Wallpaper Calculator
Enter the room, the roll size from the label and the pattern repeat. The calculator counts the drops around the room and how many you can cut from each roll.
This is an estimate. Doors and windows are not taken off because the short pieces above and below them still need paper.
Worked examples
A plain paper
Room 4 m by 3.5 m, 2.4 m high, roll 53 cm by 10.05 m, no repeat
29 drops, 4 per roll, 8 rolls
The room is 15 m round, and 15 divided by 0.53 is 28.3, rounded up to 29 drops.
A 64 cm repeat
Room 4 m by 3 m, 2.4 m high, 64 cm repeat
27 drops, 3 per roll, 9 rolls
The drop becomes 2.56 m, so only three fit on a 10.05 m roll.
About Wallpaper Calculator
A wallpaper calculator tells you how many rolls to buy for a room. Wallpaper is hung in strips called drops, each cut to the height of the wall, and you cannot use part of a drop, so working from the area of the walls often gives the wrong answer. This tool counts the drops needed to go around the room and how many drops you can cut from a single roll.
Enter the size of the room, the width and length of the roll from its label and the pattern repeat. A plain paper needs only a few centimetres for trimming, while a patterned one is cut to a whole number of repeats so the pattern matches across the join, which uses more paper. The result shows the rolls to buy and any drops left on the last roll.
How to use Wallpaper Calculator
- Enter the length, width and wall height of the room.
- Enter the roll width and length from the label, 53 cm and 10.05 m for a standard roll.
- Enter the pattern repeat in centimetres, or zero for a plain paper.
- Read the rolls needed, and consider buying one spare.
Common uses
- Papering a bedroom or hall
- Checking a quote from a decorator
- Comparing a plain with a patterned paper
- Ordering a feature wall
Frequently asked questions
How many rolls of wallpaper for a 4 m by 3.5 m room?
The distance around the room is 15 m, which takes 29 drops of a 53 cm roll. With 2.4 m walls, plain paper, each roll gives 4 drops, so you need 8 rolls.
How is the pattern repeat counted?
The repeat is the distance before the pattern starts again, printed on the label. Each drop is cut to a whole number of repeats, so a 64 cm repeat on a 2.5 m drop becomes 2.56 m, and fewer drops fit on a roll.
Should I take off the doors and windows?
Not usually. The short pieces above and below a window still use a full drop, so subtracting them can leave you short. The tool counts the whole room and leaves you to decide whether to save a roll.
What is a standard roll of wallpaper?
In the UK a standard roll is 53 cm wide and 10.05 m long. Some papers, especially wide ones and murals, are different, so check the label.
Why buy all the rolls at once?
Each print run has a batch number and colours can vary slightly between batches. Buying them together and checking the numbers match avoids a visible change in shade.