Tile Quantity Calculator

Who this is for

Order the right number of boxes. Measure each area of floor or wall, take off the parts that will not be tiled, and enter your tile size, box quantity and the wastage allowance you have chosen; the sheet works out tiles, boxes and spares.

Homeowners tiling a floor, a splashback or a bathroom wall themselves, and anyone checking the quantity on a tiler's quote or a supplier's order before paying for it.

What this helps you track

• The net area of each part of the floor or wall after openings and units
• How many tiles cover that area at your tile size
• The tiles needed once your own wastage allowance is added
• Boxes to order and how many spare tiles that leaves

How to use it

1. Write the room and whether this sheet is for the floor or a wall; use one sheet per tile.
2. Enter the tile length and width in millimetres and the number of tiles per box from the box or the product page.
3. Decide your wastage percentage and enter it. It depends on the layout, the cuts and the tile, so it is your call or your tiler's.
4. Split the surface into rectangles, measure each in metres and enter length and width; add any windows, doors or fitted units that will not be tiled as deductions in square metres.
5. Area, net area and the summary are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, multiply length by width, take off the deductions and add down.
6. Order the boxes shown, and check the batch or shade code on each box matches before you start.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What wastage percentage should I use?

The sheet does not suggest one. The right allowance depends on the tile size, the pattern, how many cuts the room needs and whether the tiles break easily, so use the figure your tiler or supplier gives you, or your own judgement.

Why measure in rectangles?

Most rooms are easier to measure as a few rectangles than as one awkward shape. An L-shaped floor becomes two rows, and a wall with a boxed-in pipe becomes the wall plus a small extra area.

How are tiles per square metre worked out?

One square metre is divided by the area of one tile, using the length and width you enter in millimetres. Include the grout joint in the size if you want it counted.

Why are tiles and boxes rounded up?

You cannot buy part of a tile or part of a box, so each figure is rounded up to the next whole one. The spare tiles figure shows what the last box leaves over.