Laminate Flooring Calculator

How much laminate flooring and underlay you need: room sizes, pack coverage and extra for cuts give the packs and rolls to buy, and the cost.

Laminate is sold in packs that cover a set area, typically somewhere around 1.5 to 2.5 m² or 15 to 25 ft², and it goes down over an underlay sold in rolls. A 4.2 × 3.6 m room is 15.12 m²; with 10% extra for cuts that's 16.6 m², or 9 packs at 2 m² per pack, plus 2 rolls of underlay at 10 m² each. This calculator works that out for any number of rooms in metres or feet, with pattern presets for straight, diagonal and herringbone lays, the underlay rolls, and the cost by area or pack.

Units
Room
ft
ft
Feet and inches work too: type 12'6 or 12.5.
%
Packs
10

20 ft² each

Floor area
168 ft²

184.8 ft² with 10% extra

Underlay rolls
2

100 ft² each

Left over
32 ft²

after the room is covered

How it was worked out
  1. Room: 14 ft × 12 ft = 168 ft²
  2. Plus 10% for cuts and offcuts = 184.8 ft²
  3. 184.8 ft² ÷ 20 ft² per pack = 9.24, rounded up to 10 packs (200 ft²)
  4. Underlay: 168 ft² + 5% = 176.4 ft² ÷ 100 ft² per roll = 2 rolls

Pack coverage varies a lot between products, so use the figure on the box. Measure into doorways and alcoves, and leave the expansion gap the maker specifies around the edges.

Common use cases

  • Order laminate and underlay for a bedroom, living room or hallway
  • Compare laminate packs of different sizes and prices
  • Plan a herringbone laminate floor
  • Work out the cost of a whole floor before getting quotes

How to use

  1. Enter each room's length and width; add areas for alcoves and hallways.
  2. Choose straight, diagonal or herringbone for the extra, and enter the coverage per pack from the box.
  3. Keep Add underlay ticked and enter the coverage of a roll.
  4. Add a price to see the total cost.

FAQ

How many packs of laminate do I need?

Floor area plus 10% (straight lay), divided by the coverage printed on the pack, rounded up. For a 15 m² room with 2 m² packs, that's 16.5 ÷ 2 = 8.25, so 9 packs.

Do I need underlay under laminate?

Almost always, unless the laminate has underlay already attached. Underlay evens out small bumps, reduces noise and, over concrete, often includes a damp-proof layer. Check what your laminate's warranty requires.

How big an expansion gap does laminate need?

Laminate expands and shrinks with humidity, so it needs a gap around every edge, commonly about 8 to 10 mm (around 3/8 in), hidden by skirting or trim. Use the gap the maker specifies.

Related tools