Laminate Flooring Calculator
Enter your room size and the coverage per box from your flooring's packaging to find out exactly how many boxes to buy — including a waste allowance for cuts.
Check the box label — commonly 2–2.5 m² per box.
How this is calculated
Room area is simply length times width. A waste allowance is then added on top to account for plank cuts at walls, doorways and around fixtures — 10% is the standard allowance for a simple rectangular room with a straight-plank layout, rising to 15% for diagonal layouts or rooms with several alcoves, and 20% for herringbone, chevron or other pattern layouts that require heavier cutting.
The result is rounded up to the nearest whole box, since flooring is sold by the box and you can't buy a fraction of one — the calculator also shows how much material you'll have left over, which is worth keeping for future repairs since dye lots can vary between purchases.
This tool provides an estimate for informational purposes. Always check your specific product's packaging for its exact coverage per box, and round generously for irregularly-shaped rooms.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I need a waste allowance at all?
Planks almost never fit a room's exact dimensions edge to edge — rows need to be cut at walls, around doorways, vents and built-in fixtures, and those offcuts are often too short to reuse elsewhere. The waste allowance accounts for that lost material so you don't run short mid-installation.
Should I buy exactly what the calculator says?
It's worth rounding up slightly further for irregularly-shaped rooms (L-shapes, lots of alcoves) and keeping any leftover boxes — laminate dye lots can vary between production runs, so matching flooring for a future repair is much easier with spare material from the original purchase than buying new.
Where do I find the coverage per box for my flooring?
It's printed on the box itself, usually alongside the plank dimensions and pieces-per-box count — look for a figure in square meters or square feet.
Last updated 2026-10-30.