Carpet usually comes in 12′ and 15′ wide widths, and is sold by the square yard, which is equivalent to an area 3 feet by 3 feet. Waste is usually figured at 10%.

To convert square feet into square yards, either enter the dimensions of your room (in feet and inches) in our calculator below, or divide the number of square feet in your room by 9, then add on 10% or so for waste.

Width

feet

inches

x

Length

feet

inches

+
% waste

Tags: , calculator, carpet

13 Comments on “Carpet Calculator”

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1. lee adams Says:
   January 12th, 2008 at 8:02 am

   Am I missing something. The instructions don’t say how to calculate amount of carpet, wood flooring, tile etc. needed.

   Do you multiply the width X Depth and divide by three to get square yards etc.

   It has been so long since I have figured how to do this that I have forgotten.

   Sorry if I seem so dense, but I need to measure for wood flooring for my upstairs.

   Thanks for your help.

2. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   February 25th, 2008 at 6:20 pm

   Lee,
   To find the number of square feet or square yards in your room, just type the dimensions of your room in the boxes above and click on the calculate button.
   If you want do the calculations yourself, the formula is:
   width x length = square feet
   Divide that number by 9 to get the number of square yards.

3. KATHY CALDINE Says:
   April 23rd, 2008 at 3:53 pm

   How do I find the required amount of carpet when my rooms all run together? The main floor of my Townhouse is all open. Do I take the dimensions of the entire floor and subtract the SQ ft of the unuseable space (like the open stairs, bath, foyer and kitchen)?

4. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   November 20th, 2008 at 11:50 am

   Kathy,
   Depending on how many nooks and crannies there are, you can either subtract the parts that are not included from the whole, or divide the room up into various sections and add the square feet for each of them together.

5. Donna Berry Says:
   July 23rd, 2009 at 4:03 pm

   If I am pouring concrete how do i measure the sq yards width by length but what about the depth of the mix

6. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   August 4th, 2009 at 10:58 am

   Hi Donna,
   To find the number of cubic cubic yards of concrete needed, multilply the length x width x depth in yards (or fractions of a yard). One cubic yard of concrete equals a volume of 3′ x 3′ x 3′, which is the same as 27 cubic feet, so you can also measure it in feet (or fractions of a foot), then divide the total by 27 to find the number of yards. For example, to calculate the yards of concrete needed for a slab 12′ x 12′ x 4″, multiply 12 x 12 x 0.33 = 47.52 cubic feet ÷ 27 = 1.76 yards. Another way of thinking about it, is that a 4″ thick slab 9′ x 9′ equals one yard of concrete.

7. Ed Says:
   August 12th, 2009 at 6:51 pm

   Danny,

   need the correct formula to calculate measurements for replacing shingles on a roof. How many yards do I need for the job. (e.g.) 50×14 = Sq Yrds?

   Thanks, Ed

8. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   August 13th, 2009 at 11:05 am

   Hi Ed,
   Roof shinges are measure by the square which equals 100 square feet and usually comes packaged as 3 or 4 bundles of asphalt shingles. To find out how many squares you need, multiply the width of the area times the length in feet and divide by 100 (i.e. 20′w x 10′h = 200 sq. ft. ÷ 100 = 2 squares). It’s usually a good idea to add 1% to 5% in for waste. You can find out more about roofs and roofing in our article How to Choose a Roof for Your Home.

9. love2succeed Says:
   April 19th, 2010 at 11:17 am

   I am not understanding why a room that is 19 X 19 (which is 361 sq ft) would need 45 yards of carpet.

   Isn’t 361/9 the square yards? I have heard that I need 45 sq yards, 50 sq. yards 60 sq. yards… Why are there such huge differences. What would the result be if I only brough 45 square yards?

10. 

    Ben Erickson Says:
    April 20th, 2010 at 11:26 am

    That is correct, to convert square feet to square yard, you divide the number of square feet by 9. Since carpeting comes in limited widths (usually 12′ and 15′) and is sold either by the linear foot or yard in length, you need to be sure you buy enough to fit your room. In your case you would probably need to buy two pieces 12′ wide by 20′ long for a total of 480 square feet or 53.33 square yards.

11. Judy Shuford Says:
    April 28th, 2011 at 8:35 am

    I can’t get the calculator to work. my 2 rooms are 12×12. do you come out for such small rooms. I have 2 of them.

    looking for a beige color, for kids room.
    I am in Beasley, Tx (outside Rosenberg 10 minutes off of 59S
    Do you move furniture, or do I need to have it out.
    Also need padding, do you do the one that helps if pets wet on it, to keep it dry.

    thanks

12. 

    Ben Erickson Says:
    April 29th, 2011 at 8:22 am

    Hi Judy,
    To use the calculator for your rooms, just put 12 in the feet boxes under width and length, and click on the “calculate” button. For your 12 x 12 rooms, you would need 16 square yards each of carpet, plus any additional amount you need to include for waste. We do not do remodeling work outside the Mobile, Alabama, area. Good luck with your carpeting project!

13. betty Says:
    July 3rd, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    I needed help on how to measure a room, by chance I got this site, I am very glad I did Thank you.
    Betty

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