Laminate Flooring Calculator — Packs, Underlay & Waste
Calculate how many packs of laminate flooring you need for any room, plus underlay and skirting or beading. Enter room dimensions and the pack coverage from the label, choose your laying pattern, and get the pack count with waste included.
Free to try — no sign-up
Plan the whole job — not just this calculation
Save results to a project: budget and shopping list build themselves, and the whole plan exports as a PDF. Draw your floor plan and room sizes pre-fill the calculators.
How the pack count is calculated
- 1Room area = length × width
- 2Waste: 5–7% for straight lay, 10–15% for diagonal or herringbone
- 3Packs: area with waste ÷ coverage per pack (printed on the pack label)
- 4Underlay: room area + 10% for overlaps, unless pre-attached to the boards
- 5Skirting or beading: room perimeter − door widths, +10% for mitres
- 6Round up to whole packs — and keep one spare pack for future repairs
Worked example
Bedroom: 4.2 × 3.5 m = 14.7 m². Straight lay (7% waste), packs covering 2.22 m² each.
Area with waste: 15.7 m² → 8 packs. Underlay: 16 m². Beading: approximately 14.5 lm.
Frequently asked questions
How many packs of laminate do I need for a 12×12 room?
A 12×12 ft room is 13.4 m². With 7% waste: 14.3 m². At a typical 2.22 m² per pack: 7 packs. Pack coverage varies by product — always use the figure on the label.
Do I need underlay under laminate?
Yes — 2–3 mm foam or fibreboard underlay for cushioning, sound damping and minor levelling, plus a vapour barrier on concrete subfloors. Skip separate underlay only if it's pre-attached to the boards.
Can I lay laminate in a kitchen or bathroom?
Kitchens: yes, with a water-resistant product and sealed perimeter. Bathrooms: generally no — the fibreboard core swells with standing water. Use vinyl plank (LVP) in wet rooms instead.
Which direction should laminate run?
Along the longest wall or towards the main light source — long sightlines hide joints. Direction changes the cutting waste slightly, which is why the calculator adds a waste factor.
How much extra laminate should I buy?
5–7% for straight lay, up to 15% for patterns — plus one unopened spare pack. Décors get discontinued, so buying a matching pack years later is usually impossible.