Tile Calculator: How Many Tiles Do I Need?
Put in your room size and tile size. This tile quantity calculator gives you a straight tile count with wastage, plus rough adhesive and grout figures for planning. Every number here is an estimate. What actually matters is measuring the room on site.
Short answer: measure the area you are tiling in square metres, divide it by the coverage of one tile, then add 10 percent for cuts and breakages. That is the whole job. The tool below does the arithmetic for you and rounds up to whole tiles, because you cannot buy two-thirds of a tile.
Your room
Your tile
10 percent is the sensible minimum. Add 15 percent or more for diagonal, herringbone or patterned layouts, and for rooms with lots of cuts.
Your estimate
These are planning estimates only. Adhesive and grout figures swing a lot with surface, notch size, tile format and joint width, so treat them as a rough starting point. Measure the actual room, then buy your tiles from a single batch so the shade matches.
How to use this
Pick how you want to give the area. If you already know the square metres, type it straight in. If not, switch to length times width and enter the two wall or floor measurements in metres. Choose your tile size from the list, or select custom and enter the tile in millimetres. Set your wastage, and read the tile count off on the right. It updates as you type.
Why you add wastage
Nobody tiles a room in whole tiles. You cut against every wall, into every corner, and around every pipe, waste, and doorway, and each cut leaves an offcut you usually cannot use again. On top of that, tiles chip, snap on the cutter, and arrive with the odd flaw. Ordering the exact bare count is how you end up one tile short on a Sunday with the merchant shut. Ten percent covers a plain layout. Fifteen percent or more covers diagonals, herringbone, big-format tiles and busy rooms. Keeping a few spares back also means you can swap a cracked tile years later without hunting a discontinued batch.
Common questions
How many tiles do I need?
Work out the area in square metres, divide by the coverage of one tile, then add at least 10 percent. A 6 m2 floor in 600x600mm tiles (each covers 0.36 m2) works out at roughly 17 tiles bare, so you order around 19 with wastage. The calculator above does this for you and rounds up to whole tiles.
How much wastage should I add?
Ten percent for a straightforward straight-lay job. Bump it to 15 percent or higher for diagonal sets, herringbone, patterned tiles, large-format work, and any room carved up by pipes, alcoves and awkward corners. When in doubt, round up. Spare tiles are cheap insurance against a repair you cannot match later.
Do I need to account for cuts?
Yes, and that is exactly what wastage is for. Every edge, corner and obstacle means a cut, and most offcuts are useless once trimmed. Never order the raw tile count. The wastage figure absorbs cuts, the occasional breakage, and a handful of spares to keep in the loft.
Getting it right on the wall and floor
A calculator gets you a shopping list. It does not set out a room, plan where the cut tiles land, or tell you whether the floor is flat enough to lay on. If you would rather the numbers and the setting-out were handled properly, that is the job. I cover bathroom tiling, kitchen floor tiling, large-format tiles and porcelain tiling across Bromley and the surrounding areas. Send me your room and I will measure it, set it out, and tell you exactly what to order.
Want the measurements done properly?
Send me your room and I'll come and measure it, plan the setting-out, and tell you precisely how many tiles, how much adhesive and how much grout the job needs. No guesswork.