Finishes
Tile Calculator
Estimate how many rectangular tiles you need for a floor or wall. Enter the surface dimensions, any excluded area, the size of one tile and a cutting allowance. The result is an area-based estimate rounded up to whole tiles, ready to compare with your supplier’s packaging.
The calculation
Enter the surface dimensions, excluded area, individual tile size and waste allowance. Divide the adjusted surface area by one tile’s area and round up to whole tiles. Check carton sizes with your supplier.
A 5 m by 4 m floor with 10% waste requires 22 m² of tile coverage. Each 600 mm by 600 mm tile covers 0.36 m², giving an estimate of 62 whole tiles before carton rounding.
- Surface length
- 5 m
- Surface width
- 4 m
- Area to subtract
- 0 m²
- Tile length
- 600 mm
- Tile width
- 600 mm
- Waste allowance
- 10 %
Tiles to buy62
Net surface area20 m²
Detailed guide (English)
From surface area to tile quantity
Net area = length × width − openings. Adjusted area = net area × (1 + waste percentage ÷ 100). Divide adjusted area by the area of one tile, then round upward to a whole tile. Tile dimensions entered in millimetres are converted to metres before calculating area.
Use the dimensions of one individual tile, not the carton. If a carton contains eight tiles, divide the calculated tile count by eight and round upward again to find whole cartons. Check the supplier’s stated carton coverage when the product comes as mosaic sheets or mixed sizes.
Choose waste from the planned layout
Cuts at edges, unusable offcuts and retained replacement tiles can increase the order above the measured area. Daltile advises planning for extra tile and discusses keeping approximately 10% spare material. Treat a starting percentage as a planning assumption, then review it against the actual pattern and room.
A diagonal layout, a prominent repeating pattern or several small recesses may leave fewer reusable offcuts. A row-by-row layout is more informative than area alone when a tile size almost matches a room dimension. Confirm the final quantity with the installer before ordering.
What the estimate leaves out
This calculation does not subtract grout joints from the covered area or place individual tiles on a drawing. It also does not estimate adhesive, grout, trims, levelling products or waterproofing. Those products have their own coverage information and depend on the installation method.
Order quantities may change after rounding to cartons. Keep cut allowance and future spare stock visible in your notes, particularly if you have already included both in a supplier estimate.
Worked example
Example: 600 × 600 mm floor tiles
A 5 m × 4 m floor is 20 m². With a chosen 10% allowance, the planning area is 22 m². Each 600 × 600 mm tile covers 0.36 m². Dividing gives 61.11, so the estimate is 62 tiles. Cartons of four require 16 cartons, or 64 tiles.
Common questions
Can I use this for wall tiles?
Yes. Enter wall length and height as the surface dimensions, then deduct door and window areas that will not be tiled.
Should I deduct every opening?
Deduct areas that genuinely will not receive tile. Returns, window reveals and edges can add surfaces or cuts that must be considered separately.
Sources and references
Manufacturer and measurement references for the assumptions described above.