Tile Calculator
Enter a floor or wall area, pick a tile size, grout joint, and lay pattern, and get the tiles, boxes, bags of thinset mortar, and grout to buy, with a pattern-based waste allowance and a 2026 cost. It works for floor or wall tile of any size, and it is free to use with no signup.
Large-format tile (an edge of 15″ or more). It needs a bigger trowel, back-buttering, and a little more waste.
Drives the waste allowance: 10% straight, 12% offset, 15% diagonal, 18% herringbone. Large-format adds 5%.
A spare box for future repairs. Dye lots vary between runs, so a later re-order rarely matches.
Illustration, not to scale
Illustration, not to scale
Tiles to buy (with 15% waste)
58tiles9 boxes
100 sq ft × 10% straight + 5% large-format. One tile plus its joint covers 2 sq ft.
Tile ships in whole boxes, so buy the boxes, not the piece count. This sizes material only; it does not lay out the cuts. You will also need backer board or membrane, trim, and spacers. Confirm box coverage against your tile.
Tiling more than one room?
Measure each floor off your plan instead of typing areas. Easy Takeoffs measures floor area straight from the PDF to scale, so your tile, grout, and thinset come from the drawing. 14-day trial, no card.
How much does it cost to tile a floor?
Tiling a floor runs about $10 to $25 per square foot installed in 2026 for most jobs, labor and material together, so a 100 square foot floor is roughly $1,000 to $2,500. The tile itself is the swing: ceramic is about $0.50 to $7 a square foot, porcelain $3 to $12, and natural stone $5 to $35. Thinset is about $15 to $28 a bag, or $28 to $45 for large-format mortar, and grout $18 to $30 a bag. Prices vary by tile, region, and pattern, so get a local quote.
What tile and materials cost (2026 US)
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Ceramic tile, material | $0.50 to $7 per sq ft |
| Porcelain tile, material | $3 to $12 per sq ft |
| Large-format / luxury porcelain | $8 to $25 per sq ft |
| Natural stone (marble, travertine, slate) | $5 to $35 per sq ft |
| Glass / mosaic tile | $7 to $30 per sq ft |
| Thinset mortar, 50 lb bag | $15 to $28 |
| Large-format mortar (LFT/LHT), 50 lb | $28 to $45 |
| Cement grout, 25 lb bag | $18 to $30 |
| Installed, labor + material | $10 to $25 per sq ft |
2026 US figures from HomeGuide, HomeAdvisor, Angi, and Forbes Home. Tile is priced per square foot and varies widely by material and finish. Installed cost depends on the tile, the substrate prep, and the pattern, and diagonal, herringbone, and large-format work raise the labor. Epoxy grout, backer board, and uncoupling membrane are extra.
What a tiled floor costs by size (installed, 2026)
| Floor | Installed |
|---|---|
| 40 sq ft (small bathroom) | $400 to $1,000 |
| 100 sq ft | $1,000 to $2,500 |
| 200 sq ft (kitchen) | $2,000 to $5,000 |
| 300 sq ft (open living area) | $3,000 to $7,500 |
At $10 to $25 per square foot installed, labor and material together. The low end is standard-size porcelain in a straight lay; the high end is natural stone, large-format, or a diagonal or herringbone pattern, which cut slower and waste more. Add backer board or membrane, trim, and demolition of the old floor where needed.
How much thinset and grout do you need?
Thinset is set by the trowel, which is set by the tile size: a 50 pound bag covers about 85 square feet under small tile with a 1/4 inch notch, about 60 under a 12 inch tile, and only about 30 under large-format tile, which needs a 1/2 inch notch and back-buttering. Grout is a volume, so it depends on the joint width, the joint depth (the tile thickness), and the tile size. A 25 pound bag can grout roughly 500 to 730 square feet of large-format tile at a 1/8 inch joint, or under 100 of small mosaic.
