List every room or part of a home with its shape and size, take away stairwells or fixed cabinets, and get the total square footage, the flooring to buy with waste, its cost, and the price per square foot.
Typed units work too: 12' 6" or 3 m 20 cm
ft
ft
ft
ft
ft
ft
ft
ft
ft
ft
Total square footage
628 sq ft
Total in m²
58.34 m²
Square yards
69.78 sq yd
Rooms before take-aways
640 sq ft
Taken away
12 sq ft
Area of each room
Area
sq ft
Share
Living room
300
46.9%
Bedroom
168
26.3%
Kitchen
132
20.6%
Hall
40
6.2%
Stairwell
−12
—
Flooring to buy
%
About 10% for straight runs, 15% or more for diagonal or patterned layouts
sq ft
Printed on the box: tiles, planks or laminate
Flooring to buy
690.8 sq ft
$
Material only, or installed
Flooring cost
$3,108.60
Price per square foot of a home
$
sq ft
A seller's built-up or super built-up figure, to compare with what you measured
Price per sq ft measured
$557.32
Price per m² measured
$5,998.99
How to use the square footage calculator
Choose your unit, then enter each room's shape and size. Name rooms so the breakdown is easy to read.
Add stairwells, kitchen islands or other parts that don't get flooring as areas to take away.
Set the waste allowance and price for flooring, or a property price to see its price per square foot.
Worked example
A flat has a living room 20 × 15 ft (300 sq ft), a bedroom 14 × 12 (168), a kitchen 12 × 11 (132) and a hall 8 × 5 (40), with a 4 × 3 ft stairwell to leave out. The total is 640 − 12 = 628 sq ft (58.34 m²). New flooring with 10% waste needs 690.8 sq ft. If the home sells for $350,000, that's $557.32 per square foot; if the seller quotes 816.4 sq ft, the quoted area carries 30% loading.
Formulas
Total = sum of every room − areas taken away
Flooring to buy = total × (1 + waste %); boxes = flooring ÷ coverage per box, rounded up
Price per sq ft = price ÷ total; loading = quoted area ÷ measured area − 1
For a single shape or a quick conversion, the square feet calculator is simpler. Measuring standards: ANSI Z765 (US single-family homes) and the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, section 2(k) (India).
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the square footage of a house?
Measure each room's length and width, work out each area and add them up. A living room 20 × 15 ft, a bedroom 14 × 12, a kitchen 12 × 11 and a hall 8 × 5 come to 640 sq ft; take away a 4 × 3 ft stairwell and the total is 628 sq ft. Rooms that aren't rectangles can be entered as L-shapes, triangles, circles and other shapes.
What counts in a home's square footage?
It depends on who is measuring. In the US, appraisers following the ANSI Z765 standard count finished space above ground with a ceiling of at least 7 ft; garages and basements are reported separately. In India, RERA defines carpet area as the net usable floor area of the flat, including internal partition walls but not the external walls, service shafts, or exclusive balconies and terraces. Built-up and super built-up areas add walls and a share of common areas.
How much extra flooring should I buy?
Allow about 10% extra for planks or tiles laid straight, and 15% or more for diagonal or patterned layouts, which need more cuts. For 628 sq ft with 10% that's 690.8 sq ft. Enter the coverage printed on a box and the calculator rounds up to whole boxes.
What is loading, and how do I compare prices per square foot?
In India many flats are priced on super built-up area, which adds a share of lobbies, stairs and other common areas to the flat itself. Loading is how much bigger the quoted area is than the area you measured: 816.4 sq ft quoted for 628 sq ft measured is 30% loading. Comparing price per square foot of measured area shows what you really pay for the space you live in.
Should I measure inside or outside the walls?
For flooring, carpet and paint, measure inside each room, wall to wall. For a property's size, follow the standard used where you live (outside walls for US gross living area under ANSI Z765, the RERA carpet area definition in India). The calculator adds up whatever you measure.
