Tile Calculator

Calculate the number of floor or wall tiles needed for a room, based on room dimensions, tile size, and a wastage allowance for cutting.

How to Use the Tile Calculator

  1. Enter the "Room Length" and "Room Width" in meters.
  2. Enter your chosen "Tile Length" and "Tile Width" in millimeters.
  3. Enter a "Wastage (%)" allowance to cover cutting and breakage - 10% is a common default.
  4. Click "Calculate Tiles" to see the floor area and number of tiles required.

How the Tile Count Is Calculated

The calculator divides the area to be covered by the face area of one tile and then adds the wastage allowance. In formula form: Tiles = (Length × Width) ÷ (Tile length × Tile width) × (1 + Wastage ÷ 100), with tile sizes converted from millimetres to metres. The result is rounded up because you cannot buy part of a tile.

This is an area method. It does not try to plan the actual layout, so it does not know where cut pieces fall. That is what the wastage percentage is for.

Worked Example

A bedroom measures 4 m × 3.5 m and you have chosen 600 × 600 mm vitrified tiles with 10% wastage. Floor area = 14 m². One tile = 0.6 × 0.6 = 0.36 m². Tiles without wastage = 14 ÷ 0.36 = 38.9. With 10% added, 42.8, so you need 43 tiles.

Tiles are sold in boxes, so convert the count to boxes using the number of pieces printed on the box and round up. If a box of 600 × 600 tiles holds 4 pieces, 43 tiles means 11 boxes. Buy all the boxes from one batch, because shade and size can vary slightly between production lots.

Tiles Needed for 10 m² (about 108 sq ft)

Tile size (mm)Area per tileTiles, no wastageTiles with 10% wastage
300 × 3000.09 m² (0.97 sq ft)111.1123
400 × 4000.16 m² (1.72 sq ft)62.569
300 × 4500.135 m² (1.45 sq ft)74.182
600 × 6000.36 m² (3.88 sq ft)27.831
800 × 8000.64 m² (6.89 sq ft)15.618
600 × 12000.72 m² (7.75 sq ft)13.916

Tile prices in India are often quoted per square foot. 1 m² = 10.764 sq ft, so multiply the floor area in m² by 10.764 before applying a per-sq ft rate.

Choosing the Right Wastage Allowance

  • 5–7%: a simple rectangular room laid straight with small or medium tiles.
  • 10%: the usual default, covering cuts at the edges, a door frame or two and a few breakages.
  • 12–15%: diagonal or herringbone layouts, rooms with many corners, large-format tiles where one bad cut wastes a big piece, or bathrooms with many pipe cut-outs.
  • Keep a few spare tiles after the job. A matching tile is hard to find a few years later if one cracks.

Using It for Bathroom and Kitchen Walls

For wall tiling, enter the wall length and the tiled height in place of room length and width, and run the calculator once per wall or add the wall lengths together if the height is the same. Deduct large openings such as doors and windows by subtracting their area first. For a kitchen dado, the height is usually just the band between the counter and the upper cabinets, not the full wall.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tiles need to be cut to fit room edges, corners, and around fixtures, which creates offcuts that can't always be reused. A 10% wastage allowance is a common rule of thumb, though irregularly shaped rooms may need more.

No, grout line width is usually small enough (2-5mm) to have a negligible effect on tile count, and is typically absorbed within the wastage allowance.

Yes - just enter the wall's length and height instead of the room's length and width, and the same area-based calculation applies.

Divide the tile count from this calculator by the number of tiles in one box, as printed on the box, and round up. Box contents differ by brand and tile size, so always check the label rather than assuming.

Many people leave out the floor under fixed kitchen platforms to save money, but it is common to tile under wardrobes and movable furniture so that the layout can change later. Decide before measuring, and deduct only the areas that will never be visible.
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