Flooring Calculator
Flooring needed in m², including wastage.
Your Rooms
Measure each room in metres. For an L-shaped room, add it as two rectangles.
10% is a common allowance; diagonal or herringbone layouts often need about 15%. Check the coverage printed on your product's box.
Flooring needed
33.6 m² — 16 boxes
Buying 16 × 2.2 m² = 35.20 m², leaving 4.70 m² spare.
Underlay: 32.03 m² (net area + 5%). Perimeter 31.0 m − 2 doorways (1.64 m) = 29.4 m of scotia or skirting.
Rooms: 1: 20.00 m² · 2: 10.50 m²
Cost breakdown
Open “Pricing & extras” and enter your own prices to see a cost estimate.
| Room | Area | Incl. waste | Boxes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 3 m | 9.0 m² | 9.9 m² | 5 |
| 4 × 3.5 m | 14.0 m² | 15.4 m² | 7 |
| 5 × 4 m | 20.0 m² | 22.0 m² | 10 |
| 6 × 5 m | 30.0 m² | 33.0 m² | 15 |
Single rooms at your waste (10%) and box size (2.2 m²).
How to Use the Flooring Calculator
Add each room as a length and width in metres, pick your flooring type and enter the coverage printed on the box. The flooring calculator shows the net floor area in m² (and square feet), the area including waste, the number of boxes to buy, how much you'll have left over, the underlay you'll need and the length of scotia or skirting. If you add your own prices it also builds a cost breakdown and a cost per square metre.
It works as a floor area calculator and floor measurement tool too: the net area is shown before any waste is added, so you can use it simply to total up several rooms.
Flooring Formulas
Area incl. waste = net area × (1 + waste %)
Boxes = area incl. waste ÷ m² per box, rounded up
Scotia / skirting = Σ 2 × (length + width) − doorways × 0.82 m
A standard internal doorway is about 0.82 m wide; the scotia length never goes below zero.
Worked Example: Two Rooms in Hybrid Flooring
A living room of 5 m × 4 m and a study of 3.5 m × 3 m are getting hybrid flooring in boxes of 2.2 m², with 10% waste. The rooms are 20 m² and 10.5 m², so the net area is 30.50 m² (about 328 sq ft). With waste that becomes 33.55 m² (about 361 sq ft), and 33.55 ÷ 2.2 = 15.25 rounds up to 16 boxes — 35.20 m² bought, leaving 4.70 m² spare.
Underlay is net area plus 5%: 32.03 m². The two rooms have a combined perimeter of 31.0 m; with two doorways at 0.82 m each, you need about 29.36 m of scotia or skirting. At a flooring price of $55/m² (on the 35.20 m² bought) and underlay at $6/m², the flooring costs $1,936.00, the underlay $192.15, and the total is $2,128.15 — about $69.78 per m² of finished floor, before installation or scotia.
Measuring Rooms and Odd Shapes
Measure at floor level from wall to wall, using the longest length and widest width of each rectangle. For an L-shaped room, draw a line to split it into two rectangles, measure each and enter them as two rooms. Alcoves, bay windows and hallways can be added the same way. Measure into doorways if the flooring will continue through them, and note that built-in wardrobes and fixed cabinetry usually don't need flooring underneath.
Waste, Layout and Acclimatisation
Ten per cent covers most straight, simple layouts. Diagonal tile and herringbone patterns need more because nearly every edge piece is cut at an angle, so the preset is 15%. Timber and engineered boards should be stored flat on site and left to acclimatise before installation — how long and in what conditions varies by product, so follow the manufacturer's instructions. Keep a box or two spare for future repairs, as colour and batch can vary between production runs.
Underlay, Scotia and Skirting
Underlay is laid under floating floors for sound, comfort and moisture protection (some hybrid and vinyl planks have it attached already — check your product). Scotia is a slim moulding that hides the expansion gap along the wall when you leave the existing skirting boards in place; replacing skirting is more work but gives the neatest finish. Tile jobs also need adhesive and grout, which this calculator doesn't estimate — use the tile calculator for those.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I use a flooring cost calculator in Australia?
- Enter each room's length and width in metres, choose your flooring type and, if you like, open Pricing & extras to add your own price per square metre for flooring, underlay, installation and scotia. The calculator works out the area you need including waste, the boxes to buy and a total cost. Prices vary by product, region and installer, so use figures from your own quotes rather than a rule of thumb.
- How do I calculate flooring for tiles?
- Measure the floor, add 10% for cuts and breakage for a straight lay, and divide by the coverage on the tile carton. Diagonal and herringbone layouts waste more tile at the edges, so about 15% is a common allowance. This tool covers the tile quantity only; adhesive, grout and waterproofing depend on tile size and substrate, so use our tile calculator for those.
- How does a timber floor calculator work?
- It adds up the area of each room, adds a waste allowance (10% is common for timber and engineered boards, to cover offcuts, end-of-board waste and the odd damaged piece), then divides by the m² printed on each pack and rounds up to whole boxes. Remember that timber also needs to acclimatise on site before installation, so ask your supplier or check the manufacturer's instructions for how long and where to store it.
- How do I work out floor dimensions and floor area?
- For a rectangular room, measure the length and width at floor level in metres and multiply them: a 5 m × 4 m room is 20 m². For an L-shape or a room with an alcove, split it into rectangles, measure each and add the areas — in this calculator, simply add each rectangle as its own room. The result is also shown in square feet (1 m² = 10.7639 sq ft) for anyone working from imperial measurements.
- How many boxes of flooring do I need?
- Divide the area including waste by the coverage per box and round up to a whole box. For example, 33.55 m² at 2.2 m² per box is 15.25, so you need 16 boxes. Because you can only buy whole boxes, you will almost always finish with some spare flooring, which is handy for future repairs — keep it stored flat.
- What is the best floor measurement tool for a whole house?
- A tape measure or laser measure and a sketch of each room is all you need. Measure the longest and widest points of each room, list them as rectangles, and enter them as separate rooms here (up to 10). For irregular rooms, round up slightly rather than down, and don't forget closets, hallways and any area under built-in furniture you want covered.
- Why do I need to add waste to flooring?
- Boards and tiles have to be cut to fit the walls, around doorways and at the end of each row, and some pieces are unusable because of damage or defects. Ten per cent is a common allowance for simple rooms; diagonal tiles and herringbone patterns commonly need around 15% because of the extra angled cuts. Rooms with many corners or very long, narrow shapes can need more, so you can override the percentage.
- Do I need underlay, and should I use scotia or replace the skirting?
- Many floating floors — laminate, hybrid and some engineered timber — need an underlay for moisture protection, sound and levelling, and carpet needs a cushion underlay; the calculator adds 5% to the net area for laps and trimming. Tiles generally don't. Scotia is a small moulding that covers the expansion gap along existing skirting; replacing skirting boards is a bigger job but gives a neater finish, particularly if the old boards are damaged. Check the manufacturer's instructions for your product.
- How do I calculate flooring in m2 for carpet?
- Carpet is sold by the square metre, so the calculator does not count boxes — it shows the area including waste. Broadloom carpet commonly comes in rolls about 3.66 m wide, which means layout and seams matter, so ask your supplier to measure and quote the roll length for your rooms.