SqftKit
SqftKit · Carpet

Carpet calculator

Square feet to square yards, plus waste

Carpet in the United States is commonly priced by the square yard, while tape measures read in feet. A carpet calculator does that conversion and then adds the waste percent you choose. One square yard is exactly nine square feet, because a yard is three feet on each side.

Inputs

Result

Enter the room to see square yards.

Disclaimer: This is an estimate for planning. Measure the real space, read the product label, and confirm anything structural, legal, or financial with a qualified person. Nothing you type is sent to a server.

Hard-surface floors stay in square feet on the flooring calculator. If the project is really a concrete slab, use the ClearQuip concrete calculator.

How to use

  1. Measure each rectangular piece of floor that will get carpet, including closets if they will be covered.
  2. Enter length and width, or paste a total area from the square footage calculator.
  3. Set waste. Seaming a patterned carpet or working around a stair usually needs more than a plain rectangle.
  4. Press Calculate to see net square yards and the order quantity. Reset clears the form.

How it's calculated

Square yards = square feet ÷ 9
Order square yards = square yards × (1 + waste ÷ 100)

The 9 is not an estimate. A square yard is a 3 foot by 3 foot square, so it contains 9 square feet. Waste is applied after that division so the order quantity is still in the unit a carpet quote uses.

Stairs are a poor fit for a single rectangle. Tread depth times width, times the number of treads, is on the stair flooring calculator. Sheet vinyl and hardwood sold by the square foot belong on the flooring calculator.

Worked example

A 12 by 15 foot room is 180 square feet, which is 180 ÷ 9 = 20 square yards exactly. With 10 percent waste you order 22 square yards. If the quote is $28 per square yard, the carpet itself is 22 × 28 = $616 before pad, labor, and tax.

Assumptions and sources

The conversion uses the international foot and the ordinary definition of a yard as three feet. It does not know the roll width, so it cannot place seams. Installers add waste for seam placement and pattern match; put that judgment in the waste percent. Pad is a separate layer and is not calculated here.

FAQ

How many square feet are in a square yard?

Nine. Divide square feet by 9 to get square yards, or multiply square yards by 9 to get square feet.

Why is my quote higher than length times width?

The net area ignores seams, pattern match, and the extra needed to turn a corner. The waste field is where that extra goes.

Should stairs use this page?

Only if you already know their area in square feet. Otherwise measure treads with the stair flooring calculator and add that area.

Does this include carpet pad?

No. Pad is ordered separately, often for the same net area. Ask the seller whether the pad quote already includes waste.

Related tools