Calculate exactly how much flooring material you need for any room. Enter dimensions, select your flooring type and get total area, quantity with wastage, packs/boxes needed and cost estimate.
Multiple Flooring TypesCost Estimate
Rooms / Areas
Room Name (optional)Length (m)Width (m)
Flooring Options
Results
Room Breakdown
Total Area—
Wastage Applied—
Area with Wastage—
Coverage per Pack—
Packs / Boxes Needed—
Underlay Area (+ 10%)—
Flooring Cost—
Underlay Cost—
Total Estimated Cost—
Packs Needed: —
Wastage accounts for cuts and offcuts. Always buy at least one extra pack for future repairs. Verify pack coverage on your product label — it varies by brand and plank size.
How Much Flooring Do I Need?
Calculating how much flooring to buy involves three steps: measuring your floor area accurately, adding a wastage allowance for cuts and offcuts, and then converting the total area into packs or boxes based on the coverage per pack.
Step 1 — Measure each room: Measure the longest length and widest width of each room in metres. For irregular rooms, break the space into rectangles and add the areas.
Step 2 — Add wastage: Multiply the total area by (1 + wastage%). For a straight lay, use 5–8%; for diagonal or herringbone patterns, use 15–20%.
Step 3 — Calculate packs: Divide the area with wastage by the coverage per pack (found on the product box), then round up to the nearest whole pack.
For example: a 4m × 5m room = 20 m². With 10% wastage: 20 × 1.10 = 22 m². Using laminate packs covering 2.13 m² each: ⌈22 ÷ 2.13⌉ = 11 packs.
Wastage Guide by Flooring Pattern
Pattern
Recommended Wastage
Reason
Straight lay (parallel to walls)
5–8%
Minimal angled cuts; offcuts from one row can start the next
Brick / offset (staggered joints)
8–10%
Slightly more end cuts; standard for most floating floors
Diagonal (45° to walls)
12–15%
Every plank requires an angled end cut; more offcuts lost
Herringbone / chevron
15–20%
Complex pattern with many small cuts; high offcut waste
Random-width plank
10–12%
Varied widths can reduce waste or increase it depending on layout
Frequently Asked Questions
For laminate laid in a straight pattern, add 5–8% wastage. For diagonal or herringbone patterns, add 15–20% because more cuts are required and more material is lost as offcuts. The industry standard recommendation is 10% for most residential straight-lay installations. It is always wise to buy one extra pack for future repairs, as dye lots can vary between production batches.
For irregular rooms, divide the space into two or more rectangles. For example, an L-shaped room can be split into two separate rectangles. Measure the length and width of each rectangle, calculate the area of each (length × width), and add them all together. Use the 'Add Room' button to enter each section of an irregular room — the calculator sums all areas automatically before applying wastage.
Underlay is a thin layer of foam, rubber, felt, or cork installed beneath floating floors such as laminate and engineered wood. It provides sound insulation (reducing impact noise between floors), slight moisture protection, and a cushioning layer that compensates for minor subfloor imperfections. It is required for most laminate and floating engineered wood installations. Some laminate and LVP products come with pre-attached underlay — check the product label. Tile and glue-down hardwood do not use traditional underlay. Carpet uses a separate carpet underlay (also called carpet padding or cushion), which is different from flooring underlay.
Click 'Add Room' for each room, hallway, or area (including walk-in wardrobes, closets, and landings if they share the same flooring). Enter the length and width for each. The calculator will sum all room areas, apply a single wastage percentage, and calculate total packs or boxes required. Ordering all flooring from the same production batch ensures consistent colour and finish across all rooms.