Flooring waste calculator

Allow roughly 5–10% cutting waste for straight layouts and 10–15% for diagonal or herringbone. Waste is the material left after boards are cut around walls, corners and doorways – the exact figure depends on the room shape and whether offcuts can be reused in another row.

Common planning allowances

• Straight layout in a simple room: often around 5–10%.
• Diagonal layout: often around 10–15%.
• Herringbone and angled patterns: often around 10–15%, sometimes more in complex spaces.

These are broad planning ranges, not guarantees. Always check the flooring manufacturer’s instructions, especially when a pattern uses separate left- and right-hand boards or requires fixed starter pieces.

Calculate an allowance manually

Multiply the floor area by one plus the waste rate written as a decimal. For a 7% allowance, multiply by 1.07.

Herringbone: why the allowance is higher

Herringbone meets every wall at an angle, so the edge pieces are cut diagonally and are rarely usable anywhere else. Many herringbone floors also come as two mirrored plank types, left-hand (A) and right-hand (B). An offcut of an A plank cannot become a B plank, so you can have plenty left over on one side and still run short on the other.

When you choose herringbone, Parquet Planner shows the split for your room: “The pattern holds roughly … left-hand (A) and … right-hand (B) planks. The shopping list is a little higher because it includes cutting waste.” The shopping list is what you take to the shop.

What increases cutting waste?

Short walls, angled corners, narrow hallways, islands and columns create more cuts. Waste also depends on board length, laying direction, pattern and the minimum permitted length for starter and end pieces. Buying complete boxes adds another rounding effect.

Not every cut is waste. A sufficiently long piece from the end of one row may start the next row if the end joints remain properly staggered. Simulating each board row can therefore produce a more useful estimate than simply adding a percentage.

Compare layouts before ordering

Draw the actual room in Parquet Planner, enter the plank dimensions and compare straight, staggered, diagonal, herringbone and chevron-style layouts. The planner shows estimated boards, packs, buyable area and waste for each choice. Change the laying direction to see whether the result improves.

Frequently asked questions

How much waste do you allow for herringbone flooring?

Plan roughly 10–15%, and more in rooms with many corners. Herringbone creates more waste than a straight layout because every wall gets angled cuts, and left- and right-hand planks cannot be swapped. For your own room, draw it and compare the numbers instead of picking a percentage – see the herringbone flooring calculator.

How do I calculate flooring waste?

Multiply the floor area by 1 plus the waste rate – for 10%, multiply by 1.10 – then divide by the coverage per pack and round up to whole packs.

Is 10% waste enough?

For a straight layout in a simple rectangular room it usually is; 5–10% is common. For diagonal and herringbone layouts, or rooms with many corners and obstacles, plan 10–15% or check the number against a drawn layout.

Why does a diagonal layout create more waste?

Every row ends in an angled cut at the wall, and angled offcuts rarely fit anywhere else in the room.

Can flooring offcuts be reused?

In a straight layout, often yes: a long enough offcut from the end of one row can start the next row, as long as the end joints stay properly staggered. Parquet Planner simulates this row by row.

More guides

• Laminate flooring calculator – how many packs and planks you need.
• Calculate floor area – formulas for rectangular, L-shaped and angled rooms.
• Herringbone flooring calculator – planks, packs and the A/B split for your room.
• How to lay laminate flooring – step by step, with underlay, pipes and door frames.