room. For a wall, it's the width times the height. Either way you're multiplying the two dimensions of the surface. For an L-shaped room or a wall with a big opening, split it into rectangles, work each out, and add or subtract as needed.
Tile size and tiles per square metre
The other half of the sum is how much one tile covers. Multiply the tile's two sides, in metres, to get its area. From that you can also get tiles per square metre by dividing one by the tile area.
- 300mm × 300mm tile: 0.09 m², about 11.1 tiles per square metre.
- 600mm × 300mm tile: 0.18 m², about 5.6 tiles per square metre.
- 600mm × 600mm tile: 0.36 m², about 2.8 tiles per square metre.
How much wastage to add
Ten per cent is the standard allowance, covering the cuts around the edges and the odd tile that snaps. Add more when the job wastes more offcuts:
- Diagonal or patterned layouts: 15% to 20%, because the edge cuts are bigger and more frequent.
- Large-format tiles: nearer 15%, since a single bad cut wastes a lot of tile.
- Awkward rooms with lots of corners, pipes or a fireplace: more cuts, so more waste.
Running short mid-job is the outcome to avoid, because a later batch may not match, so it's better to have a few over.
Buying by the box, and matching the batch
Tiles are sold by the box, and the number per box changes with the tile size, so check the box and put that figure into the calculator to get the number of boxes. Two things matter when you buy: round up to whole boxes, and get your spare from the same batch. Shade and size can drift a little between production runs, so tiles kept back from your own order will match a future repair when a fresh box might not.
Don't forget adhesive and grout
The tiles are the headline, but the job needs adhesive and grout too, and both depend on the tile size, the surface and the joint width. Their coverage is printed on the bag or tub, so work those out from the same area figure once you know it. Trim, spacers and a waterproof membrane for wet areas are worth pricing in as well.
From materials to a priced job
Once the quantities are sorted, the job is labour and margin. Drop your materials into a clean, itemised quote with the quote generator, and make sure the whole job pays with how to price a job so you actually make a profit. Painting on the same project? The paint calculator works out litres and tins the same way.
This tool is for general estimating and gives approximate quantities. Tile sizes, layouts and box counts vary, so check the box and your own measurements, and buy a sensible amount over rather than exactly to the calculation.
How do I work out how many tiles I need?
Work out the area you're tiling, then divide by the area of one tile, and add some wastage for cuts and breakages. A 600mm by 600mm tile covers 0.36 square metres, so a 12 square metre floor needs about 33 tiles before waste, or 37 with 10% added. This calculator does it from the room and tile sizes for you.
How much wastage should I allow for tiles?
Around 10% is standard, to cover cuts around the edges and the odd breakage. Add more, 15% to 20%, for a diagonal or patterned layout, large-format tiles, or an awkward room with lots of cuts, because those waste far more offcuts.
How do I calculate tiles per square metre?
Divide one by the area of a single tile in square metres. A 300mm by 300mm tile is 0.09 square metres, so there are about 11.1 tiles per square metre. This calculator works in whole tiles for the actual area, which is what you buy.
Does this work for wall tiles too?
Yes. For a wall, put the wall width and height in as the two dimensions instead of a floor's length and width. The maths is the same: the area to tile divided by the size of one tile, plus wastage.
How many tiles come in a box?
It varies with the tile size, so check the box; larger tiles come fewer to a box. Enter the tiles per box and the calculator tells you how many boxes to buy, rounded up. Boxes are usually sold whole, so you'll round up anyway.
Should I buy extra tiles from the same batch?
Yes. Buy your spare from the same batch, because shade and size can vary slightly between production runs. A few tiles kept back match perfectly for a future repair, whereas a later box might not, even in the same design.
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