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Paint Calculator

Estimate wall area, paint volume, can count, and total paint cost—with doors, windows, coats, and waste included.

Free · Instant · No sign-up
01

Enter your details

Results update instantly as you type.

DECISION GUIDE

How to use this result in a real decision.

How much paint should be purchased without treating every wall as a perfect, single-coat surface? Start with net wall area, multiply by the planned coats and waste allowance, then divide by the coverage printed on the actual product label. Round up only after calculating the total volume.

WORKED EXAMPLE

A 12 ft × 12 ft room with 8 ft walls

Inputs
384 sq ft of gross wall area, 50 sq ft of doors and windows, two coats, 350 sq ft per gallon and 10% waste.
Calculated result
Net area is 334 sq ft. Two coats plus waste require about 2.10 gallons, so three 1-gallon cans are needed if that is the available size.
Decision meaning
The third can is not evidence that 3 gallons will be used. It is the purchase quantity after openings, coats, coverage and package size are made explicit.

Check before acting

  • Use the coverage range on the selected paint rather than a generic average.
  • Measure each opening and decide separately whether the ceiling, doors and trim are included.
  • Increase the allowance for porous repairs, heavy texture or a major color change.

Not included automatically

  • Primer, ceiling paint and separate trim or door coatings
  • Labor, tools, masking materials and surface repair
  • Product-specific drying, recoat and application requirements

How to use it

A better estimate in three steps.

  1. 01

    Enter the room dimensions and subtract openings.

  2. 02

    Set coats and the coverage printed on your paint can.

  3. 03

    Compare waste allowances before buying.

Core formula

The math behind the result.

Paint needed = (net wall area × coats × (1 + waste rate)) ÷ paint coverage

Guides

Questions

Useful before you decide.

How much extra paint should I buy?

A 10% allowance is a practical starting point for normal walls. Detailed trim, textured surfaces, repairs, and strong color changes may require more.

Does this include the ceiling?

Not automatically. Add the ceiling as a separate rectangular surface or include its area by increasing the calculated paintable area.

Why can the can count look high?

The calculator rounds up to whole cans so the estimate reflects what can actually be purchased.