Plank flooring is measured in square feet and packed in boxes, and each box covers a set area printed on its label. Laminate, luxury vinyl plank, engineered hardwood and solid hardwood are all sold this way. Coverage varies between products: a single maker's laminate boxes cover anywhere from 18.58 to 27.77 sq ft. The calculator adds the extra for cuts, then divides by the coverage and rounds up to whole boxes.
How to use this calculator
- Measure the room's length and width in feet, at the longest and widest points.
- Read the coverage on your box, in square feet, and enter it. The starting value of 21.24 sq ft is only an example carton.
- Set the extra for waste from the guide below. The starting value of 10 percent is right for a straight lay of laminate or vinyl plank.
- For an L-shaped room or an alcove, run each rectangle, add the square feet to buy, then divide the total by your box coverage and round up.
- Order all the boxes together and keep a spare from the same batch for repairs.
Worked examples
Living room laminate
Size: 16 × 18 ft
- Flooring to buy
- 317 sq ft
- Boxes
- 15
- Room area
- 288 sq ft
Bedroom vinyl plank on a diagonal
Size: 12 × 14 ft · Coverage per box: 34.98 sq ft · Extra for waste: 15%
- Flooring to buy
- 193 sq ft
- Boxes
- 6
- Room area
- 168 sq ft
Hallway hardwood, straight lay
Size: 18 × 4 ft · Extra for waste: 5%
- Flooring to buy
- 76 sq ft
- Boxes
- 4
- Room area
- 72 sq ft
Dining room hardwood on a diagonal
Size: 12 × 12 ft · Extra for waste: 10%
- Flooring to buy
- 158 sq ft
- Boxes
- 8
- Room area
- 144 sq ft
Boxes to buy for common room sizes at each coverage
| Room | Coverage per box: 18.58 sq ft | Coverage per box: 21.24 sq ft | Coverage per box: 27.77 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 10 ft | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| 10 × 12 ft | 8 | 7 | 5 |
| 12 × 14 ft | 10 | 9 | 7 |
| 15 × 20 ft | 18 | 16 | 12 |
Each cell: Boxes. Inputs not in the table use the calculator's starting values.
Which extra to enter
The extra covers cuts and breakage. Find the line that matches your floor and layout.
- Laminate or vinyl plank laid straight: enter 10 percent. The sourced range is 5 to 15 percent, and a room with many cuts can justify the top of it.
- Vinyl plank on a diagonal: enter 15 percent, because angled rows leave more offcuts.
- Hardwood laid straight: enter 5 percent.
- Hardwood laid on a diagonal: enter 10 percent.
- Laminate laid on a diagonal: check your product's installation instructions. This page has no figure for that layout.
How the calculation works
The calculator multiplies length by width to get the room area, then adds the extra to get the square feet to buy. The extra is a share of the whole room, so a bigger room gets a bigger allowance. Boxes are the square feet to buy divided by the coverage of a single box, rounded up, since you cannot buy part of a box.
Coverage changes most between products. A single maker's vinyl plank boxes cover 20 to 34.98 sq ft, so boxes that look alike can hold very different areas. The table uses the low end, the starting value and the high end of the laminate range.
Treat every result as an estimate. Pattern, room shape and cutting style can all change how much board becomes waste.
Mistakes to avoid
- Ordering only the room area. Every wall, doorway and cut edge uses board, so an order for the exact area leaves no margin.
- Using the example coverage. The starting value comes from a specific product, and the box you buy may cover less.
- Using the straight-lay extra for a diagonal job. The diagonal figures are higher for vinyl plank and hardwood.
- Mixing production runs. Planks from different runs can differ in tone, so check that the batch codes match on every box.
- Skipping a closet or nook. Add its area to the room before you work out the boxes.
Other floors and calculators
This page covers plank flooring sold in boxes, so the same steps work for laminate, vinyl plank and hardwood. If you have already chosen laminate, the laminate calculator leads with the box count.
Tile is counted by piece size, so a tiled room is better handled with the tile calculator. Carpet comes off a roll of fixed width, which the carpet calculator works from.
Common questions
How many flooring packs do I need?
Divide the square feet to buy by the coverage printed on a box and round up, because a store will not sell part of a box. The calculator does this sum when you enter your label's coverage.
How do I calculate price per square foot for flooring?
Divide the price of a box by the coverage on its label, and compare only boxes of the same floor type. This calculator does not include prices, so multiply its box count by your supplier's price.
How do I work out the square feet for a room?
Multiply the length by the width, both in feet, and split an L-shaped room into rectangles. The Flooring to buy figure then includes the extra for waste.
Can I use this calculator for hardwood flooring?
Yes. Enter the coverage printed on the hardwood box and set the extra to the hardwood figure for your layout, since hardwood has its own figures.
Do I subtract kitchen cabinets or islands from the room size?
Measure only the floor you will actually cover. Built-in cabinets usually sit on top of the subfloor, so you can leave out their footprint, but do not subtract for furniture. Keep the extra for waste on the area you do cover.
Do I need underlayment, and does it change how much flooring I buy?
Underlayment is a separate layer under the flooring and doesn't change how many boxes of planks you need. Some planks come with a pad attached, so check the box or the installation instructions first. If you need separate underlayment, divide your floor area by the coverage on the package, such as 100 sq ft for one popular Pergo product.