Flooring Calculator — Boxes of Laminate, Vinyl or Wood
Enter each room and get the boxes to buy, plus underlayment. Add a section for every room or alcove and the totals come out right.
Take this list to the store
We'll email the quantities above, what you typed in, and a link that reopens this calculator already filled in — so you can adjust it on your phone in the aisle.
How to work it out
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Measure every room you are doing
Length × width per room. Press “Add another section” for each additional room, hallway or alcove — buying for the whole job in one order is how you get boxes from the same batch.
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Read the coverage off the box
Every product is different: laminate is usually 18–24 sq ft per box, vinyl plank often 24–30, engineered wood as little as 16. This one number decides your box count, so take it from the actual product rather than a default.
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Add waste for the layout
Ten per cent running straight along the longest wall. Fifteen if the floor is diagonal, or the space has many doorways, closets and angles, because each one costs you an cut-off.
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Order it all at once
Flooring is made in batches and the color and gloss shift between them. Ordering the whole job together, with the waste included, is the only reliable way to get one batch.
Boxes by floor area
Including 10% waste for a straight layout.
| Floor area | Order with waste | At 20 sq ft/box | At 24 sq ft/box |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 110 sq ft | 6 | 5 |
| 150 sq ft | 165 sq ft | 9 | 7 |
| 200 sq ft | 220 sq ft | 12 | 10 |
| 250 sq ft | 275 sq ft | 14 | 12 |
| 300 sq ft | 330 sq ft | 17 | 14 |
| 400 sq ft | 440 sq ft | 23 | 19 |
| 500 sq ft | 550 sq ft | 28 | 23 |
| 750 sq ft | 825 sq ft | 42 | 35 |
| 1000 sq ft | 1100 sq ft | 55 | 46 |
Always round up — a box is the smallest unit you can buy.
What to allow for waste
| Situation | Waste | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Plain rectangular room, straight lay | 10% | Cuts at two walls only. |
| Several rooms and a hallway | 12–15% | Every doorway starts a new run and ends an old one. |
| Diagonal lay | 15% | Both ends of every row are angled cuts. |
| Herringbone | 20% | Every piece is cut at an angle. |
| Wide plank over 7 in. | 15% | Less chance of the cut-off being long enough to start a row. |
How many boxes of laminate flooring for 500 sq ft?
Five hundred square feet plus 10% waste is 550 sq ft to order. At 20 sq ft per box that is 28 boxes; at 24 sq ft per box, 23 boxes. Always check your own box — the difference between 20 and 24 is five boxes on this job.
What else you need besides the flooring
- Underlayment — one 100 sq ft roll per 100 sq ft of floor, unless the plank has a pad already attached.
- Transition strips — one per doorway, plus one wherever the flooring meets a different surface.
- Quarter round or new baseboard — the perimeter of every room, to cover the expansion gap.
- Spacers — cheap, and skipping the expansion gap is the most common way a floating floor fails.
Leave the expansion gap
Floating floors move with temperature and humidity. Leave 1/4 to 3/8 in. around every wall, pipe and doorframe, and cover it with baseboard or quarter round — never with caulk, and never pinned through the plank. A floor with no room to move buckles into a ridge across the middle of the room, and the only fix is lifting it.
Which direction should the planks run?
Along the longest wall in most rooms — it makes the space read as longer and gives you the fewest cuts. Running towards the main light source hides the seams. If the subfloor is board rather than concrete, planks should cross the joists, which usually settles the question for you.
Working out a whole house
Do it room by room, in one go, and order together. A typical three-bedroom layout might be:
- Living room 14 × 18 — 252 sq ft
- Hall 4 × 20 — 80 sq ft
- Bedroom 12 × 14 — 168 sq ft
- Bedroom 11 × 12 — 132 sq ft
- Bedroom 10 × 11 — 110 sq ft
That is 742 sq ft. Because it is several rooms joined by doorways rather than one open space, use 15% waste rather than 10 — every doorway ends one run and starts another. That is 853 sq ft to order, or 43 boxes at 20 sq ft a box.
Press “Add another section” for each room above and the calculator does exactly this.
What installers mean by square feet
Fitting is usually quoted per square foot of finished floor, not per square foot of material ordered. So a 742 sq ft house is quoted on 742, even though you buy 853 sq ft of flooring.
Ask what the quote includes. Underlayment, removing the old floor, disposal, moving furniture, transitions and trimming door bottoms are all commonly extra, and together they can add half again to a headline price.
How this is worked out
No black box — here is the arithmetic the calculator runs, so you can check it against your own numbers.
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area = length × width, summed over every roomOrder the whole job at once so every box comes from one batch. -
× (1 + waste ÷ 100)10% straight, 15% for diagonal or many doorways, 20% herringbone. -
÷ coverage per box, rounded upTaken from your actual box — laminate is usually 18–24 sq ft, vinyl plank 24–30. -
underlayment = area ÷ 100 rollsA standard roll covers 100 sq ft. Skip it if the plank has a pad attached.
Common questions
How much extra flooring should I order?
Ten per cent for a plain rectangular room laid straight, fifteen for a diagonal lay or a floor with lots of doorways and angles, twenty for herringbone. Keep a full unopened box back for repairs.
How many square feet are in a box of laminate?
Usually 18 to 24, but it ranges from 16 for some engineered wood to over 30 for wide vinyl plank. It is printed on every box and it is the number this calculator needs.
Do I need underlayment?
For laminate, almost always — it cushions, quietens and evens out small dips in the subfloor. For click-lock vinyl, usually not, because the pad is already attached; adding a second layer makes the locking joints flex and fail.
Do I deduct for kitchen cabinets?
Yes, measure the open floor only. You do not run flooring under fixed base cabinets. Do include the space under a removable appliance like a dishwasher or fridge.
How do I work out an L-shaped room?
Split it into rectangles and press “Add another section” for each. The areas are added together and the waste applied to the total.
Can I install over an existing floor?
Floating floors go over most hard, flat, dry surfaces including tile and sheet vinyl — but not over carpet, and not over anything loose or damp. Check the height at every doorway first; adding three-eighths of an inch can stop a door closing.
How long should flooring acclimate?
Most makers ask for 48 hours in the room where it will be laid, still boxed, at normal living temperature. Skipping it is why gaps open between planks a month after installation.
How many transition strips do I need?
One for each doorway and one at every point the new floor meets a different flooring type or a stair nose. Count the doorways on your plan — they are easy to forget until the day of installation.
Where these figures come from
Every figure below is traceable. How we check the numbers explains how they are verified, and the coverage reference collects them all in one place.
- North American Laminate Flooring Association guidance — acclimation and expansion gap requirements
- Manufacturer installation instructions — box coverage, underlayment compatibility and warranty conditions
- ASTM F710 — subfloor flatness and moisture testing before installation
Think a number here is wrong? Tell us — we check every report, correct the page, and date the change. Last checked September 11, 2026.