Thinset and trowel by tile size
| Tile size | Trowel notch | Sq ft per 50 lb bag |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 8 in (incl. mosaics) | 1/4 × 1/4 in | ~85 sq ft |
| Over 8 to under 15 in (12 × 12) | 1/4 × 3/8 in | ~60 sq ft |
| Large-format plank (12 × 24, 6 × 24) | 1/2 × 1/2 in, back-buttered | ~30 sq ft |
| Large-format square (18 × 18, 24 × 24) | 1/2 × 1/2 in, back-buttered | ~22 sq ft |
Coverage is the low end of the Custom Building Products VersaBond and VersaBond-LFT ranges, so the estimate over-buys a little rather than short. Any tile with an edge of 15 inches or more is large-format and must be back-buttered to meet the ANSI 80 percent dry, 95 percent wet mortar-contact rule, which roughly halves the coverage. Out-of-flat substrate uses more; a very flat one a little less.
Grout coverage (1/8 in joint, 3/8 in thick tile)
| Tile size | Sq ft per 25 lb bag |
|---|---|
| 12 × 12 in | ~366 sq ft |
| 12 × 24 in | ~488 sq ft |
| 18 × 18 in | ~548 sq ft |
| 24 × 24 in | ~731 sq ft |
Cement grout at about 105 pounds per cubic foot, cross-checked against the LATICRETE and Custom Building Products coverage charts. Bigger tile has less joint per square foot, so it stretches a bag further. A narrower joint stretches it further still; a thicker tile or a small mosaic uses much more (a hand-set 2 × 2 mosaic covers under 100 square feet a bag). This is the opposite of the debunked figure some calculators use, which overstates grout about threefold.
How do you measure a room for tile?
You measure for tile by area. Multiply the length by the width for a square or rectangular room, or add up the rectangles for an L-shape, and subtract large openings. That area, the tile size, the grout joint, and the pattern give the tiles, boxes, thinset, and grout. Always buy a little extra for cuts and a spare box for repairs.
- 1
Measure the floor or wall area in feet, length times width, or add up the rectangles for an irregular room, and subtract any large openings.
- 2
Choose the tile size and the grout joint. The tile plus its joint sets how much area each tile covers.
- 3
Pick the lay pattern, which sets the waste: 10 percent straight, 15 percent diagonal, 18 percent herringbone, plus 5 percent for large-format tile.
- 4
Add up the tiles and boxes, the thinset by trowel size, and the grout from the joint, then add one box of attic stock for future repairs.
How do you calculate how much tile you need?
Take the area to tile in square feet, add a waste allowance for the pattern (10 percent for a straight lay, more for diagonal or herringbone), and divide by the area one tile plus its grout joint covers. Round up to whole boxes and add a spare box for repairs. Then size the thinset by the trowel and the grout from the joint. Here is the exact math, with a worked example.
- Tiles
- area × (1 + waste) ÷ the footprint of one tile plus its grout joint, rounded up
- Boxes
- tiles ÷ tiles per box, rounded up, then add one box of attic stock for repairs
- Thinset
- net area × 1.1 ÷ the trowel coverage (about 85, 60, or 30 sq ft a 50 lb bag as the tile grows)
- Grout
- ((tile length + tile width) ÷ (tile length × tile width)) × joint width × tile thickness × 8.75 = pounds per sq ft
- Waste
- 10% straight, 12% offset, 15% diagonal, 18% herringbone, plus 5% for large-format tile
Ordering adjustments
Tile ships in whole boxes, so round the tile count up to full cases and buy the boxes, not the pieces. Add one box of attic stock: dye lots vary between production runs, so a repair tile bought later rarely matches. Thinset coverage is set by the trowel, which is set by the tile size, so a small bag covers about 85 square feet but a large-format bag only about 30 after back-buttering. Grout is a volume, driven by the joint width, the joint depth (the tile thickness), and the tile size, not a flat pounds per square foot. Use unsanded grout below a 1/8 inch joint and sanded at or above it.
Worked example
A 200 sq ft kitchen floor, 12 × 24 in porcelain, 1/8 in grout joint, straight lay, 3/8 in thick
- Tiles: one 12 × 24 tile plus its 1/8 in joint covers 2.0 sq ft. Add 15% waste (10% straight + 5% large-format): 200 × 1.15 = 230 sq ft. Tiles = 230 ÷ 2.0 = 115.
