Wallpaper Calculator
Calculate how many rolls of wallpaper you need for any room.
This tool is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional financial, medical, legal, or engineering advice. See Terms of Service.
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This calculator estimates how many rolls of wallpaper you need to cover a room, accounting for doors, windows, and pattern repeat waste. Here is how to get an accurate estimate:
- Enter your room dimensions. Measure the length and width of the room in feet, and the ceiling height. Standard ceiling height is 8 feet. Rooms with vaulted or tray ceilings need the actual height where you will be papering.
- Enter your openings. Doors are estimated at 21 sq ft each (standard 3x7 ft door). Windows are estimated at 15 sq ft each (approximate average). You still buy enough wallpaper to cover those areas because you need full strips to align patterns, but subtracting them gives a realistic roll count for most rooms.
- Select your pattern repeat. Solid colors and textures have no repeat, so almost every inch of a roll is usable. Larger pattern repeats require you to align the pattern between strips, which wastes a portion of each roll. Choose the category that matches your wallpaper's repeat specification on the label or product page.
- Choose your roll type. Double rolls are the standard sold in most US stores. They contain the same paper as two single rolls but are wound together, which reduces seams mid-strip. If your wallpaper is sold in double rolls, select that option and the result will tell you how many double rolls to buy.
Results update instantly as you type. Use the Share button to send your measurements to a co-decorator or supplier, or Copy to paste the roll count into a shopping list.
About the Wallpaper Calculator
Wall area is calculated using the perimeter of the room (2 times the sum of length and width) multiplied by the ceiling height. Door and window deductions use standard rough opening sizes: 21 sq ft per door and 15 sq ft per window. These are conservative estimates. If your doors or windows are unusually large, add fewer deductions to stay safe.
A standard single roll of wallpaper in the US is 27 inches wide and 27 feet long, giving a gross area of 60.75 sq ft. Usable area after trimming and matching: approximately 57 sq ft for no-repeat wallpaper, 52 sq ft for a small repeat (0-6 inches), 45 sq ft for a medium repeat (7-12 inches), and 38 sq ft for a large repeat (13-24 inches). Double rolls are simply two single rolls on one bolt. All calculations run entirely in your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many rolls of wallpaper do I need for a 12x10 room with 8-foot ceilings?
A 12x10 room with 8-foot ceilings has 352 sq ft of wall area (2 x (12+10) x 8). Subtracting 2 doors (42 sq ft) and 2 windows (30 sq ft) leaves 280 sq ft of net area. With no pattern repeat at 57 usable sq ft per single roll, you need 5 single rolls, or 3 double rolls. Add 1 extra roll if you want a safety buffer for mistakes or future repairs.
What is a pattern repeat and how does it affect the number of rolls I need?
A pattern repeat is the vertical distance before a wallpaper pattern starts over. When you hang strips side by side, the pattern must align horizontally across every seam. To do that, you cut each new strip so it starts at the same point in the pattern, discarding the cut-off piece. The larger the repeat, the more you waste per strip. A 24-inch repeat on a room with 8-foot walls wastes about one third of every strip. Always check the repeat specification on the wallpaper label before calculating.
Should I buy extra rolls beyond the calculated amount?
Yes. Most professional installers recommend buying 10-15% extra, which often works out to one additional roll for small rooms and two for large rooms. Wallpaper is produced in dye lots, and if you run short and need to reorder, the new lot may be a slightly different shade. Having extra rolls also lets you patch damage years later without a visible color mismatch. If your store has a return policy on unopened rolls, buy one extra and return it if unused.
What is the difference between single rolls and double rolls?
A single roll is the base unit of wallpaper measurement, covering approximately 57-60 sq ft gross. A double roll contains the same amount of paper but is wound as one continuous bolt, so you get longer strips with fewer seams. Most wallpaper sold in the US is packaged as double rolls but priced per single roll, which can cause confusion. Always check the label to see whether the price is for a single or double roll, and how many sq ft each package covers. This calculator lets you switch between both so the count matches what you will actually buy.