Tile Flooring Calculator

1. Pick Imperial or Metric, then enter the floor length and width from wall to wall.
2. Enter the tile length and width and the grout joint. The tile length runs along the floor length.
3. Set your waste allowance, the tiles per box and your price per tile. Read the tiles to buy, the layout and the edge cuts.

A tile flooring calculator is a layout tool that counts how many floor tiles a room needs, row by row. It treats every cut tile at a wall as one whole tile, since the offcut is usually too small to use elsewhere.

It helps homeowners and installers order ceramic, porcelain or stone floor tile for a rectangular room laid in a straight grid. It also shows the edge cut size before any tile is set.

It is different from an area calculator. The tile calculator divides area by tile size, which suits walls, backsplashes and quick estimates. This page plans the floor grid itself.

It does not price the whole job. For labor, underlayment and removal, use the flooring installation cost calculator.

The calculator fits full tiles and joints across each direction, centers them, and counts the cut tile left at each wall.

1. Convert. The floor length and width become inches (x 12) or centimeters (x 100).
2. Fit full tiles. Each full tile takes its own size plus one joint. The calculator finds how many fit in the run.
3. Balance the run. The leftover space is split into two equal cuts, one at each wall. If those cuts would be under half a tile, one full tile is removed and the cuts grow by half a tile each.
4. Count. Tiles per run = full tiles + 2 cut tiles. Multiply the two runs for the layout count.
5. Waste and boxes. Multiply by 1 plus your waste allowance, round up, then divide by tiles per box and round up again.

Step 3 follows ANSI A108.02. Section 4.3.1 says to center and balance areas of tile if possible. Section 4.3.2 says that usually no cuts smaller than half size should be made.

Grout joints. A run of 10 tiles has 9 joint lines between them. Each line crosses the full floor. Total joint length = joint lines along the length x floor width, plus joint lines along the width x floor length.

Bathroom floor. A 10 ft x 8 ft floor is 120 in by 96 in. With 12 in tiles and 1/8 in joints, the length run is 8 full tiles and 2 cuts of 11.44 in, so 10 tiles. The width run is 6 full tiles and 2 cuts of 11.56 in, so 8 tiles. The layout is 10 x 8 = 80 pieces: 48 full and 32 cut.

With 10 percent waste you buy 88 tiles, which is 9 boxes of 10 with 2 spare. At an example price of $2.50 per tile, 90 tiles cost $225.00. There are 9 + 7 joint lines, 142 ft of grout joint in total.

Three more inches. Make the floor 10.25 ft long. The length run now needs 11 tiles, with 6.88 in cuts at each end. The layout jumps to 88 pieces and the order to 97 tiles. The area method gives 80.3 tiles for this floor, about 8 fewer than the layout needs.

Plank-format tile. A 12 ft x 11 ft floor in 24 x 12 in tile gives 6 tiles along the length and 11 along the width, 66 pieces. With 10 percent waste you buy 73 tiles, or 10 boxes of 8. Joint length is 175 ft.

Metric floor. A 4 m x 3 m floor in 60 cm tile with 3 mm joints gives 7 x 5 = 35 pieces, 15 full and 20 cut. The edge cuts are 49.10 cm and 59.40 cm. You buy 39 tiles, or 10 boxes of 4, with 34 m of joint.

Room size against tile size decides how many tiles are cut, and cut tiles drive the count.

How the Room Divides by the Tile

A floor that is a near-exact multiple of the tile needs trimmed tiles at both walls. A few extra inches can add a whole row. In the example above, 3 inches added 8 pieces.

Tile Size

Large tiles mean fewer pieces, but each cut wastes more material. A 24 inch tile cut to 18 inches leaves a 6 inch strip that rarely fits anywhere.

Grout Joint Width

Wider joints push tiles apart and can change the edge cut size. ANSI A108.02 sets a 1/16 inch minimum joint, and at least three times the size variation of the tile.

Layout Pattern

This calculator assumes a straight grid. Diagonal, herringbone and offset patterns cut more tiles. No standard fixes a percentage for them, so raise the waste allowance yourself or ask your installer.

Where the Layout Starts

The count assumes a centered layout with equal cuts at opposite walls. Starting with a full tile at one wall can use fewer tiles but may leave a thin sliver at the other wall.

The layout method counts tile positions, while the area method divides square footage. The layout count is the same or higher.

When the two counts are far apart, trust the layout count for a floor. The waste allowance then only needs to cover breakage and miscuts.

Ordering Tile for a Room

Use the tiles to buy and the box count for the order. Buy every box at once so they share a production lot.

Checking the Edge Cuts Before You Start

The edge cut result shows the strip of tile at each wall. If you dislike it, try a different tile size or joint width and compare.

Estimating Grout

The joint length feeds a grout estimate. The flooring and tile quantities guide walks through rooms with more than one rectangle.

Rooms That Are Not Rectangles

Split an L-shaped room into two rectangles and run each one. Add the tile counts, then round up to boxes once.

1. Starting with a Full Tile at One Wall

This can leave a narrow sliver at the opposite wall. The Ceramic Tile Foundation notes that cuts under half a tile are an appearance problem and should be avoided.

2. Counting Offcuts as Usable

When each edge cut is over half a tile, the offcut is under half and cannot fill another edge. Count one whole tile per cut.

3. Using Nominal Tile Size

A tile sold as 12 x 24 may measure a little less. Enter the actual size printed on the box.

4. Ignoring the Joint

Nine 1/8 inch joints add 1.125 inches across a 10 tile run. That is enough to change the edge cuts.

5. Ordering with No Spare Tiles

One cracked tile stops the job. A later box may not match in shade. The material waste guide explains how to set an allowance.

The count is exact for a rectangular floor in a straight, centered grid. The waste allowance is your judgement, so the order is an estimate.

With 12 inch tiles and 1/8 inch joints, a centered layout uses 10 x 8 = 80 pieces. With 10 percent waste, buy 88 tiles, which is 9 boxes of 10.

The layout count uses one whole tile for every cut at a wall. The area method assumes offcuts are reused, which rarely works when cuts are over half a tile.

ANSI A108.02 section 4.3.2 says that usually no cuts smaller than half size should be made. This calculator balances each run so edge cuts are at least half a tile.

It means the cut tile at one wall matches the cut at the opposite wall. ANSI A108.02 section 4.3.1 says to center and balance areas of tile if possible.

A run of tiles has one fewer joint line than tiles. A 10 x 8 tile floor has 9 lines one way and 7 the other, 142 feet of joint on a 10 by 8 foot floor.

Enter the joint you plan to use. ANSI A108.02 says a joint is never less than 1/16 inch. The Tile Council of North America notes that joints under 1/8 inch generally take unsanded cement grout.

There is no standard figure. Since the layout count already includes every cut tile, the allowance mainly covers breakage, miscuts and spares for repairs.

Not for the layout count. Those patterns cut tiles along every wall. Use the area result as a base and add a larger allowance agreed with your installer.

Only if you will tile there. For floors with areas to leave out, the tile calculator on this site has a field for that.

No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing is sent to our servers. Anything you choose to Save stays in this browser only.

• Tile layout centered and balanced with no small cuts: ANSI A108.02 sections 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 (Ceramic Tile Foundation).
• Grout joint width in ANSI A108.02: three times the tile variation and 1/16 inch minimum (Ceramic Tile Foundation).
• Grout FAQ: joint width, tile size variation and sanded vs unsanded grout (Tile Council of North America).
• Exact conversion factors for the inch, foot and square foot (NIST SP 811, Appendix B.8).