How Much Flooring for 1,200 Square Feet?
Boxes to order
59 boxes
1,200 square feet of floor, ten percent waste, boxes of 22.5 square feet.
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How that number is worked out
These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.
- Floor area1200 sq ft
- Coverage per box or carton22.5 sq ft
- Waste allowance10 %
Boxes to order59 boxes
| Floor area | 1,200 sq ft |
|---|---|
| With 10% waste | 1,320 sq ft |
| Boxes at 22.5 sq ft | 59 |
| Coverage bought | 1,327.5 sq ft |
| Left over | 127.5 sq ftkeep it for repairs |
The material list this produces
| Flooring, boxes | 59 |
|---|---|
| Underlayment, sq ft | 1,200 |
| Transition strips, each | 2 |
Waste allowance compared
Waste is set by how you lay it, not by how careful you are. Straight lay to herringbone, same room.
| Waste allowance | Boxes to order | With 10% waste | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% | 56 boxes | 1,260 sq ft | 60 sq ft |
| 10% | 59 boxes | 1,320 sq ft | 127.5 sq ft |
| 15% | 62 boxes | 1,380 sq ft | 195 sq ft |
| 20% | 64 boxes | 1,440 sq ft | 240 sq ft |
What else matters here
Twelve hundred square feet with ten percent is 1,320, fifty nine cartons, 1,327.5 bought. Seven and a half square feet of margin over the allowance, which is worth one extra box.
Fifty nine cartons is a delivery, not a trip to the store. Boxes of laminate and vinyl plank typically run somewhere around thirty to fifty pounds, so this order is roughly a ton of material arriving on a pallet, and where it is put matters.
Lay it flat and spread it out across the floor rather than stacking it in one tall pile in the middle of a room, which concentrates the load on a small area of joists. Keep it inside the conditioned space rather than in a garage, open or slit the cartons if the instruction says to, and give it the acclimation time the manufacturer asks for before any of it is cut.
What this calculator assumes
- 10 percent waste covers a straight lay in a simple rectangle. Go to 15 for a diagonal or herringbone lay, and 20 if the room is cut up with closets and angles.
- Buy the whole job in one delivery. Dye lot and batch shade move between production runs, and a single replacement box six months later will not match.
Questions people ask
How many boxes of flooring for 1,200 square feet?
About 59 boxes at 22.5 square feet each, which leaves only seven and a half square feet over the waste allowance, so order 60.
How much does a pallet of flooring weigh?
Cartons commonly run thirty to fifty pounds each, so an order this size is roughly a ton. Spread it out rather than stacking it all in one spot.
Where should flooring be stored before installation?
Inside the conditioned space where it is going, laid flat and spread across the floor, for whatever acclimation period the manufacturer specifies.
The flooring calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.