Tile Calculator
Room dimensions or a known area, fixtures deducted, any tile size, whole boxes or individual tiles, waste, and pricing.
Open calculatorProject hub
Tile
Tile is sold as fixed-size pieces — individually or by the box — so the estimate has two steps: work out the area you plan to cover, then divide by the area of one tile and round up, with a waste allowance for cuts and breakage.
Start with the calculator
What you can calculate
- Tiles needed for a floor or wall from its dimensions, or from a known area such as a shower surround.
- Any tile size — common imperial sizes (6 × 6, 12 × 12, 12 × 24, 18 × 18 in), common metric sizes (30 × 30, 30 × 60, 45 × 45, 60 × 60 cm), or custom dimensions.
- Whole boxes or individual tiles — enter a tiles-per-box count and the purchase quantity becomes whole boxes; leave it empty and tiles are bought individually.
- Estimated cost from your own per-tile or per-box price, using the actual rounded-up purchase quantity.
Common tile sizes and coverage
| Tile (US) | Tile (metric) | Coverage per tile |
|---|---|---|
| 6 × 6 in | ≈ 15 × 15 cm | 0.25 sq ft ≈ 0.023 m² |
| 12 × 12 in | ≈ 30 × 30 cm | 1 sq ft ≈ 0.093 m² |
| 12 × 24 in | ≈ 30 × 60 cm | 2 sq ft ≈ 0.186 m² |
| 18 × 18 in | ≈ 45 × 45 cm | 2.25 sq ft ≈ 0.209 m² |
Sizes are nominal — manufacturers differ slightly, and imperial and metric products are rarely identical. Check the actual dimensions on the product spec sheet and enter those if they differ from the presets.
Measuring tips for tile
- Measure floors length × width at the widest points; for L-shaped rooms, split them into rectangles and add the areas.
- Subtract areas you will tile around — vanities, fixed cabinets, kitchen islands — but do not subtract baseboards or toe-kicks you plan to tile up to.
- Waste depends on the layout: straight layouts in simple rooms run about 10%; diagonal, herringbone, or brick-joint patterns and many small cuts need 15% or more.
- Buy all of your tile from the same production lot — different lots can vary slightly in color even within the same product line.
For showers, tub surrounds, and other wet areas, waterproofing, substrate, and slip-resistance requirements follow your local building code. This calculator estimates tile quantities only.
Guides for tile projects
- How Much Tile Do I Need? — the full manual method with a worked example.
- How Much Flooring Should You Buy? — waste and rounding logic that applies to boxed products.
Related calculators
- Flooring Calculator — for the wood, laminate, or vinyl floors elsewhere in the house.
- Drywall Calculator — for the walls above your backsplash or wainscot.