Flooring & Wall Tiles calculator

Tile Calculator

Estimate floor, wall, total-area, or skirting tiles with grout spacing, wastage, box rounding, spare tiles, and optional material cost.

Category: ConstructionLast updated: 7 June 2026

Interactive calculator

Estimate tiles, boxes, buffer, and cost

Choose a floor, known area, wall, or skirting project. The result separates tile wastage from the extra tiles created when full boxes are rounded up.

What do you want to tile? Choose one project type. Only the measurements needed for that mode are shown.

Floor / rectangular area

Enter room length and width in the same unit. The result shows both square feet and square metres.

Room dimension unit Room length

Room width

Tile, grout, and buying buffer

Check the tile size and tiles-per-box on the product pack. A 10% wastage buffer is a practical default for many straight layouts, but complex or diagonal work may need more.

Tile size unit Tile length

Use the nominal tile size printed on the product pack. Tile width

Grout gap

The joint is added to each tile footprint for the area estimate. Confirm the actual joint with the tile and installation guidance. Grout gap unit Wastage / buying buffer

10% is a safer default for many straight layouts. Increase it for diagonal patterns, complex rooms, or many cuts. Tiles per box

Check the product pack. Tile size, box quantity, and box coverage vary.

Optional material cost

Leave the active price blank for a quantity-only estimate. No product price, tax, labour rate, or currency conversion is inferred.

Optional price basis

Price per box (optional)

Leave blank to estimate quantity without cost. Use the full current box price.

Currency symbol or code

Examples: ₹, $, €, £, USD. No currency conversion is performed.

Floor / rectangular area

9 boxes

33 tiles to buy after 10% wastage

10% buffer

Project area: 120 sq ft (11.15 sq m)
Effective coverage / tile: 0.375279 sq m (4.0395 sq ft)
Tiles before wastage: 30
Extra tiles for wastage: 3 (3 calculated)
Total tiles to buy: 33
Boxes to buy: 9
Spare after box rounding: 3

What this means

The 120 sq ft (11.15 sq m) floor needs about 30 whole tiles before wastage. Adding 10% gives 33 tiles to buy. At 4 tiles per box, that rounds up to 9 boxes with 3 spare tiles. No price was entered, so cost is left out.

Buying guidance

Buy 9 boxes for a total pack quantity of 36 tiles. Check tile size and tiles-per-box on the product pack before buying, and consider keeping matching spare tiles from the same shade or batch for future repair.

Wastage / buffer

10% is a practical cutting and breakage buffer for a straightforward layout.

Grout gap impact

The 3 mm joint is included in each tile's effective grid footprint. This slightly reduces the area assigned to tile faces, but edge cuts and real layout lines can outweigh that difference.

Next calculator

Use a Unit Converter first if any measurements are mixed, Percentage Calculator to compare another wastage allowance, or Paint Calculator for nearby untiled walls and ceilings.

Unit Converter Paint Calculator Monthly Budget Calculator

Method used

Project area ÷ ((tile length + grout gap) × (tile width + grout gap)) = base tiles; add wastage, round tiles up, then round boxes up.

What to do next

Continue your decision

Formula, example, assumptions, and FAQs — open any section for the detail.

Formula

Project area

Floor = length × width · Wall = length × height − openings · Skirting = perimeter × strip height

All dimensions are converted to metres internally. Total-area mode accepts square feet or square metres directly. Feet and square feet are not the same: feet measure length, while square feet measure area.

Tile coverage with grout gap

Effective coverage per tile = (tile length + grout gap) × (tile width + grout gap)

The grout joint is part of the tile grid, so it slightly changes the coverage assigned to each tile. Edge cuts, real wall lines, and layout choices still matter, so do not remove the wastage buffer simply because a gap is included.

Base tiles and wastage

Base tiles = ceil(project area ÷ effective tile coverage) · Total tiles = ceil(base tiles × (1 + wastage % ÷ 100))

Base quantity is rounded to a whole tile before the editable wastage allowance is added. Five percent may suit a simple straight layout; 10% is a safer common default; diagonal or complex layouts may need 15% or more.

Boxes and spare tiles

Boxes = ceil(total tiles ÷ tiles per box) · Spare tiles = boxes × tiles per box − total tiles

Tiles are sold in boxes, so the final buying quantity is rounded up. Spare tiles from box rounding are shown separately from the cutting and breakage buffer.

Optional material cost

Box pricing: boxes × price per box · Tile pricing: total tiles × price per tile

Cost is shown only when a price is entered. Currency is editable and no conversion is performed. Use box pricing when the supplier sells only complete boxes.

