Wallpaper Roll Calculator

Who this is for

Count drops, then rolls. Enter the roll width, roll length and pattern repeat from the label, measure each wall, and the sheet works out how many drops each wall needs, how many drops a roll gives and how many rolls to order.

Homeowners hanging wallpaper themselves or buying it for a decorator, and anyone working with a patterned paper where the repeat changes how far a roll goes.

What this helps you track

• How many drops each wall needs at your roll width
• The length of each drop once the pattern repeat is allowed for
• How many full drops one roll gives
• Rolls to order, including the spare rolls you choose to keep

How to use it

1. Write the room and the paper, then copy the roll width, roll length and pattern repeat in metres from the label. Enter a repeat of 0 for a plain paper.
2. Decide how many spare rolls you want from the same batch and enter it.
3. Measure each wall's width and height in metres, including the parts over doors and windows.
4. If you want to count the short drops over a door or window as saved, enter how many full drops that saves on the wall; otherwise leave it at nothing.
5. Drops, drop length and the summary are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, divide each wall's width by the roll width and round up.
6. Order the rolls shown and check every roll carries the same batch number before you cut the first drop.

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

Why add the pattern repeat to the drop length?

With a patterned paper each drop has to line up with the one beside it, so every drop may lose up to one repeat to matching. Adding one repeat per drop is a cautious way to allow for that; a plain paper uses a repeat of nothing.

How are drops per roll worked out?

The roll length is divided by the longest drop on the sheet and rounded down, because a part drop cannot be hung. The same figure is used for every wall so the total is never short.

Should I deduct doors and windows?

That is your choice. Short drops above doors and below windows can often be cut from offcuts, so some people count them as saved drops and others prefer the extra margin. The saved column is left for you to decide.

How many spare rolls should I keep?

The sheet does not suggest a number. Spares from the same batch are useful for repairs later, so enter however many you want and they are added to the order.