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Wallpaper coverage chart
Put your wall area and roll coverage in: 400 square feet at 10% waste needs 8.80 rolls, order 9 rolls.
★ CONSTRUCTION · WALLS · WALLPAPER
Wallpaper Coverage Chart: 9 Rolls for 400 Sq Ft Walls
On the defaults — a 400-square-foot wall, rolls covering 50 square feet each, and 10% waste — you need 8.80 rolls of wallpaper exact, so order 9 rolls. This is the WALLPAPER version — rolls of wallpaper by wall size — the paint-coverage-chart page is the PAINT version — gallons per room by wall area; the tile-coverage-chart page is the TILE version — tiles and boxes by floor area; and the sod-coverage-chart page is the SOD version — rolls of grass by lawn size.
What does 8.80 rolls mean?
It means a 400-square-foot wall needs eight point eight rolls of wallpaper once 10% waste is added: 400 × 1.10 ÷ 50 is 8.80, and since wallpaper is sold in whole rolls, the order is 9 rolls. The 1.10 is the whole story in miniature — pattern matching, trimming at ceilings and skirting, and a mis-cut drop or two all eat material, so the bare wall area alone understates the order: without waste the same wall needs exactly 8.00 rolls, and the waste eight-tenths of a roll are what keep the last drop covered. The part people get wrong is ordering the exact figure when it is not whole: 8.80 rolls cannot be bought, and ordering 8 leaves most of a drop of wall bare.
Three things to check before you trust the number
Is the area really 400 square feet? Walls are rarely plain rectangles, so the measured area is where most orders go wrong: the 200-square-foot branch needs 4.40 rolls exact, order 5, while the 800-square-foot branch needs 17.60, order 18, for the same 50-square-foot rolls. Measure each wall separately, width times height, add them, and subtract doors and windows — a standard door is about 21 square feet and a window about 15, and leaving them in inflates the order.
Is the roll coverage really 50 square feet? Roll sizes and pattern repeats vary, and the roll count follows the coverage exactly: the 25-square-foot-coverage branch needs 17.60 rolls exact, order 18, while the 100-square-foot-coverage branch needs 4.40, order 5, for the same 400-square-foot wall. Use the coverage from your roll label — and if the pattern has a large repeat, the usable coverage is smaller than the roll area, because every drop must start at the same point in the pattern.
Have you ordered the rounded-up figure? This chart gives the exact rolls and the order rolls separately for a reason: wallpaper is sold in whole rolls, and a partial roll is still a roll you must buy. The headline exact figure is 8.80 rolls but the order is 9 rolls, and the 100-square-foot branch is 2.20 rolls exact but 3 rolls to order — ordering the exact figure leaves the last strip of wall bare, and a short roll ordered later may come from a different dye lot.
Worked example
On the defaults: 400 square feet, rolls covering 50 square feet, 10% waste.
- Area with waste: 400 × 1.10 is 440 square feet.
- Exact rolls: 440 ÷ 50 is 8.80 rolls.
- Order: 8.80 rounded up is 9 rolls.
And the other way: the wall area needing exactly 8.80 rolls at 50 square feet a roll is 400 square feet, the roll coverage needing exactly 8.80 rolls over 400 square feet is 50 square feet, and the wall area needing exactly 17.60 rolls at 50 square feet a roll is 800 square feet.
