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Tile calculator
Put your floor size and tile size in: a 10 ft by 8 ft floor is 80 sq ft, and 12 in tiles with 10% waste need 88 tiles.
★ CONSTRUCTION · TILE · FLOOR
Tile Calculator: 88 Tiles for a 10×8 ft Floor, 12 in
On the defaults — a 10 ft by 8 ft floor, 12 in tiles, 10% waste — you need 88 tiles. This is the tile tool: measure the floor once, add the waste honestly, and buy the whole job in one batch.
What does tiles needed 88 mean?
It means 80 tiles cover the floor and 8 more cover the cuts, the breaks and the spare box — 88 in the shop list. The waste allowance is the part beginners skip and then regret: edge tiles get cut, a cut tile cannot be uncut, and a tile cracked during laying cannot be laid. Ten percent is the standard cushion for a straight rectangular room; a room with angles, a diagonal pattern or a border wants more, not less. Buy the 88 in one batch, from one dye lot, because a second batch of the “same” tile can arrive a shade apart.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Floor area | length × width | 80 sq ft — 10 × 8. |
| One tile | (tile size ÷ 12)² | 1.00 sq ft — (12 ÷ 12)². |
| Tiles before waste | floor area ÷ one tile | 80 tiles — 80 ÷ 1.00. |
| Tiles with waste | tiles × 1.10, rounded up | 88 tiles — 80 × 1.10. |
Three things to check before you trust the number
First, check the tile is square: this calculator assumes one size for both sides, so a rectangular tile needs its two sides multiplied, not one side squared. Second, check the waste rate against the layout: straight runs in a rectangle are fine at 10%, but a diagonal layout or a room full of corners can need 15%. Third, remember grout lines are not subtracted: the tile area already includes the joints in practice, and the waste allowance absorbs the difference.
Worked example
10 ft long, 8 ft wide, 12 in tiles. Floor area: 10 × 8 = 80 sq ft. One tile: (12 ÷ 12)² = 1.00 sq ft. Tiles before waste: 80 ÷ 1.00 = 80. With 10% waste: 80 × 1.10 = 88 tiles. In practice that is nine boxes of ten, or eight boxes of twelve with spares — buy by the box, and let the box count round up, not the tile count round down. If the same floor took 18 in tiles instead, one tile would cover 2.25 sq ft and the need would fall to 40 tiles: bigger tiles, fewer grout lines, fewer cuts.
Every branch, checked
With a 12 ft long floor instead of 10 ft, the area rises to 96 sq ft and the need to 106 tiles. With a 10 ft wide floor instead of 8 ft, the area rises to 100 sq ft and the need to 110 tiles. With 18 in tiles, one tile covers 2.25 sq ft and the need falls to 40 tiles. With 6 in tiles, one tile covers 0.25 sq ft and the need jumps to 352 tiles — small tiles mean a long laying day and a lot of grout.
The reverses, worked backwards
The length behind 88 tiles is 10 ft: at 8 ft the need is 71 tiles; at 12 ft it is 106 tiles. The width behind 88 tiles is 8 ft: at 6 ft the need is 66 tiles; at 10 ft it is 110 tiles. The tile size behind 88 tiles is 12 in: at 6 in the need is 352 tiles; at 18 in it is 40 tiles. Each reverse moves one input and holds the rest, so the step is exactly one floor dimension or one tile size.
What the defaults assume
The defaults assume a 10 ft by 8 ft rectangular floor, square 12 in tiles, and 10% waste for cuts and breakage. They do not assume a diagonal layout, a border, rectangular tiles, or an irregular room shape; for an L-shaped room, split it into rectangles, run each through the area step, and add the areas before dividing by tile size.
Who uses this
- A homeowner tiling a bathroom floor: the 88-tile figure is the shop list, boxes and spares included.
- A renter refreshing a kitchen floor: the tile-size branch shows why 18 in tiles halve the laying time.
- A contractor quoting a job: floor area first, tile size second, waste third — the quote follows the same three steps.
- A DIYer comparing tile sizes: 352 small tiles versus 40 large ones is the real cost of a mosaic look.
Accuracy & limitations
The arithmetic is exact for the inputs entered; the judgement is the waste rate and the room shape. Real rooms are rarely perfect rectangles: alcoves, doorways and fixed fittings all change the cut count, and a diagonal layout can push waste past 15%. Treat 88 as the planning figure for a plain rectangle, and add a box for a complicated room. One more caution: tiles are sold by the box, so round the box count up — 88 tiles in boxes of ten is nine boxes, not eight and a bit.
Cite this calculator
Bright Side Kit, “Tile Calculator: 88 Tiles for a 10×8 ft Floor, 12 in”, https://brightoolbox.com/tile-calculator/, accessed 2 November 2026. Students and researchers: cite the calculator name, the page URL and the date you used it, and quote the defaults (10 ft × 8 ft floor, 12 in tiles, 10% waste) so the 88-tile result can be checked.
Frequently asked questions
How many tiles do I need for a 10×8 floor?
88 tiles with 12 in tiles and 10% waste: the floor is 80 sq ft, one 12 in tile covers 1 sq ft, so 80 tiles cover it and 8 more cover cuts and breakage.
What is the 10% waste allowance for?
Cuts at the edges, tiles cracked during laying, and a few spares for later repairs. A straight rectangular room is fine at 10%; a diagonal layout or a room full of corners wants 15%.
How do 18 in tiles change the count?
They cut it to 40 tiles: one 18 in tile covers 2.25 sq ft, so 80 sq ft needs 35.56 tiles before waste, 40 with waste. Bigger tiles mean fewer grout lines and a faster lay.
Should I buy tiles by the box?
Yes — round the box count up, never the tile count down. Eighty-eight tiles in boxes of ten is nine boxes; eight boxes leave you two tiles short of the plan and eight short of the spares.
What if my room is L-shaped?
Split it into rectangles, add their areas, and use the total as the floor area. The tile maths is identical; only the area step changes, and an L-shape usually deserves a little extra waste for the corner cuts.
Does this include grout and adhesive?
No — tiles only. Grout and adhesive are priced separately; the tile cost calculator covers the money side, including the extras.