Tile calculator.
See the cuts before you buy the boxes.
Tile quantity follows the layout, not just the area. This calculator draws individual tiles, measures their cuts and counts whole source pieces. It keeps discarded material, spare tiles and box rounding separate. Optional exposed-edge trim is counted by run, so two short edges cannot silently share one finished piece.
02 / Layout
TO SCALESelect a piece to inspect its vertices.
03 / Purchase ledger
- Source tiles
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- Whole tiles placed
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- Tiles requiring cuts
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- Geometric offcuts
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- Additional spare tiles
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- Tiles from box rounding
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- Total tiles purchased
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- Surface area
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- Trim pieces
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- Tile cost at your price
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One source tile per drawn piece. No credit for reusing an offcut elsewhere; the count is conservative where reuse is possible.
Find a piece. Read its cut.
Select a tile or table row to locate its source course and inspect its polygon vertices. Width and height alone describe local bounds; CSV includes the vertices.
| Piece | Course | Cut width | Cut height | Shape |
|---|
For snap-together outdoor modules, compare cutting and whole-tile borders in the deck footprint planner.
A narrow band around a rectangular pool has four separate starts. Use the waterline course planner to inspect those corners and a skimmer cut-out.
What reaches each edge
These intervals run left to right on horizontal edges, and top to bottom on vertical ones. They are contact lengths along the surface boundary, not the bounding sizes of diagonal tile blanks.
| Edge | Pieces and contact lengths |
|---|
Finishing pieces, run by run
Factory ends and corners can prevent reuse between exposed edges. The list preserves separate runs and charges one trim blank per piece.
| Run | Length | Buy | Cut lengths |
|---|
Why equal areas can need different orders
Equal areas can intersect different numbers of tiles. Joint width changes their pitch. The engine places and clips polygons to your rectangle instead of estimating cuts from an area ratio.
For an alcove with recessed or raised features, the shower surface inventory deducts the niche opening and hidden bench faces, then adds their exposed returns.
A checkable example: 100 by 60 inches
Set a 100 × 60-inch surface, 30 × 30-inch tiles, straight grid and a centered start. For this geometry exercise only, use zero joints, zero clearance and zero reserve. The width reads 20 + 30 + 30 + 20 inches; the height is two complete 30-inch rows. That produces 8 source tiles: 4 whole and 4 cut. Four tiles per box means 2 boxes.
The eight blanks contain 7,200 square inches; 6,000 remain on the surface. The difference is 1,200 square inches of offcuts, or 16.67% of the blanks. This percentage was calculated from the cuts, not selected from a waste table. A 10% reserve adds one intact tile. With six tiles per box, the order becomes twelve: eight for the layout, one spare and three from box rounding.
Move the start; watch the boundary
A corner start gives widths of 30, 30, 30 and 10 inches: still eight blanks, but a narrower last column. Equal orders can produce different boundaries; dry-lay to choose the start.
Two edges do not make one continuous run
Two independent 16-inch edges finished with 12-inch pieces and no joint each require a 12-inch piece and a 4-inch cut: four blanks in total. Dividing the pooled 32 inches by 12 rounds to three and assumes reuse. That needs a separate cutting and end-finish check.
Dimensions first, material names second
Measured faces and joints determine the layout. Compare verified Lowe’s tile dimensions and sales units. Hexagons use flat-to-flat width. Mounted grids need the mosaic sheet planner; penny rounds and chevrons need other models.
Herringbone does not require a 1:2 rectangle
Select Herringbone in the pattern control and enter the actual rectangular tile dimensions. MSI’s herringbone selector includes 4 × 12-inch tile, a 1:3 format. The pattern alternates perpendicular rectangles; its geometry does not require cutting every longer tile down to a 1:2 ratio. Product-specific installation approval remains a separate check.
This tool rotates the tile families to 45° and 135° relative to the horizontal surface edge. Select a boundary piece to read its vertices: a triangular cut and a rectangular strip can share the same bounding width and height. CSV preserves those coordinates. The order counts each source blank separately, without assuming a mirrored offcut can be flipped face-down or reused. Factory-mitred chevrons and pre-mounted herringbone sheets need different models.
