ContractorHandbook

How Much Flooring for 2,000 Square Feet?

Boxes to order

98 boxes

2,000 square feet of floor, ten percent waste, boxes of 22.5 square feet.

It does not stop at a number.

When the figures look right, the flooring material list downloads as a real PDF with your business details on it, built inside your own browser. Nothing you type is uploaded anywhere.

waste10%room area, sq ftone box covers a fixed number of square feetarea with waste / coverage per box = boxes, rounded up
Flooring is sold by the box and installed by the plank, so the only number that matters on the label is the square feet per box. The waste allowance covers the cut at each wall and the offcut that starts the next row.

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 area2000 sq ft
  • Coverage per box or carton22.5 sq ft
  • Waste allowance10 %

Boxes to order98 boxes

Floor area2,000 sq ft
With 10% waste2,200 sq ft
Boxes at 22.5 sq ft98
Coverage bought2,205 sq ft
Left over205 sq ftkeep it for repairs

The material list this produces

Flooring, boxes98
Underlayment, sq ft2,000
Transition strips, each2

Waste allowance compared

Waste is set by how you lay it, not by how careful you are. Straight lay to herringbone, same room.

Waste allowanceBoxes to orderWith 10% wasteLeft over
5%94 boxes2,100 sq ft115 sq ft
10%98 boxes2,200 sq ft205 sq ft
15%103 boxes2,300 sq ft317.5 sq ft
20%107 boxes2,400 sq ft407.5 sq ft

What else matters here

Two thousand square feet plus ten percent is 2,200, ninety eight cartons, 2,205 bought. Five square feet of margin, so order a hundred.

The carton size is the assumption on this page doing the most work, and it varies more than people expect. The same two thousand square feet is a hundred and twenty three boxes at an 18 square foot carton, ninety eight at 22.5, and seventy four at 30. Some engineered hardwood comes in cartons under twenty square feet, and wide plank laminate often runs past thirty.

So compare products on price per square foot, never on price per box, and put the real carton figure in the coverage field before ordering. The number is printed on the end of the box and on the spec sheet. Ordering ninety eight cartons of something that turns out to hold 18 square feet each leaves a job four hundred square feet short.

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 2,000 square feet?

About 98 boxes at 22.5 square feet each, which leaves only five square feet of margin, so order 100.

How many square feet are in a box of flooring?

Commonly 18 to 30, and sometimes less for engineered hardwood or more for wide plank laminate. It is printed on the end of the carton.

Should I compare flooring by price per box?

No. Carton coverage varies from under 20 to over 30 square feet, so the only fair comparison is price per square foot.

Different numbers?

The flooring calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.

Other common sizes