Quantity & Materials Tool
Carpet Calculator
Calculate carpet needs in Square Yards.
Room Dimensions
# About This Calculator
Thinking about updating your flooring? Carpet adds warmth and comfort to any room, but buying it can be confusing because the industry speaks in Square Yards while we measure our rooms in Square Feet.
This calculator bridges that gap. It converts your room measurements directly into square yards and adds a safety buffer for waste.
Why Square Yards?
Historically, US carpet mills produced fabric in yard-wide looms. While modern rolls are typically 12 or 15 feet wide, the pricing unit remains the "Square Yard" (which is 9 square feet).
Measuring Tips
- Measure into doorways: Don't stop at the wall; measure all the way to the center of the doorway where the carpet will meet the next floor.
- Add 10% Waste: This is crucial. Rooms aren't perfectly square, and you will need extra material to seam pieces together or fit around closets.
How To Use
- Measure the **Length** and **Width** of the room (in feet).
- Enter these values into the calculator.
- The result shows the **Square Yards** needed (including 10% waste).
- Use this number to price check rolls at the store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why square yards instead of square feet?+
Carpet is traditionally sold by the square yard in the US to align with roll manufacturing. One square yard equals 9 square feet. If you have square feet, divide by 9.
How wide are carpet rolls?+
Most residential carpet comes in 12-foot wide rolls. Some expensive lines are available in 15-foot widths to minimize seams in large master bedrooms/living rooms.
Do I need to buy padding?+
Yes, unless the carpet has an attached cushion (common in commercial tiles). You need the exact same amount of padding as carpet (in square yards), effectively doubling the area order.
What is the 10% waste for?+
Waste accounts for cutting to fit the room, seaming (joining two pieces), and pattern matching. For complex rooms with many nooks, prompts generally recommend 15%.
Is Carpet Calculator free to use?+
Yes, Carpet Calculator on Matheric is completely free to use. We believe in accessible education and utility for everyone.
How accurate is Carpet Calculator?+
We use standard mathematical formulas and high-precision computing algorithms to ensure results for Carpet Calculator are accurate for academic and professional use.