Tile calculator
Tile count for a floor or wall, with thinset and grout estimates and the waste factor built in.
Calculator
Detailed breakdown
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How to use this calculator
Measure
Measure the area in feet and enter your tile size in inches — the calculator handles the conversion.
Calculate
Once you hit calculate, results update as you type. Change any number to compare options instantly.
Order
Print the estimate and take it to your supplier. Quantities are rounded up so you don't come up short.
Tile counts, thinset and the lot-number rule
Tile quantity is area divided by the coverage of a single tile, plus waste. A 12 inch tile covers exactly one square foot, which makes the arithmetic easy; smaller and larger formats change the count dramatically, so the calculator converts from inches for you.
A 10 by 10 foot floor is 100 square feet. With 12 inch tiles and 10 percent waste you need 110 tiles. Drop to 6 inch tiles and the same floor takes 440, because each one covers a quarter of a square foot.
Waste rises with layout complexity and tile size. Ten percent covers a straight grid in a square room. Diagonal layouts and large-format tiles both generate more unusable cutoffs — budget 15 percent. Rooms with many corners, niches or curved edges can justify 20 percent.
For setting materials, a 50 lb bag of thinset covers roughly 95 square feet with a standard notched trowel, and a 25 pound bag of grout covers about 200 square feet at typical joint widths — though grout coverage swings a lot with joint size and tile format. And the rule that saves projects: buy every tile from the same lot number, and keep a few spares. Tile color shifts between production runs, and a cracked tile replaced two years later from new stock will announce itself.
Frequently asked questions
How many 12x12 tiles for 100 square feet?
110 tiles with a 10 percent waste factor. Each 12 inch tile covers exactly one square foot, so the count equals the area plus waste.
How much waste for tile?
Ten percent for straight layouts in square rooms, 15 for diagonal or large-format tile, up to 20 for rooms with many cuts and angles.
How much thinset do I need?
Roughly one 50 lb bag per 95 square feet with a standard notched trowel. Large-format tile needs more because of the deeper notch.
How much grout?
About one 25 lb bag per 200 square feet at typical joint widths. Wider joints and smaller tiles consume considerably more.
Why buy tiles from the same lot?
Color varies between production batches. Same-lot tiles match; a replacement from a later run usually will not.
Sources
Formulas and material assumptions on this page follow published industry guidance: