Tile and Grout Calculator — Cartons of Tile and Bags of Grout

Tile cartons and grout bags, from the grout maker’s own chart for your tile and joint.

Showing US units

Tile to order EXAMPLE9 cartons15.2 sq ft each, covers 136.8 sq ft, 10% extra for wasteand 1 bag (25 lb) of CUSTOM Polyblend Plus Sanded Grout, 10% extra for waste

An answer marked EXAMPLE is worked out from the page’s sample values. Type your own over the values marked SAMPLE to make it yours.

sq ftSAMPLE

The area of the finished surface to be tiled, measured out to where the tile stops. Measure it in rectangles and add them up.

inSAMPLE

Taken from the tile box: the actual face size along the tile’s length, not the size it is sold as. The two sides come up short by different amounts. The sample is Daltile’s San Michele cross-cut tile sold as 12 by 24, which its sheet prints as 11-5/8 by 23-7/16 in — exactly 295.275 by 595.3125 mm; the sheet’s own centimeter column does not match its inches, so the sample uses the inches, and the vein-cut tile of the same name is narrower. Read the size off the tile’s own box or sheet rather than converting the name.

inSAMPLE

Taken from the tile box: the actual face size across the tile’s width.

inSAMPLE

Taken from the tile box, or the stamp on the back of the tile. The coverage charts are drawn for a joint filled to the full thickness, which is why this changes the answer as much as the joint width does.

inSAMPLE

Measured from the edge of one tile to the edge of the next. The rule of thumb the makers print is three times the variation between tiles in the box — so a rectified tile takes a narrower joint than a calibrated one. For the sample tile, Daltile’s sheet recommends a ⅛ in (3.175 mm) joint, and 3/16 in (4.7625 mm) “when multiple sizes are installed in a modular pattern, and when installed in a staggered brick-joint pattern”.

sq ftSAMPLE

Taken from the carton. It is not derivable from the tile size. Two brands under the same parent print 15.20 and 17.60 sq ft for the same nominal 12 by 24 tile — eight pieces to one carton and nine to the other. In metric, 15.20 sq ft is 1.412126208 m², the sample here.

Each maker publishes its own chart and they differ by more than rounding — 386 square feet against 348 for the same tile at the same joint, from the same weight of bag.

Published for a 25 lb bag.

Grout is ordered by weight, so the only thing this changes is how much is left over. The smaller box is not offered for every grout — this one publishes two sizes and the other publishes one.

The size the coverage chart above is written for.

Applies to Tile.

10%

Starts at 10% — this calculator’s own starting point, not a figure published for this. Crossville reports that most installers recommend ordering 10 to 15 percent extra tile, and it ties no figure to a room shape, a tile size or a layout; the calculator starts at the low end and leaves the rest to the room. Change it to match the room: odd shapes, complex layouts and large or irregular tile take more. Source

Applies to Grout.

10%

Starts at 10% — this calculator’s own starting point, not a figure published for this. LATICRETE writes that 10 percent extra grout is customary for its own grouts; neither maker of the grouts offered here prints an allowance, so the calculator starts at LATICRETE’s figure. Change it to match how much is likely to be lost mixing and cleaning up. Source

Tile to order EXAMPLE9 cartons15.2 sq ft each, covers 136.8 sq ft, 10% extra for waste

Grout 1 bag (25 lb) of CUSTOM Polyblend Plus Sanded Grout, 10% extra for waste

A 120 square foot floor, in the tile, joint and carton entered above.

Tile — how the quantity was worked out
The job needs120.0 sq ft
Plus 10% for waste132.0 sq ft
Buying 9 cartons (15.2 sq ft each) covers136.8 sq ft
Left over4.8 sq ft

Cartons are whole cartons, and the leftover is the reason the trade keeps some back rather than returning it — tile from a later run is a different dye lot. The grout is counted on its own line, from the maker’s own published chart.

Not counted in these quantities: attic stock, tile bought and stored for later repairs, which Crossville gives as commonly 10 percent of the installed area; grout kept for the building owner, which LATICRETE asks for and gives no amount for; thin-set or other setting mortar; bullnose and other trim pieces, and transition strips; backer board or other underlayment.

