Tile calculator
Estimate tile count from room size and waste allowance.
What this calculator covers
Estimate how many tiles a rectangular floor needs from the room dimensions, tile face size, and waste allowance.
The walkthrough keeps the geometry visible so users can see how floor area, waste, and tile size combine into a final tile count.
Frequently asked questions
- How much waste should I add for a standard tile job?
- A 10% waste allowance is a common starting point for simple rectangular rooms with a straight grid layout. Diagonal patterns, intricate designs, or rooms with many obstacles like cabinets and columns typically call for 15–20% to account for the additional cuts.
- Does this calculator account for grout joint width?
- No. The estimate divides the adjusted floor area by the tile face dimensions only, without modeling grout lines. Grout joints slightly reduce the effective tile coverage per square foot, so the actual count needed may be marginally higher than the estimate for wide-joint installations.
- Why does the calculator round tile count up rather than to the nearest whole number?
- Purchasing a fraction of a tile is not possible, and running short mid-project can mean delays if the tile goes out of stock or dye lots change. Rounding up ensures you have enough material even if a small number of tiles break or require re-cutting.
- Should I buy extra tiles beyond the estimated count?
- Many installers recommend keeping a few extra tiles from the same batch for future repairs. Tile colors and textures can vary between production runs, so having spares from the original purchase can make matching repairs much easier years down the line.
Tool
Run the calculation
Result
RESULT · TILE
â„–017
Primary result
132 tiles
A 12 ft by 10 ft area with 10% waste needs about 132 tiles at 12 in × 12 in.
- Area
- 120 sq ft
- Adjusted area
- 132 sq ft
- Tiles needed
- 132 tiles
Step-by-step solution
- 1.Find the floor area: 12 × 10 = 120 sq ft.
- 2.Add 10% waste to get 132 sq ft of adjusted tile area.
- 3.Convert the tile face to square feet. It displays as 1 sq ft per tile, and the exact tile area yields 132 tiles.
Walkthrough
Visual walkthrough
Tile planning starts with floor area, adds waste for cuts and breakage, then converts that adjusted area into tile count using the tile face size.
01
Measure the floor area
12 × 10 = 120 sq ft
Length times width gives the base tile coverage area.
02
Add waste allowance
A waste factor helps account for cuts, edge pieces, breakage, and pattern losses.
132 sq ft adjusted area
03
Convert area into tile count
Tile face size is converted to square feet, then the exact adjusted area is divided by the exact tile footprint and rounded up.
132 tiles needed