Wallpaper Calculator

Wallpaper is bought in rolls, and how many you need depends on the pattern as much as the wall. A plain paper wastes almost nothing; a large floral can waste a quarter of every roll, because each drop must begin at the same point in the design. This calculator accounts for that repeat instead of dividing area by roll size and leaving you short.

How to use it

1. Enter the room dimensions and wall height.
2. Enter the pattern repeat from the roll label — 0 for a plain paper.
3. Read the number of rolls, and buy them all from one batch.

Examples

• A 12 x 10 room with 10 ft walls in plain paper: 8 rolls.
• The same room in a 60 cm repeat pattern: 12 rolls — half as many again.

Frequently asked questions

How many wallpaper rolls do I need?

Divide the wall area by the usable area of a roll, then add for the pattern repeat. A standard roll is about 5.3 square metres before waste. A 12 by 10 room with 10 foot walls takes around 8 plain rolls, or 12 if the pattern has a large repeat.

What is a pattern repeat and why does it waste paper?

It is the vertical distance before the design starts again, printed on the roll label. Every drop must begin at the same point in the pattern, so up to one full repeat is trimmed from each length. A 64 cm repeat can waste roughly a quarter of the roll, which is why it changes the order so much.

What size is a standard wallpaper roll?

Most European rolls are 10 metres long and 53 centimetres wide, about 5.3 square metres. Some are wider, and hand-printed or imported papers vary. Check the label before ordering, because a different roll size changes the count.

Why must all rolls come from the same batch?

Ink shade shifts slightly between print runs, and the difference is invisible in the shop but obvious on a wall in daylight. Every roll carries a batch number — buy them together, check the numbers match, and order the spare roll now rather than later.