Tiling / Materials
Plan a tile order
Use the chosen tile size and box count to work out how many whole boxes the job needs.
Describe the job instead
Product order
How many boxes?
Enter surface area square metres.
How it works
Put in your numbers
Use your own rates, times and measurements.
See your answer straight away
It works it out as you type.
Copy or print it
Send it on, or keep it with the job.
What it covers: Order whole boxes of tiles for your laying pattern, plus adhesive and grout bags.
Free to use. No sign-in needed.
How to work out how many tiles you need
To order tiles, you need the area to cover, the size of the tile you have chosen and how many tiles come in a box. Add an allowance for cuts that suits your laying pattern, then round up to whole boxes. The same area also tells you how much adhesive and grout to buy.
- Choose metres or feet and enter the area to tile in square metres or square feet. Split L-shapes and alcoves into rectangles, add them together and take off areas you will not tile. For a single rectangle, Work out the area does the multiplying.
- Enter the tile width and height in millimetres, or in inches if you chose feet. The calculator works out the area of one tile.
- Choose the laying pattern: straight, brick or offset, diagonal or herringbone. It fills in a starting cuts allowance, which you can change for awkward rooms.
- Enter the tiles per box from the box label. The calculator divides the area, including the allowance, by the tile area and rounds up to whole tiles, then to whole boxes.
- For adhesive and grout, enter the area one bag covers from each bag label. The calculator works out whole bags for the measured area.
- Read the boxes to order, the tiles needed and the tiles the whole boxes supply. Add prices per box and per bag if you want a materials cost.
Tips and common mistakes
- Check the actual tile size on the box, not just the nominal size, as it can differ slightly.
- Keep a few spare tiles after the job. Later batches can differ in colour, which makes repairs hard to match.
- Buy all boxes from the same batch where possible, and mix tiles from several boxes as you lay.
- Adhesive and grout coverage depend on tile size, joint width and trowel size, so read the product bag rather than guessing.
Questions
How many tiles do I need for 10 square metres?
Divide 10 m² by the area of one tile, then add your cuts allowance. As an illustration, a 600 x 600 mm tile covers 0.36 m², so 10 m² needs about 28 tiles before any allowance. Then round up to whole boxes.
How much extra tile should I buy for cuts and waste?
It depends on the layout and the room shape. A straight lay in a simple room needs less extra than a diagonal or herringbone pattern, or a room with many corners. Add a percentage allowance and keep some spares for future repairs.
How do I calculate tiles per square metre?
Divide one square metre by the area of one tile in square metres. For example, a 300 x 300 mm tile is 0.09 m², so about 11.1 tiles fit in one square metre. In imperial, divide one square foot by the tile area in square feet.
How many boxes of tiles do I need?
Work out the number of tiles including your cuts allowance, then divide by the tiles per box. Round up to the next whole box. Check the box count with your supplier, as it varies between products.
How much tile adhesive and grout do I need?
Use the coverage printed on the adhesive and grout bags, as it depends on tile size, joint width and trowel size. Divide your tiled area by the coverage per bag and round up.
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