Joint guidance has a scope
Daltile’s published guidance discusses narrow joints and large tile. CTEF’s explanation of offsets distinguishes the side being offset, tile finish, warpage and manufacturer exceptions. A calculator cannot establish compliance from a pattern name. One-third geometry is not exactly 33%, and this drawing does not measure lippage.
Measurements people ask about
Can I use this for wall tile?
A flat rectangular wall has the same coverage geometry as a rectangular floor. Read the drawing as an elevation, with its top at the ceiling. Select only the exposed edges that actually need finishing trim. Openings, niches and returns require separate planning.
How do square feet become a tile count?
Area gives a starting estimate: square feet divided by square feet per tile. It does not decide whether a narrow strip can be cut from another offcut. This tool counts the source tiles intersecting the layout, then adds your reserve and rounds to complete boxes.
Can I calculate tiles in square metres?
Yes. Metric mode shows square metres for area and millimetres for dimensions. Enter the two surface dimensions to obtain the layout. A total area alone cannot tell us where the boundaries or cuts fall.
Does the floor tile calculation include the substrate?
No. The result covers tile and the optional finish pieces. It does not specify mortar, grout bags, cement backer board, plywood, waterproofing or floor preparation. Their quantities depend on the selected installation system and its coverage instructions.
What formula does the tile calculator use?
For a straight corner start, each axis advances by tile size plus joint width. Every tile polygon is clipped to the usable surface. Purchase quantity is the resulting source-tile count plus a rounded-up reserve, rounded up again to the number of tiles in a box.
Is there a tile calculator app or downloadable plan?
The tool runs in your browser. Print creates a working sheet that you can save as PDF through the print dialog. CSV carries all piece dimensions and vertices; SVG preserves the drawing. No installation or account is needed.
Can I enter centimetres without converting them first?
Type a unit directly: 30 cm, 300 mm, 1 m or 12 in. A number with no suffix uses the unit displayed beside that field. Changing the measurement system converts valid entries; it does not reinterpret their old numbers.
Can I estimate a tiled shower here?
Use a separate rectangular calculation for each flat face. This page does not deduct a door or model a sloping shower pan, drain, niche or bench. Do not treat its tile count as a waterproofing specification or a complete shower order.
How do I set a one-third offset?
Choose Running bond and then One third in the offset control. Each course moves one third of the tile-plus-joint pitch. The drawing is a mathematical pattern: one third is 33.333 percent, so it is not an automatic certification of a product instruction that says 33 percent maximum.
What is the minimum grout joint width?
Use the instructions for your tile. Daltile publishes a 1/16-inch lower limit and recommends wider joints for large tiles. CTEF describes additional conditions for large offset installations, including tile finish and warpage. The zero-joint starting example here is for checking arithmetic, not an installation recommendation.
Why compare a half offset with a third offset?
They put the end of one tile at different points along its neighbour. Bowing can make the middle higher than the ends. CTEF explains why a half offset can worsen lippage on long tile. The calculator changes the positions and cuts; it does not measure the tile’s flatness.
Boundaries of this plan
- One rectangular face, without openings, sloped planes or irregular room outlines. Calculate separate faces separately and check their intersections.
- Cut shapes have exact mathematical vertices; displayed imperial dimensions round to the nearest sixteenth. Tiny positive cuts can display as less than 1/16 inch.
- Offcuts are not repacked, and saw kerf is not simulated for tile. No pattern is claimed to minimize your order.
- The engine limits an individual drawing to 2,500 pieces. Tiny mosaics over large areas need a sheet-based model.
- Trim follows the usable field edges. Corner treatments, decorative patterns, factory ends and spare trim must be checked separately.
- The zero-joint example is deliberately simplified. Product-specific spacing, movement joints, mortar coverage and waterproofing are outside this estimate.