keencalculator
  1. Home
  2. Home & Construction
  3. Carpet Calculator

Carpet Calculator

Enter a room’s length and width to get the carpet you need in square yards and square feet, with a waste allowance, and the cost from a price per square yard or per square foot.

Quick examples
%

Carpet comes in 12 ft (sometimes 15 ft) rolls, so allow for seams and offcuts.

$
Your numbers stay in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Carpet needed22 yd²
In square feet
198 sq ft
Room area
180 ft²
Estimated cost
$660.00

Saved setups

Save a set of inputs you reuse — your usual rate, your loan, your room sizes — and load it back in one tap.

    Your recent calculations

    Results you calculate here are kept on this device so you can come back to them.

      Formula

      Room area (sq ft) = length × width
      Carpet needed = room area × (1 + waste %)
      Square yards = square feet ÷ 9
      Cost = area × price per unit

      How to use it

      1. Measure the room wall to wall at its widest points and enter both figures.
      2. Keep 10% waste, or raise it for patterned carpet and odd-shaped rooms.
      3. Choose whether your quote is per square yard or per square foot.
      4. Enter the price, including pad and installation if you want the all-in cost.

      Worked examples

      A 15 × 12 ft room with 10% waste at $30 a square yard

      Room area
      180 ft²
      In square feet
      198 sq ft
      Carpet needed
      22 yd²
      Estimated cost
      $660.00

      A 12 × 10 ft room with 5% waste at $3.50 a square foot

      In square feet
      126 sq ft
      Carpet needed
      14 yd²
      Estimated cost
      $441.00

      Why carpet needs more than the floor area

      Broadloom carpet comes in rolls 12 ft wide, and sometimes 15 ft. A room 13 ft wide therefore needs either a seam or a wider roll, and the offcut is usually waste. Installers also run the pile in one direction throughout, which limits how offcuts can be reused.

      Measure into doorways and closets, and round each dimension up to the next half foot.

      Square yards and square feet

      Carpet has traditionally been priced per square yard in the US, though many retailers now quote per square foot. One square yard is 9 square feet, so $27 a square yard is the same as $3 a square foot.

      Questions people ask

      How many square yards of carpet for a 12×15 room?

      The room is 180 sq ft, which is 20 square yards. With 10% waste, order 22 square yards.

      How do I convert square feet to square yards?

      Divide by 9. 180 sq ft ÷ 9 = 20 square yards.

      How much does it cost to carpet a 12×12 room?

      A 12 × 12 ft room is 16 square yards, or about 17.6 with 10% waste. At $30 a square yard installed, that is about $528.

      Related calculators