Tile calculator
How much tile you need for a floor, wall, backsplash or shower: square feet, tiles and boxes with overage, plus grout and thinset.
Your tile adds up to
87 tiles
- Area to tile
- 80.0 sq ft
- Tile to order
- 87.0 sq ft
- Boxes
- 0
- Sanded grout
- 5.7 lb (1 × 25 lb bags)
- Sanded grout
- See the grout bag's chart
- Thinset mortar
- 1 × 50 lb bags
- Estimated tile cost
Tiles include your 10% overage, with each tile covering its own size plus one grout joint. Grout is for the area tiled, from a grout maker's chart that lists only certain tile sizes and joints; thinset uses the low end of the trowel's coverage. Both are estimates, so buy from the same lot and keep the receipt.
How to calculate how much tile you need
Find the square footage you're tiling, divide it by the space one tile covers (the tile plus one grout joint), and add overage for cuts and breakage. For a shower, add the back wall, both side walls and the floor.
- Area = length × width for a floor, length × height for a wall, or (back wall + 2 × side wall) × height, plus the floor, for a shower
- Space per tile = (tile width + joint) × (tile length + joint) ÷ 144, in square feet
- Tiles = area × (1 + overage %) ÷ space per tile, rounded up
- Grout = area ÷ the grout chart's square feet per bag for your tile size and joint
- Thinset = area ÷ square feet per bag for your trowel, rounded up
Worked example
A 10 × 8 ft bathroom floor is 80 sq ft. With 10% overage that's 88 sq ft. A 12 × 12 in. tile with 1/8 in. joints takes up (12 + 1/8) × (12 + 1/8) ÷ 144 = 1.021 sq ft, so 88 ÷ 1.021 rounds up to 87 tiles (87 sq ft of tile). Grout: the chart gives 348 sq ft per 25 lb bag at 1/8 in., so 80 sq ft takes about 5.7 lb. Thinset: at 85 sq ft per bag with a 1/4 x 1/4 in. square notch trowel, 1 bag.
Tiles per 100 square feet
With 1/8 in. joints and no overage. Add your overage on top.
| Tile size | Tiles per 100 sq ft | Sq ft of tile |
|---|---|---|
| 12 x 12 in. | 98 | 98.0 |
| 12 x 24 in. | 50 | 100.0 |
| 18 x 18 in. | 44 | 99.0 |
| 24 x 24 in. | 25 | 100.0 |
| 6 x 24 in. plank | 98 | 98.0 |
| 6 x 36 in. plank | 66 | 99.0 |
| 3 x 6 in. subway | 753 | 94.1 |
| 4 x 12 in. subway | 288 | 96.0 |
| 6 x 6 in. | 384 | 96.0 |
| 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 in. | 753 | 94.5 |
| 2 x 2 in. mosaic | 3,189 | 88.6 |
| 1 x 1 in. mosaic | 11,378 | 79.0 |
Grout coverage per 25 lb bag
Square feet per bag of sanded grout, from the CUSTOM Building Products Polyblend Plus Sanded Grout data sheet (TDS-360), which calls it a chart for estimating purposes. Other grouts differ, so check your bag.
| Tile (W × L × thickness, in.) | 1/8 in. joint | 3/16 in. joint | 1/4 in. joint | 3/8 in. joint | 1/2 in. joint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 × 1 × 1/4 | 54 | 40 | 33 | 27 | 24 |
| 2 × 2 × 1/4 | 96 | 68 | 54 | 40 | 33 |
| 3 × 3 × 1/4 | 138 | 96 | 74 | 54 | 43 |
| 4.25 × 4.25 × 1/4 | 192 | 131 | 101 | 71 | 56 |
| 6 × 6 × 1/4 | 266 | 181 | 139 | 96 | 75 |
| 8 × 8 × 3/8 | 234 | 158 | 121 | 83 | 64 |
| 12 × 12 × 3/8 | 348 | 234 | 177 | 121 | 92 |
| 16 × 16 × 3/8 | 462 | 310 | 234 | 158 | 121 |
| 18 × 18 × 3/8 | 518 | 348 | 262 | 177 | 135 |
| 20 × 20 × 3/8 | 574 | 385 | 291 | 196 | 149 |
| 24 × 24 × 3/8 | 688 | 461 | 348 | 234 | 177 |
| 6 × 24 × 3/8 | 279 | 189 | 143 | 98 | 75 |
| 12 × 24 × 3/8 | 461 | 310 | 234 | 158 | 121 |
| 6 × 36 × 3/8 | 299 | 202 | 153 | 104 | 80 |
| 9 × 36 × 3/8 | 416 | 279 | 211 | 143 | 109 |
| 12 × 48 × 3/8 | 552 | 370 | 279 | 189 | 143 |
Thinset coverage per 50 lb bag
From the CUSTOM Building Products PremiumPlus Thin-Set Mortar data sheet (TDS-193). Large tiles and tiles with deep ridges on the back may need a bigger notch or back-troweling.
| Trowel | Sq ft per bag | Lb per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 x 1/4 in. square notch | 85 to 95 | 0.53 to 0.59 |
| 1/4 x 3/8 in. square notch | 60 to 67 | 0.75 to 0.83 |
Tile questions
How much extra tile should I order?
Enough to cover cuts, breakage and a few spares for future repairs. The calculator starts at 10% overage. Raise it for a diagonal or herringbone layout, a room with lots of corners, or large tiles where each cut wastes more, and lower it for a plain rectangle in small tiles. Buy all the tile at once and check that the boxes share a lot number, since color can vary from one lot to the next and tile bought later may not match.
How much tile do I need for a shower?
Add the back wall, both side walls and the floor. A 5 ft wide by 3 ft deep shower tiled 8 ft high has 103 sq ft: (5 + 2 × 3) × 8 for the walls plus 15 for the floor. In 12 × 24 in. tile with 3/16 in. joints and 10% overage, that's 56 tiles. Many showers use a different, smaller tile on the floor for grip; run the floor separately with "Floor" if so.
How much grout do I need?
It depends on the tile size, the joint width and the tile's thickness: small tiles and wide joints take much more. From the grout chart, a 25 lb bag of sanded grout covers about 348 sq ft of 12 × 12 in. tile with 1/8 in. joints, but only 92 sq ft with 1/2 in. joints. The calculator uses that chart for the sizes it lists. For other sizes, including 3 × 6 subway tile, use the coverage chart on your grout bag or the maker's calculator.
How much thinset do I need per square foot?
With a 1/4 x 1/4 in. square notch trowel, a 50 lb bag covers 85 to 95 sq ft, about 0.53 to 0.59 lb per square foot. A bigger notch uses more. The same data sheet says the mortar must cover at least 80% of the back of each tile in dry areas and 95% in wet areas such as showers, so check by lifting a tile now and then.
How many boxes of tile do I need?
Tile boxes hold different amounts by size and brand, so the box label gives the square feet (or pieces) per box. Enter the square feet per box above and the calculator rounds the tile you need up to whole boxes.
How much does it cost to tile a floor or shower?
Enter the tile's price per square foot above for the tile cost. Installation labor, backer board, waterproofing and setting materials vary a lot by region and job, so get quotes for the installed price and use this calculator to check the tile quantities on them.