- Boxes: at 8 tiles a box, 115 ÷ 8 rounds up to 15 boxes, plus 1 attic-stock box = 16.
- Thinset: a 12 × 24 is large-format, so a 1/2 in notch with back-buttering covers about 30 sq ft a bag. 200 × 1.1 ÷ 30 = 8 bags of 50 lb mortar.
- Grout: at a 1/8 in joint and 3/8 in depth, a 12 × 24 tile uses about 0.051 lb a sq ft. 0.051 × 200 × 1.1 = 11.3 lb = 1 bag of 25 lb sanded grout.
Tile reference tables
Tiles per 100 square feet
| Tile size | Tiles per 100 sq ft | With waste |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 4 in | 900 | 990 |
| 3 × 6 in (subway) | 800 | 880 |
| 6 × 6 in | 400 | 440 |
| 12 × 12 in | 100 | 110 |
| 12 × 24 in | 50 | 58 |
| 18 × 18 in | ~44 | 52 |
| 24 × 24 in | 25 | 29 |
The bare tile count for 100 square feet, before and after waste. These are figured on the tile plus its grout joint, so a 12 × 12 comes out right around 100 per 100 square feet, which the calculator accounts for. The 12 × 24, 18 × 18, and 24 × 24 rows show 15 percent waste because those are large-format; the smaller sizes show 10 percent for a straight lay.
Tile waste by pattern
| Lay pattern | Waste |
|---|---|
| Straight / grid | 10% |
| Offset / brick (running bond) | 12% |
| Diagonal (45 degrees) | 15% |
| Herringbone | 18% |
| Large-format tile (edge 15 in or more) | +5 points |
| Attic stock (future repairs) | +1 box, separate |
Waste covers the cut pieces, breakage, and rejects during the install. The angle and number of cuts drives it, which is why diagonal and herringbone need more, and long or large-format tile adds 5 points on top for its bigger offcuts and higher lippage-reject rate. Attic stock is separate from the waste: it is a spare box kept for future repairs, because a later re-order will not match the dye lot. A cut-up room with many corners can need a few points more.
Thinset bags for common floors
| Floor | 12 × 12 tile | 12 × 24 (large-format) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 2 bags | 4 bags |
| 200 sq ft | 4 bags | 8 bags |
| 300 sq ft | 6 bags | 11 bags |
Bags of 50 pound thinset, figured on the net area plus a 10 percent cushion for out-of-flat substrate and spillage, not on the waste-padded tile count (a broken tile is not extra floor to cover). Large-format tile takes far more mortar because the deeper notch and the required back-buttering cut the coverage roughly in half. Coverage varies with the substrate, so treat these as a starting point.
Grout: sanded or unsanded
| Joint width | Grout |
|---|---|
| Under 1/8 in | Unsanded |
| 1/8 in and wider (up to 1/2 in) | Sanded |
| Polished stone or glass, any width | Unsanded |
Sanded grout resists shrinking and cracking in wider joints; unsanded is smoother and holds in a narrow joint without slumping. The choice is about the joint, not the quantity. Never use sanded grout on polished stone or glass, even in a wide joint, because the sand scratches the surface. Many all-purpose grouts now cover the whole 1/16 to 1/2 inch range.
Tile Calculator Questions
Take the area to tile in square feet, add waste for the pattern (about 10 percent for a straight lay), and divide by the area one tile plus its grout joint covers. A 100 square foot floor of 12 × 12 tile is about 110 tiles with 10 percent waste. Round up to whole boxes and add one spare box for repairs. This calculator does all of it, including the thinset and grout.
Measure the length times the width for the area, or add up the rectangles for an irregular room, and subtract large openings. Multiply the area by 1 plus the waste (1.10 for a straight lay), then divide by the footprint of one tile plus its joint. For a 12 × 24 tile that footprint is about 2 square feet, so a 200 square foot floor at 15 percent waste is 230 divided by 2, or 115 tiles.
