Tile Calculator
Tiles needed for a floor is more than area divided by tile size — cuts, breakage and pattern-matching waste mean the real order always needs a buffer on top of the theoretical minimum.
Inputs
Result
62 tiles
Includes 10% wastage
How the tile calculator works
Base tile count = area to cover ÷ area per tile.
Tiles to order = base count × (1 + wastage % ÷ 100), rounded up to a whole tile since partial tiles can't be purchased.
Worked example: 20 m² area, 0.36 m² tiles, 10% wastage
- Base tiles = 20 ÷ 0.36 ≈ 55.56.
- With 10% wastage: 55.56 × 1.1 ≈ 61.11, rounded up to 62 tiles.
Common mistakes to avoid
Ordering exactly the theoretical minimum with no wastage allowance
Cutting tiles around edges, corners, pipes and doorways always produces some unusable offcuts — ordering with zero buffer commonly leaves a job short right at the finish, when matching tiles may no longer be in stock.
Using too low a wastage percentage for a complex layout
Diagonal layouts, rooms with lots of corners, or patterns requiring alignment across tiles typically waste more than a simple straight layout — 10% is reasonable for simple layouts, but complex ones often need 15% or more.
Frequently asked questions
How much wastage allowance is typical?
10% is a common default for straightforward rectangular rooms; more complex layouts, diagonal patterns, or rooms with many corners and cutouts often justify 15-20%.
Should I round up or down when the count comes out as a fraction?
Always round up — a fractional tile in the calculation means you need one more whole tile to actually cover that portion of the floor.
Does this account for the grout lines between tiles?
Not directly — grout lines take up a small amount of additional space, which is a further reason the wastage allowance exists as a buffer, though it's not calculated as a separate explicit factor here.
How do I find the area per tile if I only know its dimensions?
Multiply the tile's length by its width (converting to the same unit as your room area) to get area per tile — a 30cm × 30cm tile is 0.3 × 0.3 = 0.09 m².
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