Wallpaper rolls lookup: wall area × roll coverage (10% waste included)
| Wall area | Roll coverage | Area with waste | Exact rolls | Order rolls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 25 sq ft | 110 sq ft | 4.40 rolls | 5 rolls |
| 100 sq ft | 50 sq ft | 110 sq ft | 2.20 rolls | 3 rolls |
| 100 sq ft | 75 sq ft | 110 sq ft | 1.47 rolls | 2 rolls |
| 100 sq ft | 100 sq ft | 110 sq ft | 1.10 rolls | 2 rolls |
| 200 sq ft | 25 sq ft | 220 sq ft | 8.80 rolls | 9 rolls |
| 200 sq ft | 50 sq ft | 220 sq ft | 4.40 rolls | 5 rolls |
| 200 sq ft | 75 sq ft | 220 sq ft | 2.93 rolls | 3 rolls |
| 200 sq ft | 100 sq ft | 220 sq ft | 2.20 rolls | 3 rolls |
| 400 sq ft | 25 sq ft | 440 sq ft | 17.60 rolls | 18 rolls |
| 400 sq ft | 50 sq ft | 440 sq ft | 8.80 rolls | 9 rolls |
| 400 sq ft | 75 sq ft | 440 sq ft | 5.87 rolls | 6 rolls |
| 400 sq ft | 100 sq ft | 440 sq ft | 4.40 rolls | 5 rolls |
| 800 sq ft | 25 sq ft | 880 sq ft | 35.20 rolls | 36 rolls |
| 800 sq ft | 50 sq ft | 880 sq ft | 17.60 rolls | 18 rolls |
| 800 sq ft | 75 sq ft | 880 sq ft | 11.73 rolls | 12 rolls |
| 800 sq ft | 100 sq ft | 880 sq ft | 8.80 rolls | 9 rolls |
Exact rolls are wall area × 1.10 ÷ roll coverage; order rounds up to whole rolls, so an 8.80-roll figure orders 9 rolls and a 22.00-roll figure orders exactly 22 rolls.
Every branch, checked
- 200 sq ft wall, 50 sq ft rolls: 200 sq ft wall, 50 sq ft rolls: 4.40 rolls exact — order 5 rolls.
- 800 sq ft wall, 50 sq ft rolls: 800 sq ft wall, 50 sq ft rolls: 17.60 rolls exact — order 18 rolls.
- 400 sq ft wall, 25 sq ft rolls: 400 sq ft wall, 25 sq ft rolls: 17.60 rolls exact — order 18 rolls.
- 400 sq ft wall, 100 sq ft rolls: 400 sq ft wall, 100 sq ft rolls: 4.40 rolls exact — order 5 rolls.
- 100 sq ft wall, 50 sq ft rolls: 100 sq ft wall, 50 sq ft rolls: 2.20 rolls exact — order 3 rolls.
- 1,000 sq ft wall, 50 sq ft rolls: 1,000 sq ft wall, 50 sq ft rolls: 22.00 rolls exact — order 22 rolls.
The reverses, worked backwards
- Wall area needing exactly 8.80 rolls at 50 sq ft a roll: 400 sq ft — at 400 sq ft the figures are 8.80 rolls exact — order 9 rolls.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 7.70 rolls exact — order 8 rolls.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 9.90 rolls exact — order 10 rolls..
- Roll coverage needing exactly 8.80 rolls over 400 sq ft: 50 sq ft — at 50 sq ft the figures are 8.80 rolls exact — order 9 rolls.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 9.78 rolls exact — order 10 rolls.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 8.00 rolls exact — order 8 rolls..
- Wall area needing exactly 17.60 rolls at 50 sq ft a roll: 800 sq ft — at 800 sq ft the figures are 17.60 rolls exact — order 18 rolls.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 16.50 rolls exact — order 17 rolls.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 18.70 rolls exact — order 19 rolls..
