Tile Calculator with Grout and Thinset: How Much Should You Buy?
Enter the surface, tile size and joint width. Get tiles with waste, boxes, grout bags and thinset bags in one buy list, plus a to-scale layout drawing. Feet or metres. Runs in your browser.
When to use this
- You are tiling a floor, backsplash or shower wall and want tiles, grout and thinset counted together.
- You want the grout to follow the tile size, joint width and joint depth instead of a rule of thumb.
- You want to see the tile grid drawn on your surface before you order.
How to use
- Choose feet or metres. Enter the length and width of the surface and any area that will not be tiled.
- Enter the tile size, the joint width and the joint depth (normally the tile thickness).
- Set the waste percentage and, if you know it, the number of tiles per box.
- Pick the grout bag size and the trowel notch, or type the coverage printed on your thinset bag.
- Press Calculate tile. Check the buy list, then copy it or download the drawing.
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Report a problem or suggest an improvement
Nothing is sent until you press Send. Your measurements are included only if you tick the box, and you can see the full report below first.
Examples
- 12 x 10 ft floor, 12 in tile, 1/8 in joints: The surface is 120 sq ft. With 10 percent waste you need 130 tiles, which is 13 boxes of 10, about 8.5 lb of grout (one 10 lb bag) and 2 bags of thinset at 90 sq ft per bag.
- Backsplash with a window cut-out: Enter the wall as width by height and the window opening as the area not tiled. Use a smaller joint and tile and watch the grout drop.
Understanding the result
Tiles are counted on a grid of tile plus joint, then the waste percentage is added and the total is rounded up to whole tiles and whole boxes. Grout is the volume of the gap around one tile (joint width x joint depth x the tile's two sides plus the joint) times the number of tiles, turned into weight with a built-in powder density and a 10 percent spare. Thinset is the area divided by the coverage of one bag, with the same spare.
Limitations
- This estimates materials only. It is not a design, waterproofing or building-code check, and it does not judge the floor, the substrate or the load.
- Grout density, the spare percentage and the thinset coverage presets are marked UNSOURCED. Always check the label and coverage chart of the products you buy.
- Only straight rectangular layouts are counted. Diagonal, herringbone, patterned and mosaic sheet layouts need more waste than you may enter here.
- Large-format tile, uneven floors and back-buttering use more thinset than the presets suggest. Epoxy and urethane grouts have different densities.
FAQ
How many tiles do I need for a room?
Divide the area to tile by the area of one tile plus its joint, then add waste and round up. This tool does that, shows the boxes if you give tiles per box, and draws the grid.
How much waste should I add for tile?
About 10 percent is a common starting point for straight layouts. Diagonal layouts, small rooms and many cuts often use 15 percent. Extra tiles also cover future repairs.
How much grout do I need?
It depends on the tile size, joint width and joint depth. Small tiles and wide, deep joints use much more. The tool uses the volume of the gap around each tile and a built-in powder density, so check the coverage chart on your grout bag.
How much thinset do I need?
Thinset bags list a coverage for each trowel notch. Bigger notches use more per square foot. The presets are rough values marked UNSOURCED, so type the coverage from your bag if you can.
Should I subtract the area of a tub or window?
Yes, enter large openings as area not tiled. Small openings can be ignored because the cut tiles around them take the same waste you already added.
Does this tool store my measurements?
No. It runs in your browser. The share link keeps your numbers after the # sign, which is never sent to a server.
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