Tile Calculator

The tile calculator finds how many tiles a rectangular floor or wall area needs, from the area's dimensions or a known total area, the tile size, and the grout joint width, plus a waste allowance for cuts, breakage, and pattern matching at edges.

• Area. Entered as length and width, or as a known total area directly when the square footage or square meterage is already on hand.
• Tile size. Length and width, accepting whole numbers, decimals (0.75), fractions (3/4), and mixed numbers (5 1/16 or 1-3/8).
• Units. Imperial mode reads the area in feet and tiles in inches; metric mode reads the area in meters and tiles in centimeters.
• Grout width. Adds to each side of the tile before the effective coverage area is figured, since the joint itself takes up floor or wall space between tiles.
• Waste allowance, price per tile, and tiles per box. Waste allowance covers cuts, breakage, and pattern matching at edges. A price per tile adds an estimated material cost to the results, and a tiles-per-box figure adds the number of boxes to purchase.

Effective tile size equals the tile dimension plus the grout width on each side. Total tiles before waste equals total area divided by the effective tile area. The waste multiplier is (1 plus waste percentage divided by 100), and the final tile count rounds up to the nearest whole tile. In imperial mode, area length and width in feet become square feet, while tile dimensions in inches convert to feet by dividing by 12.

A 5 by 8 foot bathroom floor (40 square feet) tiled with 6 by 6 inch tile and 1/8 inch grout has an effective tile size of 6.125 by 6.125 inches, about 0.26 square feet per tile once grout is added. Forty square feet divided by 0.26 is about 153.6 tiles before waste; a 10 percent waste allowance brings that to about 169 tiles, rounded up to a whole tile.

Tiling projects range from small backsplashes to full-floor renovations. Accurate material estimation prevents costly return trips and reduces leftover waste.

• Bathroom Floor Renovation: A 5 by 8 foot bathroom floor with 6 by 6 inch ceramic tiles and 1/8 inch grout spacing returns an exact tile count with a 10 percent waste buffer for cuts around the toilet flange and vanity.
• Kitchen Backsplash: The wall area behind countertops, tiled in 3 by 6 inch subway tile, typically runs a 15 percent waste allowance to account for outlet cutouts and end-piece trimming along upper cabinets.
• Large Format Floor Tile: 24 by 24 inch porcelain tiles for an open-plan living area, at a 1/16 inch grout for a minimal joint look, size out to a box count when tiles come 4 per box.
• Outdoor Patio: A patio with 16 by 16 inch pavers typically needs a 12 percent waste allowance to handle irregular border cuts against garden beds and curved walkway edges.
• Commercial Space Estimation: A retail space with an irregular floor plan enters its total known square footage directly rather than length and width; a tile price per unit then gives a material cost estimate for the bid proposal.
• Metric Renovation Planning: Metric mode reads room dimensions in meters and tile size in centimeters for projects outside the United States, with every formula adjusting automatically and results displayed in square meters.
• Mosaic Accent Wall: A small accent wall in 1 by 1 inch mosaic tile returns a high tile count, which confirms the number of mesh sheets to order when each sheet covers a known area.
• Budget Comparison: The same room dimensions run twice, with different tile sizes and prices, compares material costs between a premium large-format tile and a standard mid-range option.