How Much Flooring for 500 Square Feet?
Boxes to order
25 boxes
500 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 area500 sq ft
- Coverage per box or carton22.5 sq ft
- Waste allowance10 %
Boxes to order25 boxes
| Floor area | 500 sq ft |
|---|---|
| With 10% waste | 550 sq ft |
| Boxes at 22.5 sq ft | 25 |
| Coverage bought | 562.5 sq ft |
| Left over | 62.5 sq ftkeep it for repairs |
The material list this produces
| Flooring, boxes | 25 |
|---|---|
| Underlayment, sq ft | 500 |
| 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% | 24 boxes | 525 sq ft | 40 sq ft |
| 10% | 25 boxes | 550 sq ft | 62.5 sq ft |
| 15% | 26 boxes | 575 sq ft | 85 sq ft |
| 20% | 27 boxes | 600 sq ft | 107.5 sq ft |
What else matters here
Five hundred square feet with ten percent is 550, twenty five cartons, 562.5 bought.
This is a good size to see what the waste allowance actually costs, because the answer is boxes rather than percentages. At five percent it is twenty four cartons, at ten it is twenty five, at fifteen twenty six, and at twenty percent twenty seven. The whole range from a plain straight lay to a full herringbone is three boxes.
Which means the pattern decision is cheap and the guess about the pattern is not. Pick five percent only for a simple rectangle with long uninterrupted runs. Ten covers a normal room. Fifteen covers a diagonal lay or a plan cut up with closets, angles and islands. Twenty is for herringbone and chevron, where every plank is cut twice. Ordering short costs a second delivery and a dye lot risk, and ordering long costs one carton you keep anyway.
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 500 square feet?
About 25 boxes at 22.5 square feet each, covering 500 square feet with a ten percent waste allowance.
How much difference does the waste allowance make?
At 500 square feet it is 24 boxes at five percent and 27 at twenty. Three boxes covers the whole range from a straight lay to herringbone.
What waste allowance is right for herringbone?
Around twenty percent. Every plank is cut on both ends, and the pattern has to be set out from the center, so the offcuts are less reusable than in a straight lay.
The flooring calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.