What one bag of this grout covers, scaled from the maker’s chart Source448 sq ft

Share of the floor that is joint1.6 %

  • The maker’s chart prints a row for a 12 by 24 inch tile at this joint width and thickness, and labels its rows by the size a tile is sold as. The face size entered above is a little smaller, as a tile’s actual size usually is, so the coverage above is that row scaled to the face size, using the joint geometry a different maker publishes as a workbook. Scaling to the face size rather than using the printed figure as it stands is this page’s reading of the chart, not the maker’s instruction. Source
  • Coverage charts are drawn for a joint filled to the full thickness of the tile, and the trade does not lay them that way: one maker tells installers to clear the setting bed until two thirds of the tile depth is open for grout, and another tells them to fill the joint at least two thirds full. Those are two different instructions that arrive at the same fraction from opposite ends, and either way a real floor usually takes less grout than the chart. Treat the bag count as the generous end. Source
  • A tile maker reports that a common recommendation for attic stock is ten percent of the installed area: tile bought and stored for later replacements or expansions. Apart from rounding up to whole cartons, the only extra tile in the count is the percentage added on top of the area to be tiled. Source

The printed list carries the tile size, the joint, the carton coverage and both counts.

Tile and Grout Calculator — Cartons of Tile and Bags of Grout

ConcreteTally

EXAMPLE — not a measured job. Every quantity below is worked out from this page’s sample measurements. Enter the real measurements and print it again before anyone orders from it.

Job / customer
Deliver to

What to buy

MaterialBuyWhich isLeft over
Tile9 cartons (15.2 sq ft each)136.8 sq ft4.8 sq ft
Grout1 bag (25 lb) of CUSTOM Polyblend Plus Sanded Grout25.0 lb17.6 lb

Not counted in these quantities: attic stock, tile bought and stored for later repairs, which Crossville gives as commonly 10 percent of the installed area; grout kept for the building owner, which LATICRETE asks for and gives no amount for; thin-set or other setting mortar; bullnose and other trim pieces, and transition strips; backer board or other underlayment.

The grout figure is read from, or scaled within, the published coverage chart of the grout named on this sheet, and is keyed to a joint filled to the full thickness of the tile. Another maker’s chart prints a different coverage for the same tile, so the bag count belongs to that grout and does not transfer to a different one. Carton coverage is whatever is printed on the box.

Worked out from

Area to be tiledThe area of the finished surface to be tiled, measured out to where the tile stops.120 sq ft (sample)
Tile lengthTaken from the tile box: the actual face size along the tile’s length, not the size it is sold as.11.625 in (sample)
Tile widthTaken from the tile box: the actual face size across the tile’s width.23.4375 in (sample)
Tile thicknessTaken from the tile box, or the stamp on the back of the tile.0.375 in (sample)
Grout joint widthMeasured from the edge of one tile to the edge of the next.0.125 in (sample)
Coverage of one cartonTaken from the carton.15.2 sq ft (sample)
GroutCUSTOM Building Products — Polyblend Plus Sanded Grout
PackageBag, 25 lb
Material needed before waste — Tile120.0 sq ft
Material needed before waste — Grout6.7 lb
Extra tile on top of the area to be tiled — Tile10% — this calculator’s own starting point, not a figure published for this. Crossville reports that most installers recommend ordering 10 to 15 percent extra tile, and it ties no figure to a room shape, a tile size or a layout; the calculator starts at the low end and leaves the rest to the room. [9]
Extra grout for jobsite waste — Grout10% — this calculator’s own starting point, not a figure published for this. LATICRETE writes that 10 percent extra grout is customary for its own grouts; neither maker of the grouts offered here prints an allowance, so the calculator starts at LATICRETE’s figure. [7]

Estimates only — check quantities before you buy. Confirm with your tile supplier before ordering.

Where these figures come from

A number in brackets after a figure on this sheet is its entry in this list.

