Carpet Tile Calculator
Your room and carpet square size
Every common tile size, from 2x2 mosaic to 24x48 large format.
Check the box label — it varies by brand.
Tiles to buy
49 tiles
- Area to cover
- 180 sq ft
- Area including waste
- 192.6 sq ft
- Tile size
- 24 x 24 in
- One tile covers
- 4 sq ft
- Boxes needed
- 7 boxes
- Waste applied
- 7%
Tile is sold by the box — round up and keep one spare box from the same dye lot.
Carpet tile coverage
| Square size | Coverage | Tiles per 100 sq ft | Typical box |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 x 18 in | 2.25 sq ft | 45 | 16 tiles / 36 sq ft |
| 19.7 x 19.7 in (50 cm) | 2.69 sq ft | 38 | 20 tiles / 54 sq ft |
| 24 x 24 in | 4.00 sq ft | 25 | 12–20 tiles / 48–80 sq ft |
| 39 x 39 in (1 m) | 10.6 sq ft | 10 | 4 tiles / 42 sq ft |
Add 5% waste in a plain rectangular room, 10% with doorways or a quarter-turn layout.
Install gear for carpet squares
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NoCry Professional Construction Knee Pads for Men and Women with Non-Slip Heavy Duty Cap and Ankle Support — Thick Foam and Gel Cushioning — Reinforced, Adjustable Straps and Military Grade Rivets
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Do this math on the job site — in the free app
Smart Tile Calculator for Android: offline, in your pocket, no ads. iPhone version coming soon.
Tools the pros use for this job
Knee Pads
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Check price on AmazonCarpet tile is a whole day on your knees, every square.
Chalk Line
Tile Tools Stainless Steel Square Notch Trowel Set Plus Rubber Grout Float and Grout Sponge for Tiling Installation Grouting
Check price on AmazonSnap centre lines first — carpet tile drift is impossible to hide.
Transition Strip
Art3d 4 ft Flat Floor Transition Strip, Laminate Floor Divider, Brown | Self-Adhesive, Scratch-Resistant, Dirt-Resistant, No Warping, Easy to Install, Carpet to Tile Transition, Doorway, Floor Gaps
Check price on AmazonFinishes the doorway edge between carpet tile and hard floor.
Paid links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
How this calculator works
A 24x24 carpet tile covers 4 sq ft; 18x18 covers 2.25 sq ft; a 39x39 (1 metre) tile covers about 10.6 sq ft. Divide your room area by the coverage and add 5% for a simple square room, 10% if you have doorways, columns or a quarter-turn pattern.
Direction arrows matter. Every carpet tile has an arrow on the back. Lay them all the same way (monolithic) for a broadloom look, or rotate every other tile 90° (quarter-turn) to disguise soiling and slight shade variation between boxes. Quarter-turn is the safer choice for a busy room; monolithic shows dye-lot differences fastest.
- Find the centre of the room and dry-lay from there so borders are balanced.
- Use pressure-sensitive tabs or releasable adhesive, not full-spread glue.
- Cut face-up with a hook blade against a straightedge.
- Keep a full box spare — replacing one stained tile beats replacing a room.
Comparing to hard flooring? Run the numbers with the square footage calculator, vinyl tile calculator or the installation cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many 24x24 carpet tiles do I need?
Divide the room square footage by 4, then add 5–10%. A 300 sq ft room needs 75 tiles plus waste, so 79–83 tiles.
How many carpet tiles are in a box?
Most 24x24 carpet tile ships 12–20 tiles per box, covering 48–80 square feet. Check the box coverage rather than the tile count.
Do carpet tiles need glue?
Most modern carpet tiles use peel-and-stick tabs or a releasable pressure-sensitive adhesive so individual tiles can be lifted and replaced.
Carpet tile or broadloom carpet?
Carpet tile costs a little more per square foot but installs without a stretcher, wastes far less on odd-shaped rooms, and lets you replace damaged squares one at a time.
Related calculators
- Tile Cost EstimatorTotal project cost: tile, grout, mortar, trim, and labor.
- Flooring Square Footage CalculatorAdd rooms, L-shapes and circles for one running square-foot total.
- Ceiling Tile CalculatorDrop-ceiling tiles, main tees, cross tees and wall angle.
- Vinyl Tile & LVP CalculatorLVT, vinyl plank and peel-and-stick boxes by coverage.
Guides worth reading next
- How to Measure a Room for Tile (Step by Step)Measure any room for floor or wall tile: handle closets and alcoves, convert inches to decimals, subtract fixtures, and add the right waste percentage.
- Choosing the Right Tile Size for Your RoomHow tile size changes a room: when 12×24 beats 4×4, why small rooms can take large tile, grout line math, and the flatness rule for big formats.
- Sanded vs Unsanded vs Epoxy Grout: Which One Do You Need?Grout types explained by joint width and location: when sand scratches tile, why epoxy wins in showers, and how much of each type a bag actually covers.