By the tile face, 100, because a 12 by 12 inch tile is exactly one square foot. A nominal 12 is really about 11 and 7 eighths inches and already assumes a grout joint, so with the joint counted it still comes out right around 100 per 100 square feet. Add 10 percent for a straight-lay waste and you would buy about 110 tiles, which is 8 boxes of 15.
A 12 by 24 inch tile covers 2 square feet, so about 50 tiles for 100 square feet by the face. A 12 × 24 is large-format, so a straight lay adds 15 percent waste (10 percent base plus 5 for large-format), which comes to about 58 tiles, or 8 boxes of 8. A 24 × 24 tile covers 4 square feet, so it is about 25 per 100 square feet, or 29 with waste.
Yes, but it lowers the count, it does not raise it. A tile plus its grout joint covers a little more area than the bare tile, so you need slightly fewer. The common mistake is to add a joint on top of the nominal size and buy too few, because a nominal 12 inch tile is really about 11 and 7 eighths inches and already assumes one joint. This calculator folds the joint in the right direction.
Add about 10 percent for a straight lay, 15 percent for a diagonal, and 18 percent for herringbone, plus another 5 percent for large-format tile. A cut-up room with lots of corners can need a few points more. Waste covers the cut pieces and breakage during the install. On top of the waste, buy one extra box of attic stock for future repairs.
Attic stock is a spare box of tile you keep after the job for future repairs. Keep at least one full box. It matters because tile is made in batches, and the color and print of a dye lot vary between runs, so a tile you buy a year later to replace a cracked one will not match. Attic stock is separate from the waste allowance, which is consumed during the install.
It depends on the trowel, which is set by the tile size. A 50 pound bag covers about 85 square feet under small tile with a 1/4 inch notch, about 60 under a 12 inch tile, and only about 30 under large-format tile, which needs a 1/2 inch notch and back-buttering. A 100 square foot floor of 12 × 12 takes about 2 bags; the same floor in 12 × 24 takes about 4.
Because coverage is set by the trowel notch, and the notch is set by the tile size. A small tile uses a shallow 1/4 inch notch that spreads thin and covers a lot, while a large-format tile needs a deep 1/2 inch notch plus a back-butter coat, which uses more than twice the mortar for the same floor. A single coverage number is the biggest error in most tile calculators.
A 1/4 by 1/4 inch square notch for tile up to about 8 inches, a 1/4 by 3/8 inch notch for tile up to about 15 inches such as a 12 × 12, and a 1/2 by 1/2 inch notch for large-format tile of 15 inches or more. Large-format tile also needs back-buttering, a thin coat on the back of the tile, to reach full mortar contact. The trowel sets how much thinset the job uses.
Grout is a volume: it depends on the joint width, the joint depth (which equals the tile thickness), and the tile size. Bigger tile has less joint per square foot, so a 25 pound bag grouts about 366 square feet of 12 × 12 or 731 of 24 × 24 at a 1/8 inch joint, but far less of a small mosaic. This calculator uses the manufacturer volume formula, not a flat pounds per square foot.
Use unsanded grout in joints under 1/8 inch and sanded grout in joints 1/8 inch and wider, up to about 1/2 inch. Sanded grout resists cracking in a wide joint; unsanded is smoother and stays put in a narrow one. Never use sanded grout on polished stone or glass tile, even in a wide joint, because the sand scratches the surface. Many all-purpose grouts now cover the full range.
Not quite. A nominal 12 by 12 inch tile is usually about 11 and 7 eighths inches on a side, and a 24 inch tile a little under 24. The missing sliver is the grout joint the nominal size assumes. That is why you do not add a joint on top of the nominal number when counting, and why this calculator reconstructs the true footprint from the tile size and the joint you choose.
Yes. It is free, needs no signup, and runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded anywhere.
No. This calculator works from an area you type in, and it sizes material, it does not lay out where the cut tiles land. To measure floor areas straight off a PDF plan to scale, so your tile, grout, and thinset come from the drawing, use Easy Takeoffs, the construction takeoff software built to measure off plans. 14-day trial, no card.
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