Worked example

Example for 21 sq m using 50 cm square tiles

A floor area is already measured as 21 sq m. The tile is 50 cm × 50 cm, grout gap is set to zero for a simple comparison, wastage is 10%, one box contains 8 tiles, and each box costs ₹1,200.

Calculation:Each tile covers 0.25 sq m. Base tiles: 21 ÷ 0.25 = 84. Wastage allowance: 84 × 10% = 8.4, so total tiles round up to 93. Boxes: 93 ÷ 8 = 11.625, rounded up to 12 boxes.

Result:Buy 12 boxes, containing 96 tiles. The estimate uses 93 tiles after wastage and leaves 3 more from full-box rounding. At ₹1,200 per box, estimated material cost is ₹14,400. Check the actual pack quantity, shade or batch, and joint guidance before ordering.

Assumptions

Floor and wall dimensions describe rectangles; irregular areas should be split into smaller rectangles and combined in total-area mode.
All active dimensions are converted to metres before area and tile calculations.
Wall opening area is a combined square-foot or square-metre value and must be smaller than the gross wall area.
Tile size is the nominal length and width entered by the user; manufacturing tolerance and actual calibrated size are not inferred.
The grout gap is applied in both tile directions as part of an area-based grid estimate.
Wastage is applied after the base requirement is rounded to a whole tile.
Tiles per box comes from the product pack; box coverage and quantity vary by product and tile size.
Price per box uses the full rounded box count. Price per tile uses the buffered tile count before spare box-rounding tiles.
Currency changes display only; no exchange rate or local tax is added.

Common mistakes

Entering feet in a square-feet field. Feet measure length; square feet measure area.
Mixing room dimensions in metres with tile dimensions in centimetres without selecting the matching units.
Using floor area for a wall project instead of wall length multiplied by wall height.
Forgetting to subtract a door or window from wall tile area, or subtracting it twice.
Buying the calculated tile count instead of complete boxes.
Assuming box coverage is identical across brands, tile sizes, or product lines.
Using zero wastage for rooms with corners, pipes, niches, diagonal layouts, or many cuts.
Counting box-rounding spares as a substitute for an adequate cutting and breakage buffer.
Ignoring shade or batch variation when matching tiles may be needed for a future repair.
Using a per-tile price when the supplier sells only full boxes.

Accuracy notes

Unit conversion and arithmetic are deterministic. Areas and money are rounded for display, while tile and box quantities always round up to whole purchasable units. Real use can differ because of room shape, tile orientation, pattern, grout layout, cut reuse, breakage, tile calibration, installer method, batch availability, and product-specific box contents.

Frequently asked questions

How much tile wastage should I add?

About 5% may be enough for a simple straight layout with few cuts. A 10% buffer is safer for many normal rooms. Consider 15% or more for diagonal patterns, complex shapes, many corners, niches, or large tiles that create substantial offcuts. Confirm unusual layouts with the installer.

Why does the calculator round boxes up?

Tiles are normally bought in complete boxes. If 93 tiles are needed and a box contains 8, 11 boxes provide only 88 tiles, so the buying quantity becomes 12 boxes. The extra 3 tiles are shown as box-rounding spares.

Does grout gap reduce the number of tiles?

A joint slightly increases each tile position in the grid, so it can reduce the mathematical area count. Real edges, cuts, grout-line layout, and room shape can outweigh that small difference. Keep a realistic wastage allowance and follow the tile or installation guidance.

How do I calculate wall tiles around a door or window?

Multiply wall length by wall height for gross area, then subtract the combined opening area. Enter opening area in square feet or square metres. The calculator rejects an opening that equals or exceeds the wall area.

Can I calculate skirting or a tile border?

Yes. Enter the total perimeter or border run and the strip height. The calculator converts both to metres, finds strip area, and then applies the same tile, wastage, box, and cost method.

Should I use price per box or price per tile?

Use price per box when that is how the product is sold; it prices the full rounded box quantity. Use price per tile only when a genuine per-tile rate applies. Currency is editable and the calculator does not add tax or convert exchange rates.

Can I use this tile calculator outside India?

Yes. Room and wall dimensions support feet or metres; tile sizes support inches, centimetres, feet, or metres; area supports square feet or square metres; and currency is editable. The default ₹ symbol and common home-renovation examples can be changed.

Why should I keep spare tiles from the same shade or batch?

Colour and finish can vary between production batches. Keeping a few matching tiles can make a later repair easier. The calculator shows both wastage tiles and any additional tiles created by full-box rounding.

This calculator provides a material and optional cost estimate only. It does not inspect the project, design a tile layout, recommend a brand, verify structural or waterproofing requirements, provide labour rates, or replace a supplier or contractor quote. Check measurements, pack details, installation guidance, and important quantities before buying.Read the full disclaimer.

Last updated: 7 June 2026More Construction calculators