Guide
How much extra flooring should you allow for waste?
How much waste to add when ordering flooring, why the figure changes with the room and pattern, and how to avoid running short.
By Maximum Flooring
For laminate, LVT and tiles, a common rule is to add around 10% to the measured floor area for waste, then round up to whole packs. Simple rooms may need less, while diagonal layouts, herringbone and rooms with lots of cuts often need 15% or more. Carpet and sheet vinyl work differently, because they are cut from fixed-width rolls.
Every flooring job produces offcuts. Planks and tiles are cut to fit at walls, doorways, pipes and around kitchen units, and some of those offcuts are too short or the wrong shape to use elsewhere. The waste allowance makes sure there is enough material to finish the job without a second order.
Typical waste allowances for planks and tiles
| Situation | Rough allowance |
|---|---|
| Simple rectangular room, straight layout | Around 5% to 10% |
| Standard room with a few doorways or obstacles | Around 10% |
| Diagonal layout | Around 15% |
| Pattern or decor that needs matching | Around 15% |
| Herringbone, chevron or complex room shapes | Around 15% to 20%, sometimes more |
These are planning figures, not fixed rules. Some manufacturers give their own guidance for a product, particularly for herringbone, and that should take priority. The real allowance depends on the room, the plank or tile size and the layout, and an on-site measure fine-tunes it.
Why the allowance changes
- Room shape. An L-shaped room, bay window or room with several doorways creates more cuts and more unusable offcuts.
- Plank size. Long, wide planks can produce bigger offcuts at the end of each row. Very small tiles produce less waste per cut but more cuts overall.
- Layout. Laying at an angle means almost every edge piece is cut, which is why diagonal and herringbone layouts need more.
- Staggering. Click flooring needs the end joints between rows staggered by a minimum distance set by the manufacturer, so not every offcut can start the next row.
- Damaged boards. Occasional boards with chipped edges or a decor you would rather not use add to the need for spares.
Round up to whole packs
Laminate and LVT are sold by the pack, with the coverage printed on the box. Once you have your area plus waste, divide it by the coverage per pack and round up to the next whole pack. For example, 20 m² plus 10% is 22 m². At 2.2 m² per pack that is exactly 10 packs, but at 2.1 m² per pack it is just under 10.5, so you would need 11. Our floor area calculator does this step for you.
Carpet and sheet vinyl are different
Carpet and sheet vinyl come off rolls in fixed widths, commonly 4 m and 5 m for carpet. You buy a length off the roll at that width, so the “waste” depends on how the room’s shape fits the roll, not on a percentage. A 3.5 m wide room cut from a 4 m roll leaves a 0.5 m strip down one side, and a 4.2 m wide room might need a seam or a wider roll. Pattern repeats on patterned carpet add more.
That is why carpet quantities are best worked out from an accurate plan or a home measure, which also decides where any seams sit. Stairs are measured differently again; see measuring carpet for stairs and landings.
Why running short is worse than a little extra
If you run out part-way through, a top-up order may come from a different production batch (dye lot), which can be a visible mismatch in shade or texture. The product may also have been discontinued. Ordering a sensible allowance at the start avoids both problems; see checking flooring bought online for how to check batch numbers on delivery.
Keep any unopened packs and usable offcuts after fitting. Many retailers accept returns of unopened packs within their returns period, and spare boards from the same batch are invaluable if a plank or tile ever needs replacing.
Common questions
Is 10% waste enough for laminate?
For most standard rooms laid in straight rows, yes. If the room is irregular, has several doorways, or you are laying diagonally, allow more.
How much extra should I order for herringbone?
Usually more than a standard layout, often around 15% to 20%. Check the manufacturer’s recommendation for the specific product, as herringbone planks come in different sizes and some ranges give their own figure.
Do I need extra flooring for doorways?
Yes. Measure into each doorway to where the floor will finish, normally under the closed door, and include that area. Doorways also create extra cuts, which the allowance covers.
Next step
Use the floor area calculator, which adds your chosen waste allowance and estimates packs. If you are buying flooring for us to fit, send the details through our fitting-only page before ordering so the quantity can be sense-checked.