Laminate flooring calculator

Packs of laminate needed = floor area plus 5–10% cutting waste, divided by the coverage per pack (printed on the box), rounded up to whole packs. Parquet Planner goes further: draw the real room shape, enter the plank size and compare the number of planks, packs and offcuts for several laying patterns.

Calculate laminate for a rectangular room

Measure the room length and width using the same unit. Multiply them to find the floor area.

Find the coverage per pack on the product label. Divide the required area by that coverage and always round up. If a pack covers 20 sq ft, 168 ÷ 20 equals 8.4 packs before allowing for waste, so at least nine complete packs would be required.

Allow for cuts and fitting

Laminate is cut at walls, doorways, corners and fixed obstacles. A simple straight installation often uses a planning allowance of roughly 5–10%, while diagonal layouts and irregular rooms may need more. The manufacturer’s instructions should take priority over a general rule.

A fixed percentage cannot tell whether an offcut from one row can start the next. The planner simulates the board layout, including the room outline, plank dimensions, expansion gap and laying direction. This provides a useful project estimate before ordering.

Irregular and L-shaped rooms

You can calculate an L-shaped room by splitting it into rectangles and adding their areas. For angled walls, alcoves, islands or fireplaces, drawing the outline is often easier. Add cutouts for areas that will not receive flooring and add separate rooms for a whole project total.

Information to have ready

1. The room shape and wall measurements.
2. The laminate plank length and width.
3. Planks per pack or coverage per pack.
4. The required expansion gap and joint-offset rules.

Check the installation guide for minimum end-joint spacing, acclimation and batch-mixing advice. Keeping spare boards from the same batch can also make future repairs easier.