Carpet Calculator
Carpet is priced by the square yard and cut from a wide roll (broadloom), so it's ordered differently from boxed flooring. Enter your room area for the square yards — and the run of broadloom — to buy.
Carpet
24.4sq yd
- Broadloom
- 18.3 linear ft
- Room area
- 200 sq ft
How it’s calculated
Square yards = area × (1 + waste) ÷ 9, since 1 square yard is exactly 9 square feet. Linear feet of broadloom = area × (1 + waste) ÷ roll width — how long a piece comes off a 12- or 15-foot-wide roll. Both carry the waste allowance, because carpet is cut from the roll and offcuts and seam matching are unavoidable.
Worked example
A 200 sq ft room, 12-ft broadloom, 10% waste: 200 × 1.10 = 220 sq ft → 220 ÷ 9 = 24.4 sq yd, or 220 ÷ 12 = 18.3 linear ft off a 12-ft roll.
FAQs
- Why is carpet sold by the square yard?
- It's the long-standing trade unit — carpet is woven and priced by the square yard (9 sq ft). Many retailers now also quote a per-square-foot price, but the roll and the estimate still work in yards, so it helps to have both.
- What is broadloom width and why does it matter?
- Broadloom is carpet woven on a wide loom and sold off a roll, almost always 12 feet wide (sometimes 15). A room wider than the roll needs a seam, and the installer plans seam placement and the pile (run) direction — which is why a bit of extra is ordered.
- How much extra carpet should I add?
- About 10% for a simple rectangular room. Add more for stairs, long hallways, rooms wider than the roll (seams), and patterned carpet, which wastes material lining the pattern up across seams. Pile direction must be consistent, so pieces can't always be turned to fit.
Sources
- Square yards = area × (1 + waste) ÷ 9 (9 sq ft = 1 sq yd, exact); broadloom linear feet = area × (1 + waste) ÷ roll width. Geometry.