Square Footage Calculator
Type the length and width of a room, split an L-shaped or irregular room into rectangles and triangles, or add up several rooms at once, and get the area in square feet, square yards, and square meters together, plus how much flooring to order and what it costs in 2026. It is free to use and needs no signup.
5% for a simple straight lay, 10% standard, 15% for diagonal, up to 20% for herringbone or a cut-up room.
Read the number printed on your carton. It varies by product (laminate and vinyl plank about 20 to 30 sq ft, tile 10 to 16).
Illustration, not to scale
Illustration, not to scale
Total area
120sq ft
12 × 10 = 120 sq ft
The area is measured, not inflated, so you can check it against a plan. The flooring-to-order line adds your waste allowance.
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How much does flooring cost per square foot?
Flooring runs about $2 to $30 per square foot installed in 2026, depending on the material. Carpet and sheet vinyl are the cheapest at $2 to $11, laminate and luxury vinyl plank run $4 to $16, and engineered wood, hardwood, and tile run $7 to $30. Labor is often 40 to 60 percent of that. So a mid-range 200 square foot floor costs roughly $800 to $3,200 installed. Prices vary by region, so treat these as a starting point.
What flooring costs per square foot (2026)
| Material | Materials only | Installed with labor |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet (with pad) | $1 to $5 | $3 to $11 |
| Sheet vinyl or linoleum | $1 to $4 | $2 to $11 |
| Laminate | $1 to $6 | $4 to $14 |
| Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) | $2 to $10 | $4 to $16 |
| Bamboo | $3 to $9 | $7 to $17 |
| Engineered hardwood | $3 to $14 | $7 to $20 |
| Ceramic or porcelain tile | $2 to $35 | $10 to $30 |
| Solid hardwood | $6 to $15 | $11 to $25 |
2026 US averages (Modernize, HomeGuide, Angi, Homewyse). Installed includes materials plus labor; labor alone runs about $1.50 to $6 per square foot, more for tile and patterns. Removing the old floor adds $1 to $4 per square foot, up to $7 for tile. High-end, large-format, or patterned tile can reach $50. Confirm with a local installer.
What a new floor costs by room size (installed, 2026)
| Room | Square feet | Budget ($4/sq ft) | Mid-range ($9/sq ft) | High-end ($18/sq ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 12 ft | 120 | $480 | $1,080 | $2,160 |
| 12 × 12 ft | 144 | $576 | $1,296 | $2,592 |
| 12 × 16 ft | 192 | $768 | $1,728 | $3,456 |
| 15 × 20 ft | 300 | $1,200 | $2,700 | $5,400 |
| 20 × 20 ft | 400 | $1,600 | $3,600 | $7,200 |
Room area times an installed price. Budget covers carpet or basic laminate, mid-range covers luxury vinyl plank or better laminate, high-end covers hardwood or tile. Add your waste allowance before ordering; the calculator keeps the area itself un-inflated so you can check it against the plan.
How much flooring do you need for a room?
To find how much flooring you need, take the room area, add a waste allowance (about 10 percent for a straight layout, 15 percent for a diagonal one, and up to 20 percent for herringbone or a cut-up room), then divide by the coverage printed on the box and round up. For a 113 square foot room at 10 percent waste, that is about 124 square feet to order, or 7 boxes at 20 square feet each. Buy one extra box from the same lot for future repairs.
How much flooring to order (waste allowance by layout)
| Layout or pattern | Add for waste |
|---|---|
| Straight lay, simple room | 5 to 10% |
| Brick or offset (running bond) | 10 to 12% |
| Diagonal (45 degrees) | 15% |
| Herringbone | 15 to 20% |
| Chevron | 18 to 20% |
| Basketweave | 12 to 15% |
| Patterned or seamed carpet | 15 to 20% |
Common installer and estimator practice, not a fixed standard. Use 5 percent for a simple single room and 10 percent once you have doorways, closets, and cabinets. Add about 5 percent more for a cut-up or L-shaped room. Tile breakage is already folded in. Round up to whole boxes and buy one extra box from the same lot for repairs.
