Tile Calculator
Tiles, boxes, thinset and grout for a floor or a backsplash.
Tiles to buy
132
- Area
- 120.0 sq ft
- One tile covers
- 1.000 sq ft
- Area with 10% waste
- 132.0 sq ft
- Tiles
- 132
- Boxes (12 per box)
- 11
- Thinset
- 2 bags
- Grout
- 13.6 lb
- Tile
- $462.00
- Thinset
- $36.00
- Labor
- $1,080.00
- Total
- $1,578.00
- Cost per sq ft
- $13.15/sq ft
Buy one box beyond the count and keep it — dye lots change, and a later repair will not match.
Pin down grout by brand and bag size → grout calculator
How this is calculated
tile area = (tile length × tile width) ÷ 144 order = area × (1 + waste%) tiles = ceil(order ÷ tile area) boxes = ceil(tiles ÷ tiles per box) thinset = ceil(area ÷ coverage per bag) grout lb = ((L + W) ÷ (L × W)) × joint × thickness × 14.5 × area total = tile + thinset + labor
Thinset is figured on the bare area, not the waste-inflated order — you only trowel the floor once, no matter how many tiles you cut wrong. Grout uses the same function as the grout calculator, so the two pages always agree.
Tiles per 100 sq ft by size
Straight layout, 10 percent waste. Same function as the calculator above.
| Tile | Covers | Tiles per 100 sq ft | Grout per 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12" × 12" | 1.000 sq ft | 110 | 11.3 lb |
| 12" × 24" plank | 2.000 sq ft | 55 | 8.5 lb |
| 6" × 24" wood-look | 1.000 sq ft | 110 | 14.2 lb |
| 18" × 18" | 2.250 sq ft | 49 | 8.8 lb |
| 24" × 24" large format | 4.000 sq ft | 28 | 6.6 lb |
| 3" × 6" subway | 0.125 sq ft | 880 | 28.3 lb |
| 4" × 4" | 0.111 sq ft | 990 | 22.7 lb |
Waste by laying pattern
| Pattern | Waste | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Straight / stacked | 10% | Cuts only at the walls |
| Brick or running bond | 12% | Offset rows start with a half tile |
| Diagonal | 15% | Every perimeter tile is cut on an angle |
| Herringbone | 20% | Short offcuts at every direction change |
Frequently asked questions
How many tiles do I need?
Divide the area by the face area of one tile, then add waste. A 12 by 12 inch tile is exactly one square foot, so a 100 square foot floor needs 100 tiles plus waste. A 3 by 6 inch subway tile is an eighth of a square foot, so the same area takes eight times as many.
How much waste should I add for tile?
Ten percent for a straight layout in a simple rectangle, twelve for running bond, fifteen for diagonal and twenty for herringbone. Diagonal and herringbone force a cut at every wall, and each cut leaves a piece too small to use elsewhere. Add more again for a room with many jogs or fixtures.
How much thinset do I need?
It depends on the trowel, not the tile brand. A 50 pound bag covers about 80 square feet with a 1/4 by 1/4 inch notch, 60 with 1/4 by 3/8, and only 35 with a 1/2 by 1/2 notch. Large format tile needs the deeper notch, so a big-tile floor eats far more thinset than the tile count suggests.
How much does tile installation cost?
Labor commonly runs $5 to $22 per square foot depending on region, tile size and pattern, and complete projects including materials land anywhere from $15 to $75 per square foot. Large format, herringbone and natural stone all sit at the top of that range because they take far longer to set.
Should I buy an extra box?
Yes, and keep it. Tile is made in dye lots, and a box bought a year later will not match exactly. One spare box is the only realistic way to repair a cracked tile without it standing out, and it costs a fraction of what matching later would.
Is a backsplash calculated differently?
The arithmetic is identical, just applied to a much smaller area, and a backsplash is usually measured as run length by height rather than as a rectangle of floor. The practical difference is waste: a backsplash has outlets, a window and cabinet edges in a small area, so proportionally more tile ends up cut.
Estimates only. Tile labor swings widely with substrate condition, tile size and pattern, and does not include underlayment, waterproofing or leveling the floor.