Carpet Calculator

Carpet Calculator for Area and Cost Estimation

The Carpet Calculator estimates how much carpet you need for rectangular, circular, elliptical, pentagonal, or hexagonal rooms. Enter dimensions, a waste allowance, and price per unit to get total carpet area and estimated material cost.

How carpet area is calculated

For a rectangle, carpet area equals length times width. For a circle, area is $\pi r^2$. Elliptical rooms use $\pi ab$ where $a$ and $b$ are the semi-axes. Regular polygons use standard geometry formulas for pentagons and hexagons.

Total carpet needed includes a waste allowance:

$$\text{Total area} = \text{Base area} \times \left(1 + \frac{\text{Waste \%}}{100}\right)$$

Ordering extra carpet

Most installers recommend ordering 10% more carpet than the bare floor area. Extra material covers trimming, seams, pattern matching, and cutting mistakes. Irregular rooms or diagonal installs may need 15% or more.

Example

A 14 ft by 12 ft bedroom needs 168 sq ft of carpet. With 10% waste, order about 185 sq ft. At $4.50 per sq ft, estimated cost is roughly $832.

Related tools: Flooring Calculator, Tile Calculator, and Drywall Calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much extra carpet should I order?

Order about 10% more than the calculated floor area. Use 15% or more for complex layouts, stairs, or patterned carpet that requires careful matching.

How do I measure an irregular room?

Break the room into rectangles or use the closest regular shape. For very irregular spaces, divide the floor into sections and add the areas together.

Is carpet sold by square foot or square yard?

Both are common in the US. One square yard equals 9 square feet. This calculator shows results in square feet and lets you enter price per sq ft, sq m, or sq yd.

Does this include padding cost?

No. This calculator estimates carpet material only. Add carpet pad separately, usually at similar square footage with its own waste factor.

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