Free planning tool
Flooring cost and box calculator.
Build a purchase estimate that counts whole boxes. Put in the room, the waste allowance, the coverage printed on the box and its price, and see how many boxes to buy, what they cover, what's left over and what the material costs. Labor is on the flooring page.
What to buy
10 boxes, about $450 in material.
- Floor area
- 168 sq ft
- With 10% waste
- 184.8 sq ft
- Boxes to buy
- 10
- Purchased coverage
- 200 sq ft
- Left over after waste
- 15.2 sq ft
- Material cost
- $450
Material only. Labor, underlayment, trim and haul-away go on Brad's written estimate after a visit.
How the math works
Five lines. The calculator measures the floor, adds waste, rounds up to whole boxes and prices them.
- Floor area = length × width, plus any extra square feet you add for closets or a hallway
- Area to buy = floor area × (1 + waste percentage)
- Boxes = area to buy ÷ coverage per box, rounded up to the next whole box
- Purchased coverage = boxes × coverage per box; leftover = purchased coverage − area to buy
- Material cost = boxes × price per box
The sample numbers
The tool opens with a 12 by 14 bedroom, 168 square feet, at a 10 percent waste allowance: 184.8 square feet to buy.
With 20 square feet in a box that rounds up to 10 boxes, 200 square feet, about 15 square feet left over, and at $45 a box the material is $450.
- Sample room 12 by 14 ft, 168 sq ft
- 10% waste: 10 boxes, $450
- 20% waste: 11 boxes, $495
- Coverage per box from the label, never assumed
The details
Slide the waste to 15 percent, the usual figure for a diagonal layout or a room with a lot of cuts, and the same room needs 193.2 square feet: still 10 boxes. Slide it to 20 and it needs 201.6, which tips it to 11 boxes and $495. That's the point of counting boxes rather than square feet: the price moves in steps.
Picking a waste allowance
Waste is the flooring you buy but don't walk on: cuts at the walls, the piece that chips, the plank you keep for a repair in five years.
A plain rectangular room with planks running the long way wastes the least. Tile, patterns and diagonal layouts waste the most.
- Plank, square room, straight layout: 5 to 8%
- Tile or plank with a few jogs and closets: 10%
- Diagonal, herringbone, large-format tile: 15 to 20%
- Then keep one unopened box for repairs
The details
Keep a box. Dye lots change, and a repair from the same lot is invisible; a repair from next year's lot usually isn't.
More free tools.
Questions about this tool
Something else on your mind? Call or text (954) 242-5924.
Does the calculator include underlayment, trim or labor?
No. It prices the flooring boxes only. Underlayment, transitions, baseboard and the install are on Brad's written estimate after he measures.
Why does the box count jump when I change the waste by one percent?
Because you can't buy a fraction of a box. The tool rounds the area to buy up to the next whole box, so a small change in waste or room size can add a box, and the cost moves with it.
Does it send my room size anywhere?
No. The math runs in your browser and nothing you type is stored or sent. Our analytics only records that the tool was used.
Get a free estimate.
Know the boxes but not the install? I come measure, you get a written fixed price for the whole floor.
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I usually reply the same day.
Ready to price the install?
A free visit, a written fixed price, a real start date.