Free calculator
Laminate Flooring Calculator: Boxes and Waste
Free laminate flooring calculator: square feet with waste, boxes to buy, and underlayment.
Feet, or feet and inches: 12, 12.5, 12' 6".
Printed on the box label.
Result
Boxes of laminate to buy
21boxes
462 sq ft in those boxes
- Floor area
- 408.0 sq ft
- Waste (10%)
- 40.8 sq ft
- Area with waste
- 448.8 sq ft
Boxes are rounded up. Keep a spare box or two from the same lot for future repairs.
Underlayment
The floor area before flooring waste. Underlayment runs edge to edge, so it needs little extra.
Printed on the roll.
Result
Rolls of underlayment
5rolls
428 sq ft with the trimming allowance
- Coverage bought
- 500 sq ft
Skip this if your laminate has a pad attached, unless the manufacturer calls for a separate vapor barrier, for example over concrete.
How it's calculated
Boxes of laminate = floor area × 1.10 ÷ sq ft per box, rounded up. Underlayment = floor area ÷ roll coverage, plus a little for trimming. For 408 sq ft: 408 × 1.10 = 448.8 sq ft, which at 22 sq ft per carton is 21 boxes, plus 5 rolls of 100 sq ft underlayment.
Using the laminate calculator
Enter each room, choose the layout, and type the coverage from your carton label. Laminate cartons commonly cover about 17–30 sq ft; the 22 sq ft default is a placeholder, so check the label. The second card works out underlayment rolls from the floor area. Leave out the waste allowance there: underlayment is rolled out edge to edge and doesn't lose much to cuts.
Laminate quantities for common room sizes
With 10% waste, 22 sq ft cartons and 100 sq ft underlayment rolls with 5% extra:
| Room | Floor area | With 10% waste | Boxes | Underlayment rolls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 | 100 sq ft | 110 sq ft | 5 | 2 |
| 12 × 12 | 144 sq ft | 158.4 sq ft | 8 | 2 |
| 12 × 15 | 180 sq ft | 198 sq ft | 9 | 2 |
| 15 × 20 | 300 sq ft | 330 sq ft | 15 | 4 |
| 20 × 25 | 500 sq ft | 550 sq ft | 25 | 6 |
Click-lock planks and the expansion gap
Laminate is a floating floor. The planks click together along the long edge and the end, and the floor rests on the underlayment without nails or glue. Because the core is wood fiber, the whole floor moves with humidity. That's why it needs a gap at every wall and fixed object, and why heavy cabinets and islands go in first, with the laminate cut around them rather than under them. The gap is hidden by baseboard or quarter round, so measure for trim at the same time: baseboard is roughly the room perimeter less door openings.
Many manufacturers also ask you to leave the cartons in the room for a while before installing, so the planks reach the room's temperature and humidity. Follow the time given in the installation guide.
Choosing underlayment
- Attached pad: many laminates come with one. You usually don't add another, but you may still need a vapor barrier over concrete.
- Foam rolls: the basic option for wood subfloors. Seams are butted or taped as the roll says.
- Foam with a film: combines cushion and a moisture barrier for concrete slabs and basements.
- Denser or cork-type pads: used for sound control, often upstairs or in condos with rules on flooring noise.
Standard laminate isn't meant for areas that get wet. If you're flooring a kitchen, bath or laundry, check that the product is rated for it and what the warranty says about standing water.
From a floor plan
If you have the plan, FloorFigures measures every room from it, free, and gives flooring with waste and boxes per room. The material takeoff guide shows how to add baseboard and transitions to the same list.
Updated · FloorFigures
Questions
- How many boxes of laminate do I need for a 12x12 room?
- A 12 by 12 room is 144 square feet. Add 10% waste for 158.4 square feet. At 22 square feet per carton that's 7.2, so buy 8 boxes. Laminate cartons commonly cover about 17–30 square feet, so divide by the figure on your own label.
- How much extra laminate should I buy?
- Add about 10% for a straight lay; Pergo's own planner adds 10%. Allow more for rooms with many corners, angled walls or doorways, and for diagonal or herringbone patterns. Keep a spare carton from the same lot for repairs, since colors can change between production runs.
- Do I need underlayment for laminate flooring?
- Yes, unless the planks have a pad attached. Laminate floats over the subfloor, and underlayment cushions it, reduces hollow sound and smooths small dips. Over concrete, a vapor barrier is usually called for as well, either built into the underlayment or as a separate sheet. The installation guide says what's required.
- How much underlayment do I need for laminate?
- Underlayment covers the floor area edge to edge, so you need the floor area plus a little for trimming, not the flooring waste allowance. For 408 square feet with 5% extra, that's 428.4 square feet, or 5 rolls of 100 square feet. Check the coverage printed on the roll.
- What size expansion gap does laminate need?
- Laminate has a wood-fiber core that grows and shrinks with humidity, so it needs a gap at every wall, cabinet, pipe and doorframe. The width is set by the manufacturer and is typically a fraction of an inch, hidden by baseboard or quarter round. Large rooms may also need transition strips.
Skip the typing. Measure the plan.
Open the floor plan in FloorFigures and every room is measured for you, with the same math per room. Try it free on a sample plan; nothing is uploaded.