How flooring is sold (coverage per box)
| Product | Typical coverage per box |
|---|---|
| Laminate | About 20 sq ft (18 to 30) |
| Solid hardwood | About 20 to 22 sq ft (thin profiles up to 40) |
| Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) | About 20 to 30 sq ft |
| Ceramic or porcelain tile | About 10 to 16 sq ft (large format to 17) |
Coverage varies by product, so always read the number printed on the carton. The calculator takes your box coverage as an input, divides the area to order by it, and rounds up. Buy from the same lot.
How do you convert square feet to square yards and square meters?
To convert square feet to square yards, divide by 9, since a square yard is 3 feet by 3 feet. To convert square feet to square meters, multiply by 0.0929 (or divide by 10.7639). So a 144 square foot room is 16 square yards or 13.38 square meters, and one acre is 43,560 square feet. Carpet is often priced by the square yard, and most of the world orders flooring by the square meter, so the conversion matters. The two reference tables below have the exact factors.
How do you measure the square footage of a room?
You measure square footage by breaking the space into rectangles. Measure the length and width of each rectangle in feet, multiply to get its area, and add the rectangles together. For an L-shaped or irregular room, that is the whole trick: reduce it to rectangles you can measure, find each area, and total them.
- 1
Sketch the room and split it into rectangles, one per section (an L-shape is two).
- 2
Measure the length and width of each rectangle in feet, to the nearest inch.
- 3
Multiply length by width for each rectangle to get its square footage.
- 4
Add the rectangles together for the room total, and subtract any notch or cutout.
- 5
Add a waste allowance (about 10 percent for flooring), and convert if your material is sold by the square yard or square meter.
How do you calculate square footage?
Square footage is length times width. Multiply the length and width of a room in feet to get its area, so a 12 by 14 foot room is 168 square feet. For an L-shaped or irregular room, split it into rectangles, find each area, and add them, or take the outer rectangle and subtract the notch. Divide by 9 for square yards, or multiply by 0.0929 for square meters. Here is the exact math, with a worked example.
- Rectangle or square
- length × width, both in feet
- L-shaped room
- the outer length × width, minus the notch length × width (or add the two rectangles)
- Triangle
- half of base × height (½ × base × height)
- Any irregular room
- split into rectangles and triangles, add each area (rectangle = length × width, triangle = ½ × base × height)
- Feet and inches
- turn inches into feet first (inches ÷ 12), so 12 ft 6 in = 12.5 ft
- Square feet to square yards
- square feet ÷ 9 (a square yard is 3 ft × 3 ft)
- Square feet to square meters
- square feet × 0.09290304
- Flooring to order
- area × (1 + waste %), then ÷ the box coverage, rounded up
Ordering adjustments
Flooring is ordered with a waste allowance on top of the room area: about 10 percent for a straight layout, 15 percent for a diagonal one, and 18 to 20 percent for herringbone or a cut-up room. Keep the room area itself un-inflated so you can check it against the plan, round up to whole boxes, and buy one extra box from the same lot for future repairs.
Worked example
An L-shaped room, 12 ft 6 in by 10 ft overall, with a 4 ft by 3 ft corner notched out
- 12 ft 6 in = 12.5 ft
- Outer rectangle: 12.5 × 10 = 125 sq ft
- Notch: 4 × 3 = 12 sq ft
- Area: 125 − 12 = 113 sq ft
- In square yards: 113 ÷ 9 = 12.56 sq yd
- In square meters: 113 × 0.09290304 = 10.50 sq m
- Add 10% for waste: 113 × 1.10 = 124.3 sq ft to order
- Boxes at 20 sq ft each: 124.3 ÷ 20 = 6.22, round up to 7
Square Footage reference tables
Square footage of common room sizes
| Room size (ft) | Square feet | Square yards | Square meters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 | 100 | 11.11 | 9.29 |
| 10 × 12 | 120 | 13.33 | 11.15 |
| 12 × 12 | 144 | 16.00 | 13.38 |
| 12 × 14 | 168 | 18.67 | 15.61 |
| 12 × 16 | 192 | 21.33 | 17.84 |
| 14 × 16 | 224 | 24.89 | 20.81 |
| 15 × 15 | 225 | 25.00 | 20.90 |
| 16 × 20 | 320 | 35.56 | 29.73 |
| 20 × 20 | 400 | 44.44 | 37.16 |
Length times width, then divided by 9 for square yards and multiplied by 0.09290304 for square meters.
