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Wallpaper calculator

Measure in
Wall run (perimeter)
Add all four walls together
Wall height
Roll size in
Roll length
Roll width
Waste allowance
%
Higher for a large pattern repeat
Rolls needed 8
15% allowance for trimming and pattern match
Wall area 33.6 m²
Area with waste 38.64 m²
Rolls before rounding 6.31
Wall area 361.7 ft²
Roll 10.05 × 0.53 m ≈ 5.3 m²

A plain or random-match paper wastes only the trim, so 10% is plenty. A straight-match paper with a 32 cm repeat means every drop starts at the same point in the pattern, and the offcut between drops is dead. On a 2.4 m wall that can be a third of a metre lost per drop — 20 to 25% waste, and no calculator can shave it.

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A standard European roll is 10.05 m long and 0.53 m wide, covering about 5.3 m². Divide the wall area by that, then add 10–25% depending on the pattern repeat: a plain paper wastes only the trim, a large straight-match repeat wastes far more.

How to count wallpaper rolls

1 Add all four wall widths together for the run, and enter the wall height.
2 Enter the roll size from the label — European and American rolls differ.
3 Set the waste allowance by pattern: 10% plain, 15% small repeat, 25% large repeat.
4 Buy all rolls from one batch number and check it on delivery.

Do not deduct doors and windows unless they are unusually large. A standard door removes about 1.8 m² but it interrupts two drops, and the offcuts above and below it are rarely long enough to reuse. Deducting the area while the wastage stays the same is how people end up a roll short. The exception is a room that is mostly glass — a wall of patio doors genuinely is not being papered and should come off.

Questions

A standard European roll of 10.05 × 0.53 m covers 5.33 m². American rolls are usually 8.2 m by 0.686 m, about 5.6 m².

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