Carpet Calculator - How Much Carpet Do I Need?

A 12 ft x 12 ft room has 144 square feet of floor space. With 10% waste factor, you need 158.4 sq ft of carpet (round up to 160 sq ft). Using a standard 12 ft wide roll, you would order 13.2 linear feet (round up to 14 ft) of carpet.

Waste factor accounts for cutting, seaming, pattern matching, and edge trimming. Simple rectangular rooms need 5% waste. Standard rooms with closets or alcoves need 10%. Rooms with patterned carpet, stairs, or complex layouts need 15%. Always round up to avoid shortages.

Residential carpet typically comes in 12 ft or 15 ft widths. Commercial carpet may also come in 6 ft widths. The installer chooses the roll width and orientation to minimize seams and waste. For a 14 ft wide room, using 15 ft roll creates less waste than two 12 ft pieces with a seam.

Linear feet = room length in the direction the carpet will run. If your room is 15 ft long and you use 12 ft wide carpet, you need 15 linear feet. The carpet will be unrolled lengthwise and trimmed to fit. Always account for waste and round up.

Yes. Carpet padding (underlay) is essential. It extends carpet life by 50%, improves comfort, provides insulation, and reduces noise. Standard padding is 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick and costs $0.40-$1.00 per sq ft. Never skip padding to save money - it will cost more in premature carpet replacement.

Professional installation costs $1.00-$3.00 per square foot, depending on location and job complexity. This includes moving furniture, removing old carpet, installing tack strips, laying padding, stretching carpet, and seaming. DIY installation is possible but requires special tools (knee kicker, power stretcher, seam iron).

Nylon is the most durable carpet fiber. For high traffic areas like hallways and stairs, choose premium nylon with tight, dense pile. Berber (loop pile) is also very durable. Avoid polyester and olefin in high-traffic areas - they mat down quickly and show wear faster.

Measure the width of the stairs and multiply by total stair length (all treads + all risers). A standard staircase with 13 steps, 36 inch width, 10 inch tread, and 7.5 inch riser needs: 36 inches x (13 x 17.5 inches) = 36 x 227.5 = 8190 sq inches = 56.9 sq ft. Add 15% waste for stairs.

Possible, but challenging. You need tack strips, knee kicker, power stretcher, carpet cutter, and seam iron. Small rooms are easier. Large rooms and seams require professional stretching to avoid wrinkles and premature wear. Most DIYers succeed with small bedrooms but hire pros for living rooms and stairs.

Quality carpet with good padding lasts 10-15 years in normal residential use. Budget carpet: 5-8 years. High-traffic areas wear faster. Wool carpet can last 20+ years. Regular vacuuming, professional cleaning every 12-18 months, and quality padding maximize carpet life.

Carpet Calculator is a free utility & everyday tool that helps you Calculate carpet square footage, rolls, and cost for any room.

Enter your input values, review the calculated output, and adjust inputs until you reach the result you need. The result updates in your browser.

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No. You can use this tool directly in your browser without sign-up or software installation.

This tool applies standard formulas or deterministic processing logic for estimates. For medical, legal, tax, or investment decisions, verify with a qualified professional.

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