How much extra flooring should I order?

Ten percent for straight laying in a simple room, fifteen to twenty for diagonal or patterned work. Keep a box spare too, since a later batch will not match the shade.

Why does a narrow room cost more per square metre?

Because skirting runs on the perimeter and not the area. A long thin room has more edge for the same floor, so the per-square-metre figure rises.

Construction & Homefinishing

Flooring Cost Calculator

Flooring cost from room dimensions, separating the area to cover from the area to order. Ordering the exact floor area is the standard mistake: every edge cut wastes part of a tile, and a second delivery rarely matches the first batch.

Also called: tile cost calculator, flooring estimate.

Flooring cost

₹34,446

₹34,446 for 23.1 square metres, with ₹22,869 of material and ₹8,085 of labour. Order 25.4 square metres to cover 23.1. The 10% difference is edge cuts and breakage, and material is priced on the larger figure while labour is paid on the smaller. Skirting runs 19.4 metres on the perimeter rather than the area, which is why a long narrow room costs more per square metre than a square one. Keep a box spare: a later batch will not match the shade of this one. Rates vary by city, season and contractor. Treat the figure as a budget with a stated contingency, not a quotation.

Floor area

23.1

Area to order, with wastage

25.41

Material

₹22,869

Labour

₹8,085

Skirting

₹3,492

Cost a square metre

₹1,491

Perimeter

19.4

On wastage

Order 25.4 square metres to cover 23.1. The 10% difference is edge cuts and breakage, and material is priced on the larger figure while labour is paid on the smaller.

On ordering

Skirting runs 19.4 metres on the perimeter rather than the area, which is why a long narrow room costs more per square metre than a square one. Keep a box spare: a later batch will not match the shade of this one. Rates vary by city, season and contractor. Treat the figure as a budget with a stated contingency, not a quotation.

How this is calculated

Where the cost sits

Material ₹22,869 (66%)Labour ₹8,085 (23%)Skirting ₹3,492 (10%)Underlay ₹0 (0%)

The estimate

Item	Quantity	Rate	Amount
Material	25.41 sqm	₹900	₹22,869
Laying labour	23.1 sqm	₹350	₹8,085
Skirting	19.4 m	₹180	₹3,492
Underlay or levelling	23.1 sqm	₹0	₹0

Method and background

How this is calculated

The floor area is straightforward and the ordering quantity is not. Ten percent wastage covers straight laying in a simple rectangle; diagonal or patterned laying wastes fifteen to twenty, and a room with alcoves more again. The reason to overbuy is not only the cuts: tile and timber are made in batches with visible shade variation between them, so a shortfall solved by a second order tends to show. Skirting runs on the perimeter rather than the area, which is why a long narrow room costs more per square metre than a square one of the same size.

the area to buy is larger than the area to cover, because every cut at an edge wastes part of a tile

l: Length
w: Width
s: Wastage

Worked examples

Each of these is asserted on every build. If a change to the engine ever moved one of these answers, the build would fail before the page could print it.

a 5.5 by 4.2 metre room

Room length: 5.5 m
Room width: 4.2 m
Rooms of this size: 1
Material rate a square metre: ₹900
Laying rate a square metre: ₹350
Wastage: 10%
Skirting a running metre: ₹180
Underlay or levelling a square metre: ₹0

Flooring cost₹34,446

23.1 sqm plus 10% wastage at 900

Open this example

diagonal laying wastes more

Room length: 5.5 m
Room width: 4.2 m
Rooms of this size: 1
Material rate a square metre: ₹900
Laying rate a square metre: ₹350
Wastage: 20%
Skirting a running metre: ₹180
Underlay or levelling a square metre: ₹0

Flooring cost₹36,525

boundary: 10 more points of wastage adds 2,079 to the material alone

Open this example

Method and limits

What it assumes

Rectangular rooms, with the perimeter taken from the same dimensions.

What it deliberately does not model

Subfloor repair, levelling and old floor removal are separate line items and often substantial.
Doorway thresholds, trims and adhesives are not costed here.

Formula version 1.0.0 · definition 1.0.0 · India · Report a problem with this calculator

Frequently asked questions

How much extra flooring should I order?: Ten percent for straight laying in a simple room, fifteen to twenty for diagonal or patterned work. Keep a box spare too, since a later batch will not match the shade.
Why does a narrow room cost more per square metre?: Because skirting runs on the perimeter and not the area. A long thin room has more edge for the same floor, so the per-square-metre figure rises.