What the defaults assume
The defaults are a 400-square-foot wall and 50-square-foot rolls, so the headline is a medium room at the common standard roll size. The model is one multiplication, one division and one round-up: area times 1.10 for waste, divided by roll coverage for rolls — with a tiny epsilon subtracted before the ceiling so a value landing exactly on a whole roll, like 400 square feet at 44-square-foot coverage, orders that roll and not one more. The area reverses are checked at 50 square feet either side; the coverage reverse is checked at 5 square feet either side. The model does not include pattern-repeat loss beyond the 10% waste, sloped ceilings, or rolls damaged in handling — for a large-repeat pattern, allow 15% waste instead of 10% by multiplying the area by 1.15 before dividing, and buy all rolls from one dye lot.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Area with waste | wall area × 1.10 | 440 sq ft — 400 × 1.10. |
| Exact rolls | area with waste ÷ roll coverage | 8.80 rolls — 440 ÷ 50. |
| Order rolls | exact rolls rounded up to whole rolls | 9 rolls — 8.80 rounded up. |
| Wall area behind a target roll count | target rolls × roll coverage ÷ 1.10 | 400 sq ft — 8.80 × 50 ÷ 1.10. |
| Roll coverage behind a target roll count | wall area × 1.10 ÷ target rolls | 50 sq ft — 400 × 1.10 ÷ 8.80. |
| 200 sq ft wall, 50 sq ft rolls | same model | 4.40 rolls exact — order 5 rolls. |
| 800 sq ft wall, 50 sq ft rolls | same model | 17.60 rolls exact — order 18 rolls. |
| 400 sq ft wall, 25 sq ft rolls | same model | 17.60 rolls exact — order 18 rolls. |
| 400 sq ft wall, 100 sq ft rolls | same model | 4.40 rolls exact — order 5 rolls. |
| 100 sq ft wall, 50 sq ft rolls | same model | 2.20 rolls exact — order 3 rolls. |
| 1,000 sq ft wall, 50 sq ft rolls | same model | 22.00 rolls exact — order 22 rolls. |
| Wall area needing exactly 8.80 rolls at 50 sq ft a roll | reverse | 400 sq ft: 8.80 rolls exact — order 9 rolls. |
| Roll coverage needing exactly 8.80 rolls over 400 sq ft | reverse | 50 sq ft: 8.80 rolls exact — order 9 rolls. |
| Wall area needing exactly 17.60 rolls at 50 sq ft a roll | reverse | 800 sq ft: 17.60 rolls exact — order 18 rolls. |
| 0 sq ft wall | same model | 0.00 rolls exact — order 0 rolls. |
| Negative wall area | same model | Wall area — 0 or more. |
| Negative roll coverage | same model | Roll coverage — more than 0. |
| 400 sq ft, 44 sq ft rolls — exactly 10.00 rolls | same model | 10.00 rolls exact — order 10 rolls. |
Who uses this
- A homeowner papering a room — 400 square feet at 50 square feet a roll is 8.80 rolls exact, order 9 rolls.
- A decorator checking a supplier quote — the lookup table gives exact rolls and order rolls for four wall areas and four roll sizes.
- Someone choosing a roll size — the 25-square-foot branch needs 18 rolls and the 100-square-foot branch needs 5 for the same wall.
- A buyer checking a delivery quote — the reverses give the wall area or roll coverage behind any quoted roll count.
Accuracy & limitations
Figures are the model’s own arithmetic on the numbers you type, computed from unrounded values and displayed rounded HALF_UP to 2dp, with order rolls rounded up to whole rolls. The main limitation is the wall itself, not the arithmetic: doors, windows, slopes and pattern repeats all move the real order, and the 10% waste figure is a standard allowance, not a measurement of your wall. This page is a calculation tool, not a decorating quote.
Cite this calculator
A 400 sq ft wall at 10% waste needs 440 sq ft of wallpaper: 8.80 rolls exact at 50 sq ft a roll, so order 9 rolls. Source: Bright Side Kit, https://brightoolbox.com/wallpaper-coverage-chart/, accessed 29 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many rolls of wallpaper do I need?
Divide the wall area with waste by the roll coverage, then round up: 400 square feet times 1.10 divided by 50 square feet is 8.80 rolls exact, so order 9 rolls.
Why add 10% waste?
Pattern matching, trimming at ceilings and skirting, and a mis-cut drop all consume material. Without waste the same wall needs exactly 8.00 rolls; the extra eight-tenths of a roll are what keep the last drop covered.
Should I subtract doors and windows?
Yes. Measure each wall's width times height, add them, then subtract about 21 square feet per standard door and 15 per window, or the roll count will come out high and you will pay for paper you cannot hang.
What if my pattern has a large repeat?
The usable coverage per roll falls, because every drop must start at the same point in the pattern. For a large-repeat pattern, allow 15% waste instead of 10% by multiplying the area by 1.15 before dividing.
Why does the order round up instead of rounding to nearest?
Wallpaper is sold in whole rolls, and a partial roll cannot cover a partial wall. Rounding 8.80 down to 8 would leave most of a drop bare; rounding up to 9 covers it with a little spare.
Does it matter if a later roll comes from another dye lot?
Yes — colours can differ slightly between lots, and the difference shows on a wall. Order all rolls at once from one lot, and keep the spare roll from the same lot for future repairs.