Carpet Cost Calculator
Estimate the total cost to carpet a room: carpet by the square yard with a waste allowance or a real roll layout, pad and installation, stairs, old-carpet removal, tax and fees.
How it works
area = length × width (+ other areas + stairs × width × 1.5 ft) · buy area = area × (1 + waste%), or roll layout = drops × (room length + 6 in) × roll width · sq yd = buy area ÷ 9 · total = sq yd × carpet price + buy area × pad-and-install rate + area × removal + steps × stair fee + tax + fees
Carpet is sold by the square yard (nine square feet) off rolls usually 12 ft wide, so a room measured in feet is converted after adding an allowance for seams and trimming. The quick method adds a waste percentage. The roll layout method works out the carpet the way an installer cuts it: drops of roll laid side by side, each 6 in longer than the room for trimming, in whichever direction uses less carpet — so a 13 ft-wide room needs two drops and has a seam. Stairs take about 18 in of carpet per step and usually carry an extra labor charge per step. Pad and installation are quoted on the carpet you buy; removal of the old carpet is quoted on the floor area. Prices can be entered per square yard, per square foot or per square meter.
Worked example
A 12 × 10 ft room is 120 sq ft. Adding 10% waste gives 132 sq ft, or 14.67 sq yd. At $30 per sq yd the carpet is $440, and pad-plus-install at $1.50 per sq ft on 132 sq ft is $198 — a total of $638. With the roll layout and a 12 ft roll, one drop running across the 10 ft width uses 10.5 ft of roll: 10.5 × 12 = 126 sq ft (14 sq yd), so the carpet is $420 and the total $609.
Frequently asked questions
Why is carpet priced per square yard?
Broadloom carpet is manufactured and traditionally sold by the square yard, which equals nine square feet. To budget from a room measured in feet, find the square footage, add waste, then divide by nine to get square yards before multiplying by the price. You can also enter the price per square foot or per square meter.
How much waste should I add?
For a simple rectangular room 5–10% is typical. Add more — up to 15% or higher — for L-shaped rooms, stairs, patterned carpet that must be matched, or rooms wider than the roll. For rooms close to or wider than 12 ft, the roll layout option gives a more realistic figure than a flat percentage.
How much carpet do stairs need?
Each step takes roughly 18 in of carpet (the tread, the riser and the wrap around the nose), times the stair width. Installers usually charge an extra $5–$15 or more per step for the labor, which you can set under More options.
Does this include padding and installation?
Yes. The pad-plus-install rate is a per-square-foot figure covering underlay and labor; set it to zero to price the carpet material alone. Old carpet removal, furniture moving and transition strips can be added separately.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.