By Zencalcy Editorial TeamLast reviewed About us
Carpet is priced and sold by the square yard, and the roll width decides how much you actually buy: a 12 ft roll often forces extra yardage in a room that is 13 ft wide because the second strip is nearly full width. Use this calculator for the raw area, then confirm the roll layout with the installer.
Square yards of carpet and the installed cost.
Area = L × W Units = ⌈Area × (1 + waste) ÷ coverage⌉ Cost = Units × price
One square yard covers 9 sq ft per square yard. Units are rounded up because suppliers sell whole square yards, and the waste allowance covers cuts, mistakes and future repairs.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| L, W | Room length and width (or wall length and height). |
| A | Area to cover, in square feet. |
| w | Waste allowance as a percentage. |
| N | Number of square yards to buy, rounded up. |
144 sq ft is 16 sq yd; with 10% waste you buy 18 sq yd. At $28 per yard the carpet costs about $504.
Continue with the Paint Calculator, Wallpaper Calculator, Tile Calculator, or the Flooring Calculator — or browse more home & garden projects and all construction calculators.
Sixteen. Divide square feet by 9: 144 ÷ 9 = 16 sq yd.
Results use standard construction estimating arithmetic: volumes from measured area and depth, unit weights from published material densities, and code-referenced spans or clearances where the page names a code. Quantities are rounded up to whole saleable units and include the stated waste allowance. These tools are planning aids, not structural design, and do not replace a licensed engineer, a local code check, or a contractor's site measurement.
Reference material used to build and check this calculator:
Last reviewed: September 2026. See how we build and check every tool on the about page.
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Content updated: September 2026