WorldCalcs

Tile Calculator

How many tiles do I need? Floor or wall tiles, with boxes.

Reviewed by the WorldCalcs team · Methodology · Last reviewed: June 2026

Tiles needed (with waste)

132 tiles

Surface area
120.00 sq ft
Tiles without waste
120

These results are estimates only. Coverage rates and bag yields vary by product, surface, and conditions - always round up, buy a little extra, and confirm quantities with your supplier. See our disclaimer.

What is a tile calculator?

A tile calculator tells you how many tiles you need to cover a floor or wall. You enter the area you're tiling and the size of one tile, add a waste allowance for cuts and breakages, and it returns the number of tiles to buy - and the number of boxes if you tell it how many come in a box. It saves you from buying too few (and risking a dye-lot mismatch on a second trip) or far too many.

How tile quantity is calculated

We divide the surface area by the area of a single tile to get the base number of tiles. In imperial, a tile's area in square feet is its width x length in inches divided by 144; in metric it's width x length in centimeters divided by 10,000. Then we add a waste allowance - usually 10% - for cuts around edges, breakages and future repairs, and round up to a whole tile. If you enter the tiles-per-box, we also round the boxes up.

Example

To tile a 10 ft x 12 ft floor (120 sq ft) with 12x12 inch tiles, each tile covers 1 sq ft, so you need 120 tiles plus 10% waste - 132 tiles. Switch to larger 12x24 inch tiles (2 sq ft each) and the same floor needs 60 tiles plus waste, or 66 tiles.

To measure your floor area first, use the Square Footage Calculator. Related home projects: Paint Calculator and Concrete Calculator.

All calculations happen in your browser. Nothing is sent, stored, or tracked.

Results are estimates and may contain errors — for general information only, not professional advice. Always verify before relying on them. Disclaimer

How to use

Pick imperial (room in feet, tile in inches) or metric (room in meters, tile in centimeters). Enter the floor or wall dimensions, the tile size, and a waste percentage (10% covers most straight layouts; use 15% for diagonal or herringbone).

If you know how many tiles come per box, enter that too and the calculator will round up to whole boxes.

Frequently asked questions

How many tiles do I need?+

Divide the area you're tiling by the area of one tile, then add about 10% for waste. A 120 sq ft floor with 12x12 inch tiles needs about 132 tiles. Enter your sizes above for an exact count.

How much waste should I add for tiles?+

Add about 10% for a standard straight layout. Go to 15% for diagonal or herringbone patterns, large-format tiles, or rooms with lots of corners and cuts - they create more offcuts you can't reuse.

How many tiles are in a square foot (or square meter)?+

It depends on tile size. A 12x12 inch tile is exactly one per square foot. A 6x6 inch tile is four per square foot. A 30x30 cm tile works out to about 11 per square meter.

How many 12x12 tiles for 100 square feet?+

Since each 12x12 inch tile covers one square foot, 100 sq ft needs 100 tiles, plus about 10% waste - so buy 110 tiles.

How do I work out tiles per box?+

Enter how many tiles come in a box and the calculator divides your total by that number, rounding up. Boxes are how tile is sold, so it's worth buying one spare box for future repairs.

Does this work for walls too?+

Yes. Tiling is area-based, so the same method works for a wall - enter the wall's height and width as the room dimensions and your tile size as usual.

Why round up the number of tiles?+

You can't buy part of a tile, and you'll cut several to fit edges and corners. Rounding up - plus the waste allowance - makes sure you finish the job without a second trip and a possible color mismatch.

Do I need to account for grout lines?+

For estimating quantity, no - the small grout gaps are easily covered by the standard waste allowance. The tile size you enter is treated as the space each tile occupies.

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