How much vinyl flooring do I need for a 20 m² room?

With a straight lay and an 8% waste allowance you need to cover 21.6 m². At a typical vinyl pack coverage of 2.2 m² that is 21.6 ÷ 2.2 = 9.8, so 10 packs. For sheet vinyl, buy the room length off a roll wide enough to cover the width in one piece.

How much waste should I allow for vinyl flooring?

Allow 5% to 8% for a straight lay in a simple rectangular room, 8% to 12% if it has alcoves or angled walls, 10% to 15% for a diagonal lay, and 15% to 20% for herringbone vinyl planks. Sheet vinyl waste depends on room shape rather than pattern.

Is vinyl flooring calculated differently from laminate?

Vinyl planks and tiles use exactly the same pack maths as laminate: m², waste percentage, then round up to whole packs. Sheet vinyl is the exception, because it is sold by the linear metre off a roll, so you size it by room length and roll width instead.

Vinyl flooring calculator

Enter your room size, pick your laying pattern, and this calculator turns square metres into whole packs of vinyl flooring, with a waste allowance matched to the way you plan to lay it. Everything runs here on the page, with nothing to install and no signup.

"Vinyl flooring" actually covers two very different products. Vinyl planks and tiles (LVT) are sold by the pack like laminate, so this calculator gives you packs. Sheet vinyl is sold by the linear metre off a roll, so see the pointer below for how to work that out instead.

Room length (m)Room width (m)Extra area, alcoves or bays (m², optional)Pack coverage (m², printed on the pack, optional)Laying pattern & roomWaste allowance (%), typical for this pattern: 5-8%

Floor area

To buy (+8% waste)

Packs to buy

This is the estimate. The designer lays out every board in your actual room, so the pack count comes from real cuts, not a flat percentage.

See the actual layout free

Planks and tiles: pack coverage is on the label

Vinyl plank and tile packs typically cover between 1.8 and 2.5 m². Enter the exact figure from the box, because coverage varies more between vinyl ranges than laminate ranges, and rounding up to whole packs is where the last-pack decision gets made.

Sheet vinyl is bought by the metre, not the pack

For sheet vinyl, ignore the pack field. Take your longest wall, add an offcut allowance, and buy that length off a roll, which usually comes 2 m, 3 m or 4 m wide. One continuous piece per room avoids seams, so measure the widest point of the room, including doorways.

Click-fit vs glue-down changes the waste, not the maths

Rigid click-fit vinyl wastes like laminate, because offcuts can start the next row, so you can sit at the lower end of each waste range. Glue-down vinyl gives you even more offcut freedom, and loose-lay is similar. The pattern still drives the number.

Frequently asked questions

How much vinyl flooring do I need for a 20 m² room?: With a straight lay and an 8% waste allowance you need to cover 21.6 m². At a typical vinyl pack coverage of 2.2 m² that is 21.6 ÷ 2.2 = 9.8, so 10 packs. For sheet vinyl, buy the room length off a roll wide enough to cover the width in one piece.
How much waste should I allow for vinyl flooring?: Allow 5% to 8% for a straight lay in a simple rectangular room, 8% to 12% if it has alcoves or angled walls, 10% to 15% for a diagonal lay, and 15% to 20% for herringbone vinyl planks. Sheet vinyl waste depends on room shape rather than pattern.
Is vinyl flooring calculated differently from laminate?: Vinyl planks and tiles use exactly the same pack maths as laminate: m², waste percentage, then round up to whole packs. Sheet vinyl is the exception, because it is sold by the linear metre off a roll, so you size it by room length and roll width instead.