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How Much Hardwood Flooring Should I Order? Square Footage and Waste Allowance
Running short on flooring mid-install is expensive and can mean boards from a different batch. Here is how to measure and how much extra to add.
Quick answers
How do I calculate how much hardwood flooring I need?
Measure the length and width of each room in feet, multiply to get square feet, and add the rooms together. Include closets. Then add a waste allowance and round up to full bundles or cartons.
How much extra flooring should I order for waste?
As a rule of thumb, add about 5 to 10 percent for a straight-laid floor, about 10 to 15 percent for a diagonal layout, and about 10 to 15 percent or more for herringbone or chevron. Rooms with many angles need more.
Should I keep leftover flooring?
Yes. Keep at least one full bundle or carton for future repairs. Boards from a later batch may not match in color or grain.
Do I order more for wide plank or character grade?
Often, yes. Wide boards and character grades leave more cut-offs and more boards you may want to cull for color, so plan toward the top of the waste range.
The short answer
Measure the total square footage of every area getting the new floor, add a waste allowance that matches your layout, and round up to whole bundles. For most straight-laid floors that means ordering about 5 to 10 percent more than the measured area. For herringbone and chevron, plan on 10 to 15 percent or more.
Step 1: Measure each room
Measure the length and width of each room at the longest and widest points, in feet.
Multiply length by width to get square feet.
Break L-shaped rooms into rectangles and add them together.
Include closets, hallways and any areas under appliances that will get flooring.
Add every room together for your total measured area.
Step 2: Add the right waste allowance
Waste covers cut-offs at walls, boards culled for defects or color, and mistakes. The pattern you choose has the biggest effect:
Layout | Typical waste allowance |
Straight lay, simple rooms | About 5 to 10% |
Diagonal lay | About 10 to 15% |
Herringbone or chevron | About 10 to 15% or more |
Many angles, stairs, borders | Higher; ask us |
These are general rules of thumb. Your installer or our team can confirm the right number for your floor plan. Learn more about pattern floors in herringbone vs. chevron.
Step 3: Do the math
Example: a living room, dining room and hall measure 480 square feet in total. For a straight-laid floor with 10 percent waste, order 480 x 1.10 = 528 square feet. For a herringbone floor with 15 percent waste, order 480 x 1.15 = 552 square feet. Then round up to the next full bundle or carton.
Step 4: Think about the boards themselves
Wide planks and long lengths leave larger offcuts. See the wide plank buying guide.
Character grades have more variation, so you may cull more boards for looks.
Order all of your flooring at once so it comes from the same production run.
Keep a spare bundle for future repairs.
Step 5: Order early
Custom-milled flooring is not pulled off a shelf. For our custom flooring, expect about 2 to 3 weeks for most orders and 4 to 6 weeks for specialty orders. Leave time for delivery and acclimation before installation. Still choosing? Compare engineered vs. solid hardwood and white oak vs. red oak vs. walnut.
Talk to a wood flooring specialist
Not sure which option fits your project? Call 908-232-6600 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern), visit our showroom at 406B West Broad Street in Westfield, New Jersey, or book a virtual consultation. We work with homeowners, architects and designers across New Jersey, New York City and the East Coast, and serve clients nationwide.
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About the author
Joe Avila has 26 years in the wood flooring trade. He is an NWFA-certified wood flooring inspector, installer and sander, and for more than a decade he has taught accredited continuing-education programs for AIA, ASID and IDCEC audiences, training thousands of architects and design professionals in how to specify wood flooring correctly.
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