How much carpet do I need?
Enter your room size to get the carpet in square yards and running feet off the roll — seams and waste included — plus the installed cost with padding and labor. Free, no signup.
Short answer
To estimate carpet, measure the room length × width for the floor area and divide by 9 for square yards. Carpet comes off a fixed-width roll (usually 12 ft), so a room wider than the roll needs seams and extra material. A 12×15 room is 180 sq ft (20 sq yd) and runs about $530–$1,100 installed with padding and labor. Installed carpet is roughly $4–$12 per square foot.
Standard roll
12 ft
also 13.5 & 15
Priced by
sq yd
1 yd = 9 sq ft
Installed
$4–$12
per sq ft
12×15 room
~20 sq yd
180 sq ft
Carpet cost by grade — 12×15 room off a 12-ft roll (2026)
| Grade | Carpet per sq yd | 12×15 room carpet | Installed (pad + labor) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | $20–$35 | $400–$700 | $754–$1,670 |
| Standard | $35–$55 | $700–$1,100 | $1,054–$2,070 |
| Premium | $55–$80 | $1,100–$1,600 | $1,454–$2,570 |
Includes padding at $0.3–$1.5/sq ft and installation at $15–$35/sq yd — 2026 national ranges. Stairs, furniture moving, and old-carpet removal are extra.
Carpet cost by area
How we calculate this
Every number on this page comes from the roll-cut math installers use — carpet is a continuous cut off a fixed-width roll, so waste comes from the roll width and seams, not a flat percentage:
- Strips. the room's short side ÷ the roll width (12 ft standard), rounded up. The roll is laid down the longer side to minimize seams; each strip beyond the first adds a seam.
- Running length. strips × the room's long side — the length of roll you actually buy. Purchased area = roll width × running length, which is where the real waste percentage comes from.
- Three-layer cost. carpet (purchased sq yd × grade price) + padding (floor sq ft × pad price) + installation (purchased sq yd × labor rate).
Assumptions
- Rectangular room, one continuous color/pattern; pattern matching across seams adds waste.
- Standard 12-ft broadloom roll — 13.5-ft and 15-ft rolls can eliminate a seam in wider rooms.
- Cost ranges are national mid-range figures — validate against local quotes.
Sources
Last reviewed: July 13, 2026
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
How much carpet do I need?
Measure the room length × width for the floor area, then divide by 9 for square yards (carpet is sold by the yard). Because carpet comes off a fixed-width roll — usually 12 ft — a room wider than the roll needs seams and extra material. A 12×15 room is 180 sq ft, or 20 sq yd. Enter your room above for the exact yardage, seams, and cost.
How much is carpet per square foot?
Carpet material runs about $2–$9 per square foot ($18–$80 per square yard). Installed with padding and labor it is roughly $4–$12 per square foot depending on grade. The calculator breaks out carpet, padding, and installation separately.
How much does it cost to carpet a room?
A typical 12×15 bedroom (20 sq yd) runs about $530–$1,100 installed at standard grade — carpet, padding, and labor. Larger rooms, stairs, premium carpet, and old-carpet removal add to that. Enter your exact room above.
How many square yards is a square foot of carpet?
Divide square feet by 9. So 180 sq ft = 20 sq yd, and 500 sq ft ≈ 55.6 sq yd. Stores price carpet per square yard even though you measure the room in square feet.
Why does carpet have seams?
Carpet is milled in rolls of a fixed width — most often 12 ft (also 13.5 and 15 ft). A room wider than the roll on its short side must be pieced together from strips, creating seams and offcut waste. A wider roll can remove a seam if the room is narrow enough.