Flooring Quantity Calculator
Written by Thierno Sadou Diallo, formula verified per our methodology • Last checked on 9/5/2026
The number of flooring packs is calculated by dividing the room's area (with the waste margin) by the area covered by one pack. For a 20 m² room with 2.2 m² packs and a 10% waste margin, you'll need 10 packs.
Explanation
Unlike tiling, sold as individual tiles of fixed size (see our tile calculator), hardwood and laminate flooring is sold in packs covering a given area, shown on the product's packaging — generally between 1.5 and 2.5 m² per pack depending on the brand, plank thickness, and size. The calculation therefore involves dividing the total area to cover (increased by a waste margin) by this per-pack area, then rounding up to the next whole pack, since a hardware store doesn't sell a fraction of a pack. The waste margin depends heavily on the chosen laying pattern: a classic straight layout (planks parallel to a wall) generally needs a 10% margin, while a diagonal or patterned layout (herringbone, chevron) produces more waste at the edges and calls for a larger margin, often 15% or more. It's also recommended to buy all the packs from the same manufacturing batch at once: different batches can show slight shade variations, more noticeable on laminate flooring or a light-finish hardwood.
Example: a 20 m² room, 2.2 m² packs, 10% waste margin
Inputs
Room: 5 × 4 m (20 m²). Area per pack: 2.2 m². Waste margin: 10%.
Calculation
Area with margin = 20 × 1.10 = 22 m². Number of packs = 22 ÷ 2.2 = exactly 10 packs.
Result
You'll need to buy 10 packs for this room.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a diagonal layout need a larger waste margin?
Because a diagonal or patterned layout produces angled cuts along the walls, less efficient in terms of reusing offcuts than a classic straight layout, where the offcut from one row can often be reused at the start of the next. A margin of 15% or more is generally recommended for this type of layout.
Why buy all the packs in a single order?
Because manufacturers produce hardwood and laminate flooring in batches, and slight shade or texture variations can appear from one batch to another, even for the same product. These variations are usually subtle, but become more noticeable over a large area if part of the floor comes from a different batch than the rest.
Where do I find the area covered by a pack of my product?
This information is shown directly on the product's packaging or spec sheet, usually expressed in m² per pack or in number of planks per pack (which you'd then multiply by the area of one plank). It varies noticeably from product to product, which makes this field essential to check before using this calculator rather than a generic default value.