  1. CUSTOM Polyblend Plus Sanded Grout published coverage chart (Section headed 'Coverage', final page of technical data sheet TDS-360) — Custom Building Products, Estimating chart (approximate). Effective from March 22, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  2. ARDEX FH Sanded Floor & Wall Grout — published coverage chart, square feet per 25 lb bag (ARDEX FH technical data sheet, page 5, section "Coverage" — tile size against grout joint size) — ARDEX Americas, Manufacturer or grower specification. Effective from December 2, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  3. Summitville Tiles published grout-volume calculation (Calculations A to E) (Worksheet 'Grout Calculator ', header row 4 cells labeled (Calculation A) through (Calculation E), with the input and formula row immediately below) — Summitville Tiles, Inc., Manufacturer or grower specification. Effective from May 25, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  4. ARDEX FH requirement for grout joint depth available after preparation ('Step 1: Proper Prep(TM)', page 2 of the ARDEX FH Sanded Floor & Wall Grout technical data sheet) — ARDEX Americas, Manufacturer or grower specification. Effective from December 2, 2024. The data sheet’s revision line reads "Content updated 2024-12-02. Supersedes all previous versions." Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  5. CUSTOM guidance on how full a grout joint should be filled (Technical Bulletin TB89, tip box under the heading 'Don't allow grout under the tile') — Custom Building Products, Manufacturer or grower specification. The document footer reads 'TB89 8/16' (August 2016); no day is given. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  6. Minimum grout joint width as reported by CUSTOM (Technical Bulletin TB85 'Grout Joint Width: What Is The Right Size?', opening paragraphs) — Custom Building Products, Manufacturer or grower specification. This bulletin carries no date code in its footer, unlike its sibling TB89. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  7. LATICRETE customary extra grout for jobsite waste (TDS 400 LATICRETE Grout Guide, Section 2 'LATICRETE Grout Coverage', numbered item 3, page 2) — LATICRETE International, Inc., Manufacturer or grower specification. Effective from August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  8. LATICRETE grout coverage guidelines - waste and unglazed quarry tile (Project Material Estimator page, note headed 'Grout Coverage Guidelines') — LATICRETE International, Inc., Manufacturer or grower specification. The web page carries no publication or revision date. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  9. Crossville - extra tile to order (reported installer practice) (FAQs, Installation category, question 'How much extra tile should be ordered?'); Crossville - attic stock (common recommendation) (FAQs, Installation category, question 'How much extra tile should be ordered?', closing paragraph) — Crossville, Inc., Manufacturer or grower specification. The FAQ prints no date. The page's metadata records publication on 2025-01-21 and modification on 2025-03-15; no date is claimed from metadata alone. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  10. CUSTOM Polyblend Plus Sanded Grout package sizes (Section 3 Product Description, subsection 'Packaging', page 1) — Custom Building Products, Manufacturer or grower specification. Effective from March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  11. LATICRETE PERMACOLOR Select package sizes (Product data sheet DS-281, 'Packaging' block, page 1) — LATICRETE International, Inc., Manufacturer or grower specification. The footer code is 'DS-281-0522' (May 2022) alongside a 2022 copyright line; no day is given. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  12. Daltile San Michele carton coverage (Page 4, table headed 'SIZES / Thickness / Sq. Ft. per Carton / Pieces Per Carton') — Daltile (Dal-Tile Corporation), Manufacturer or grower specification. The page footer reads '(c)2016 Dal-Tile Corporation (7/16)' - July 2016, with no day given. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  13. Marazzi Alterations carton coverage (Page 4, table headed 'SIZES / Thickness / Sq. Ft./ Carton / Pieces/ Carton') — Marazzi USA, Manufacturer or grower specification. The page footer reads '(c) 2023 Marazzi (07/23)' - July 2023, with no day given. Retrieved October 11, 2026.

This list, with a link to each document: concretetally.com/tile-grout-calculator/#sources-heading

Every table ConcreteTally reads, with its dates: concretetally.com/sources

Charts differ by product — check the bag against its own maker’s chart.

Where these figures come from

Every table ConcreteTally reads, with its dates: all sources.