Bathroom Tile Area & Cost Calculator

Work out how much tile a bathroom needs — floor plus walls — add a waste factor for cuts and breakage, and price it at the dollars per square foot on your own quote.

Planning estimate: this is a planning estimate from the numbers you enter and standard reference quantities — not a bid or a contract. Get itemized written quotes from licensed contractors and confirm measurements before you commit.

Calculator

ft
ft
sq ft
Perimeter × height of any tiled walls (0 for floor only).
$/sq ft
$
Setting labor, if not DIY.
Estimated total$528.00
Tile area40 sq ft (floor 40 + walls 0)
Order with 10% waste44 sq ft
Material + labor$528.00 + $0.00

A 5×8 ft floor plus 0 sq ft of walls is 40 sq ft; at 10% waste order 44 sq ft$528.00 of tile.

Buying tile starts with one question: how many square feet, once you have allowed for cuts and breakage? A bathroom usually mixes a floor and one or more tiled walls, so you add the floor area to the wall area, pad the total with a waste factor, and only then price it — at the rate on your own quote, not a number this site made up.

Enter the floor length and width, the wall tile area (perimeter × height, or leave it at 0 for a floor-only job), pick a waste factor, and give your tile price per square foot. The tool returns the tiled area, the padded order quantity and the material and installed totals.

Formula

Area, then waste, then price:

area  = (floor_l × floor_w) + wall_area\norder = area × (1 + waste%)\ntotal = (order × tile_price) + labor

You buy the order quantity, not the bare area — the waste factor covers cuts, pattern matching and the odd cracked tile.

Worked example

A 5 × 8 ft floor is 40 sq ft. With no wall tile and a standard 10% waste factor, you order 40 × 1.10 = 44 sq ft. At $12/sq ft that is 44 × 12 = $528 of tile.

Add a tiled wall by entering its area, bump the waste factor for a diagonal or patterned layout, or add setting labor — each flows straight into the totals.

Waste, boxes and buying tile

Waste is not optional. Every tile job wastes material on perimeter cuts, around fixtures and drains, and to breakage. A plain rectangular floor with a straight layout needs about 10%; a diagonal or patterned layout, lots of little cuts, or a small mosaic can want 12–15%. Large-format tile can waste more per cut. The waste factors table lists the labeled planning bands, and the general tile installation cost tool applies the same math to any room.

Buying in boxes. Tile is sold by the box, each covering a fixed number of square feet, so you round up to whole boxes: boxes = ceil(order ÷ sq ft per box). Buying a full extra box of the same lot is cheap insurance — dye lots vary, and having spares years later for a repair is worth far more than the leftover tile costs.

Floor and walls together. Measure the floor as length × width, and each tiled wall as its width × height, then add them. For a shower surround the walk-in shower tool computes the wall area from the perimeter for you.

This is a planning estimate on your prices and measurements — confirm the room before you order, and get an itemized quote for the setting labor.

Reference table

How the waste factor changes what you order for the 40 sq ft example floor:

Waste factorOrder for 40 sq ft
Standard layout (10%)44 sq ft
Some cuts / mixed (12%)45 sq ft
Diagonal / patterned (15%)46 sq ft

Then round up to whole boxes and add a spare box from the same lot.

Frequently asked questions

How much tile do I need for a bathroom?
Add the floor area (length × width) to the area of any tiled walls (perimeter × height), then add a waste factor. A 5 × 8 ft floor is 40 sq ft; at 10% waste you order 44 sq ft. Round that up to whole boxes.
What waste factor should I use?
About 10% for a plain rectangular floor with a straight layout, and 12–15% for diagonal or patterned layouts, small mosaics or rooms with lots of cuts. Large-format tile can waste more per cut.
How do I turn square feet into boxes?
Divide your order quantity by the square feet each box covers and round up: boxes = ceil(order ÷ sq ft per box). Buying one extra box of the same dye lot gives you spares for future repairs.
Does this include the labor to set the tile?
Only if you enter a labor figure. Leave it at $0 for a materials-only estimate, or add the setting labor from your quote for an installed total.
Should I include the shower walls here?
You can — enter the shower wall area in the wall field. For a shower surround specifically, the walk-in shower tool computes the wall tile area from the perimeter and height automatically.