Area unit conversions
| To convert | Do this |
|---|---|
| Square feet to square yards | Divide by 9 |
| Square feet to square meters | Multiply by 0.0929 |
| Square feet to acres | Divide by 43,560 |
| Square yards to square feet | Multiply by 9 |
| Square yards to square meters | Multiply by 0.8361 |
| Square meters to square feet | Multiply by 10.7639 |
A square yard is 9 square feet (3 ft by 3 ft), a square meter is 10.7639 square feet, and an acre is 43,560 square feet. Constants per NIST SP 811.
Square Footage Calculator Questions
Multiply length by width, with both in feet. A 12 by 14 foot room is 168 square feet. For an L-shaped or irregular room, split it into rectangles, find each area (length times width), and add them, or take the outer rectangle and subtract the notch. Divide the total by 9 for square yards, or multiply by 0.0929 for square meters.
Split it into two rectangles and add them, or take the outer rectangle and subtract the notch. Both give the same answer. For a room that is 20 by 15 feet overall with a 6 by 8 foot corner cut out: 20 × 15 = 300, minus 6 × 8 = 48, which is 252 square feet. You cannot just multiply the longest length by the widest width, because that counts the missing corner.
Break it into rectangles you can measure, find each area (length times width), and add them up. Subtract any notch, island, or column. A curved or angled edge can be approximated as a rectangle or a triangle (base times height, divided by 2). The more rectangles you use, the closer the total.
Nine. A square yard is 3 feet by 3 feet, so it is 9 square feet. To convert square feet to square yards, divide by 9. Carpet is often sold by the square yard, so a 144 square foot room is 16 square yards.
Multiply by 0.0929 (more precisely, 0.09290304). A square meter is 10.7639 square feet. So a 144 square foot room is 13.38 square meters. The calculator shows square feet, square yards, and square meters together.
Turn the inches into feet first by dividing by 12, then multiply. Twelve feet six inches is 12 + 6/12 = 12.5 feet, so a 12 ft 6 in by 10 ft room is 12.5 × 10 = 125 square feet. This calculator takes feet and inches directly, so you do not have to do the conversion yourself.
144 square feet (12 × 12). That is 16 square yards or 13.38 square meters. A 10 by 10 room is 100 square feet, and a 20 by 20 room is 400.
43,560 square feet, which is also 4,840 square yards. An acre is 66 feet by 660 feet (one chain by one furlong). The calculator shows acres automatically once an area gets large enough to matter.
About 5 to 10 percent for a straight layout in a simple room, 15 percent for a diagonal one, and 18 to 20 percent for herringbone, chevron, or a cut-up room. Add roughly 5 percent more for an L-shaped room or lots of obstacles. These are common installer ranges, not fixed rules. Round up to whole boxes and keep one spare box from the same lot for repairs.
Take your room area, add the waste allowance, then divide by the coverage printed on the box and round up. If a box covers 20 square feet and you need 124 square feet with waste, that is 124 ÷ 20 = 6.2, so you buy 7 boxes. Coverage varies a lot by product (laminate and vinyl plank are often about 20 to 30 square feet, tile about 10 to 16), so always read the carton.
Installed in 2026: carpet $3 to $11, sheet vinyl $2 to $11, laminate $4 to $14, luxury vinyl plank $4 to $16, engineered wood $7 to $20, tile $10 to $30, and solid hardwood $11 to $25 per square foot. Labor is 40 to 60 percent of that, and tearing out the old floor adds $1 to $4 more. Prices vary by region.
The standard for the finished living area of a home is ANSI Z765-2021, now called above-grade finished area (formerly gross living area). It counts finished space with a ceiling of at least 7 feet, measured to the outside walls for a detached home. Under a sloped ceiling, space at least 5 feet high counts only if at least half the room is at 7 feet. Garages, unfinished areas, and anything below grade are reported separately, not in the total. Fannie Mae adopted it in April 2022 and Freddie Mac in November 2023.
Yes. Switch the toggle to metric and enter meters. It shows the area in square meters, plus square feet and square yards, and works out the flooring to order.
Yes. It is free, needs no signup, and runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded anywhere.
No. This calculator works from dimensions you type in. To measure the square footage of each room straight off a PDF floor plan to scale, use Easy Takeoffs, the construction takeoff software built to measure off plans. 14-day trial, no card.
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