Underestimating your flooring order is one of the most common DIY mistakes. Here’s the formula the pros use to make sure you order the right amount the first time.

Step 1: Measure Each Room

Length × Width = Square Feet. For a 12 ft × 14 ft bedroom, that’s 168 sq ft.

Step 2: Add a Waste Factor

  • 5% — simple rectangular rooms with straight planks
  • 10% — most projects (this is the standard)
  • 15% — diagonal installs, L-shaped rooms
  • 20% — herringbone, lots of cuts, complex layouts

Step 3: Divide by Box Coverage

Each box of flooring covers a specific number of square feet (often 18-24 sq ft per box for SPC). Take your total square footage including waste, divide by box coverage, and always round up.

Worked Example

Room: 200 sq ft. Waste factor: 10%. Total needed: 220 sq ft. Box coverage: 22 sq ft. Boxes needed: 220 ÷ 22 = 10 boxes.

Skip the Math

Our built-in flooring calculator does all this automatically — and every product page has a calculator built in. Just enter your square footage and it tells you exactly how many boxes to order.