Hardwood Flooring Calculator
Enter the room, the coverage on your hardwood box and a waste allowance to get the boxes to buy. The table counts the example room at the allowances two makers print for straight and diagonal layouts.
A ready-made setup of the Flooring Calculator.
Estimates for planning, not professional advice. Read the full notice.
The drawing did not open. Length and width are still here.
Room: shape and size
Skip the drawingDrag a round corner to move it. The small hollow diamond on a side is its curve handle: drag it across the side to curve the side (it is not a corner). To add a corner (a new point), tap the side itself, then choose Add a point here. Tapping a corner or a side opens its actions. Drag empty space to move the view; pinch, or Ctrl and the mouse wheel, to zoom. The keys are listed under Keys.
Keys
- Tab
- next corner; each says how far it is from corner 1
- Arrow keys on a corner
- move it one square; ten with Shift; 1/16 in with Alt
- Delete or Backspace
- remove the corner; its two sides join in one straight side
- + on a corner
- add a corner halfway along the next side
- Arrow keys on the drawing
- move the view; farther with Shift
- + and - on the drawing
- zoom in and out
- 0 on the drawing
- show the whole shape
- Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on a Mac)
- undo, except inside a typed field (it keeps its own)
- Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y
- redo
- Escape while dragging
- put it back where it was
- Enter on a corner or side
- go to its actions
- Escape in the actions
- close them and go back to the drawing
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- Area
- 168 ft²
- Perimeter
- 52 ft
- Cut-out edges
No area until the shape is fixed.
Estimate for planning, from what you entered and the product data shown. Check product labels and your supplier before you buy.
Shape: Rectangle Change
Sides
Corners
Cut-outs
Feet and inches, like 12' 6"
Example: a hardwood bedroom floor
10 flooring, by the box
- Floor area 168 ft²
- Area with the waste allowance, before rounding 184.8 ft²
- Flooring bought 200 ft²
- Bought beyond the floor's own area 32 ft²
- Boxes at the straight-layout allowance one maker prints 9 boxes
Your project
Enter a size to see your total.
Each product is rounded up once for the whole project, so the total can be less than the items bought alone added together. A line counted from a cut layout (sheets, boards or tiles laid out piece by piece) is counted for each item and added.
Shopping list
| Item | Size | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Flooring, by the box | flooring, by the box | 10 |
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Worked example: a hardwood bedroom floor
Show the working
- Area: length times width 14 ft × 12 ft = 168 ft²
- Add the waste allowance, once 168 ft² × 1.1 = 184.8 ft²
- Divide by the coverage of one box 184.8 ft² ÷ 20 ft² = 9.24 boxes
- Round up once, to whole boxes 9.24 boxes = 10 boxes of flooring
Assumptions
The figures behind the example. Sourced figures link to their source below; a default is a starting value to check against your label or supplier.
| Assumption | Value | Details and changes |
|---|---|---|
| Waste allowance | 10% | |
| Default Our starting value, not a sourced figure; your own allowance, added once. Change it for your layout. The allowances the makers print are in this page's table. | ||
| Coverage of one box | No default | |
| Default From the box label. Check your label or supplier. | ||
| Plank size | No default | |
| Default Width and length from the label; it does not change the count, which follows the box coverage. Check your label or supplier. | ||
| Expansion gap | No default | |
| Default Shown for your own layout; it does not change the box count. Check your label or supplier. | ||
Feet and inches, like 12' 6"
Hardwood boxes at the makers' allowances
Boxes for the example room at the allowances two makers print for hardwood, straight and diagonal
| Layout and sheet | Allowance printed | Boxes |
|---|---|---|
| AHF Products, straight layout | 5% (per AHF Products' published data, checked Nov 12, 2026) | 9 |
| AHF Products, diagonal layout | 10% (per AHF Products' published data, checked Nov 12, 2026) | 10 |
| Shaw Industries, cutting allowance | 5% (per Shaw Industries' published data, checked Nov 12, 2026) | 9 |
Product names are trademarks of their owners. HoneyDoMath is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by these makers. Figures come from each maker's published sheets and are shown for information only.
Each row adds the maker's printed allowance once to the example room, then rounds up to whole boxes. The second maker's sheet prints no figure for herringbone, diagonal or bordered layouts, so none is counted for them.
Questions
How much extra hardwood should I buy for a diagonal layout?
One maker's sheet adds an allowance for a straight layout and a larger one for diagonal installations; both are in the table with the boxes each gives for the example room. Another maker's sheet says diagonal, herringbone or bordered layouts need a higher percentage and prints no number, so type your own allowance.
Does random-width hardwood change the count?
The count follows the area and the box coverage. For random widths, enter the coverage printed on your own box; the plank size fields are for your layout and are not counted.
Why do the makers' allowances differ?
Each sheet is for its own product and layout, so the figures are not one rule. Use the sheet for the floor you buy as the source and type its allowance in the waste field.
Sources (2)
-
Waterproof Locking Hardwood with Angle/Angle Technology Installation Instructions (opens in new tab), AHF Products, installation sheet WF-1256-525.
Manufacturer data.
“When flooring is ordered, 5% must be added to the actual square footage needed for cutting and grading allowance (10% for diagonal installations).”
Per AHF Products' published data, checked Nov 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 1) -
Engineered Hardwood Flooring Installation Guidelines (Herringbone) (opens in new tab), Shaw Industries Group, installation sheet, footer 060719.
Manufacturer data.
“5% cutting allowance, depending on layout, must be added to the actual square footage amount needed. (Diagonal, herringbone, or bordered installations will require a higher percentage)”
Per Shaw Industries' published data, checked Nov 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 2)
These are summaries of what the sources say, not professional advice. Codes and product data change. Check with your building department and the product label about your own project.
Sources
- [1] AHF Products, Waterproof Locking Hardwood with Angle/Angle Technology Installation Instructions. Checked November 12, 2026. https://www.bruce.com/cdn/content/sites/2/WF-1256-525_8.5x11_Waterproof-HW_Install_ENG.pdf
- [2] Shaw Industries, Engineered Hardwood Flooring Installation Guidelines (Herringbone). Checked November 12, 2026. https://qmsview.shawinc.com/QMS_View/files/93/939bd3b8-8775-485f-8dfe-ca5b54bbbf75.Pdf