Calculating How Much Tile You Will need

  • How do I figure how much tile I will need? When determining how many tiles you will need for your project or space, measure. Multiply the length and width measurements to obtain the total area. Click here for a good Calculator to use.
    • Example 1: 30" x 45" =1350/144=9.375 sq ft
      • For 4.2" tiles there are 9 tiles in a sq ft, so 9 tiles x 9.375 sq ft =84.375 tiles 
      • Add 10% extra for waste & consider the grout area (1/8")
      • Example 2: You need 25 Square feet
        • For 2" tiles, there are 36 tiles in a sq ft, so 36 tiles x 25 square feet=900 tiles
        • For 4.2" tiles, there are 9 tiles in a sq ft, so 9 tiles x 25 square feet= 225 tiles
        • For 6" tiles, there are 4 tiles in a sq ft, so 4 tiles x 25 square feet= 100 tiles
        • For Lantern tiles, multiple 10.66 x your sq ft, so 25 sq ft would be 266 tiles
        • Add 5-10% extra for waste & consider the grout area (1/8")

      • These are the steps to get the perfect amount of Subway Tile material for your home improvement project:

        1. Measure the length and width of the space you want to cover.
        2. Multiply these measurements to calculate your area.
        3. Convert your result to square inches.
        4. Add the desired tile gap (that you will fill with grout) to the length and width of each tile.
        5. Calculate the area of a single tile.
        6. Divide the total square inch area by the area of a single tile to figure out the number of tiles needed. 
          • Let’s take the example of a kitchen backsplash that is 6 feet wide by 4 feet tall. Since 6 x 4 = 24, this means that our area 24 square feet.

          1. To convert the area into square inches, we multiply this result by 144. In this case, our total is 3456 inches.

            If we have a classic subway tile that is 6 by 3 inches and we want to leave quarter-inch gaps between each tile, the area calculation is 6.25 x 3.25 = 20.31. We then divide 3456 by 20.31 for a total of 170.16, which means you need 171 subway tiles for this project.

            As a rule of thumb, remember to budget an extra 10% material to account for wasted tiles or last-minute project changes. If you have excess material at the end of the project, you can always store it for individual replacement or other areas of the same room.