Tile Calculator by Square Feet
Enter your measurements
Extra to cover cuts, breakage, and mistakes.
Results
- Tiles needed88 tiles
- Boxes9
- Area80 sq ft
- Thinset (50 lb bags)1
Estimated cost
per sq ft of tile (material)
Material cost is per sq ft of tile only. Ceramic floor tile starts around $1–$4/sq ft, mid-range porcelain runs $4–$8/sq ft, and premium large-format porcelain or natural stone reaches $10–$12/sq ft or more. Installed price adds thinset, grout, backer board or membrane where required, and labor — tile setters typically charge $5–$10/sq ft in labor alone, with intricate patterns, heated floors, or stone polishing pushing the total toward the high end.
Estimate only — prices vary by region, supplier, and season. Get a local quote before buying.
This tile calculator by square feet tells you exactly how many tiles and boxes to buy for any floor, wall, or backsplash project. Enter your surface dimensions, the individual tile size in inches, how many tiles come in a box, and a waste percentage, and it returns your total tile count, box quantity, covered area, and the number of 50 lb bags of thinset you will need. Tile is sold by the box, not by the piece, and box coverage varies widely: a box of 12x12 ceramic typically holds 10 tiles (about 10 sq ft), while a box of large-format 24x24 porcelain usually holds just 2 tiles (8 sq ft) because the boxes are weight-limited. Getting the box count wrong is the most expensive mistake in a tile job. A 10 percent waste allowance is standard for straightforward rectangular rooms with straight cuts; diagonal or herringbone patterns, and rooms with many outlets or fixtures, push that to 15 percent or more. Always buy at least one extra box from the same shade or caliber lot, since the lot number printed on the carton marks a production run, and color and size vary enough between runs that matching tiles later is nearly impossible.
How it’s calculated
Tiles = Area ÷ (tile width × length ÷ 144), plus waste. Boxes = tiles ÷ tiles per box. Thinset ≈ 1 bag / 95 sq ft.
Worked example
For a 12 ft by 10 ft room (120 sq ft) tiled with 12x12 inch tiles at 10 tiles per box and a 10 percent waste allowance, the calculator returns 132 tiles and 14 boxes. It also flags that you will need 2 bags of 50 lb thinset for the job — a detail easy to overlook when budgeting your materials run.
Inputs
- Surface length
- 12 ft
- Surface width / height
- 10 ft
- Tile width
- 12 in
- Tile length
- 12 in
- Tiles per box
- 10
- Waste / overage
- 10 %
Result
- Tiles needed
- 132 tiles
- Boxes
- 14
- Area
- 120 sq ft
- Thinset (50 lb bags)
- 2
- Estimated material cost
- $120 – $1,440
Materials & pricing near you
Ceramic tile is the entry-level option, widely stocked at big-box stores and tile distributors across the US and typically sold in boxes of 10 to 20 tiles. Porcelain and natural stone are boxed similarly but cost more and often carry higher minimums at specialty suppliers. A practical reason to round up generously: most retailers accept returns only on unopened, full boxes from the same shade lot, so an opened box or a partial run is money you cannot recover. Lead times also vary — common domestic ceramic is usually in stock, but imported porcelain from Italy, Spain, or Mexico and many natural-stone lots are special-order, running several weeks. Because dye and caliber lots are matched per order, reordering a few tiles later often means a visible mismatch, so buy your overage up front.
Frequently asked questions
How do I measure a bathroom floor with a toilet and vanity in the way?
Measure the full length and width of the room as if it were empty, then calculate the total square footage. Do not subtract for the toilet base or vanity footprint — tile typically runs under the vanity toe-kick, and the toilet flange should sit on top of finished tile, so you cut around it rather than skip it. The waste factor covers the irregular cuts those obstacles create.
What waste percentage should I use for a diagonal or herringbone tile layout?
Use 15 percent as a minimum for a 45-degree diagonal pattern, and 20 percent for herringbone or other complex layouts. Angled cuts produce larger triangular offcuts that often cannot be reused elsewhere in the room. Large-format tile also warrants more overage because a single cracked or miscut piece wastes a lot of square footage. Rooms with many inside corners, niches, or floor drains push the number higher still.
Why does the calculator output boxes instead of just tiles?
Tile is sold by the box at retail, and you must buy whole boxes. If your tile count is 132 and the box contains 10 tiles, you need 14 boxes — not 13.2. The calculator rounds up to the next full box automatically, which is the quantity to bring to the store or put on a purchase order. It is also why your final tile count effectively rounds up to a multiple of the box quantity.
How accurate is the thinset estimate?
The estimate of roughly 1 bag of 50 lb thinset per 95 sq ft is a reasonable rule of thumb for standard floor tile set with a 1/4-inch square-notch trowel. Coverage depends heavily on trowel size and substrate flatness. Large-format tile (15 inches or larger on a side) needs a deeper-notch trowel and often back-buttering, so budget closer to 1 bag per 60–70 sq ft. Uneven substrates and heating-mat installs also raise consumption. Treat the output as a starting figure, not a final order quantity.