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Paint Calculator

Litres and cans for your walls, and what they cost.

Your inputs

Room and paint
ft
ft
ft
per litre
Adjust coats, coverage and labour
Paint the ceiling
per coat, on the tin
sq ft/L
spills
%
each
sq ft
each
sq ft
per sq ft

Your result

Indicative
Paint to buy
14 litres

1 × 10 L + 1 × 4 L for 622 sq ft, 2 coats.

₹ 5,600
Paint cost
₹ 5,600
Total with labour
622 sq ft
Area to paint
13.7 L
Exact need
Includes 10% extra for spills and touch-ups, at 100 sq ft per litre per coat. Labour, primer and putty are not included.

Quick answer: Paint needed = wall area less doors and windows × coats ÷ the coverage on the tin, plus a little extra. A 20 × 15 ft room with 10 ft walls, two doors and three windows has 622 sq ft to paint; two coats at 100 sq ft per litre need 13.7 litres, so you buy 14 litres.

Area, litres and cost

Updates as you type
From your room size, openings, coats and the coverage on the tin.
ItemValue
Wall area (perimeter × height)700 sq ft
Doors and windows left out78 sq ft
Walls to paint622 sq ft
Ceiling0 sq ft
Area to paint622 sq ft
Paint needed, with extra13.68 L
Paint to buy14 L (1 × 10 L + 1 × 4 L)
Paint cost₹ 5,600
Labour₹ 0
Total₹ 5,600

How do you use the paint calculator?

  1. Enter the room’s length, width and wall height in feet, and the price per litre of the paint you have chosen.
  2. Enter the number of doors and windows; their area is left out of the wall area.
  3. Read the litres to buy and the cans. Ceiling, coats, the coverage printed on the tin, door and window sizes and labour are under “Adjust coats, coverage and labour”.

How much paint does a room need?

Work out the wall area as the room’s perimeter times its height, take away doors and windows, and add the ceiling if you are painting it. Multiply by the number of coats and divide by the coverage on the tin, which tells you how many square feet one litre covers in one coat. Coverage varies a lot between products and with the wall’s surface, so use the figure for your paint. Then add a little extra and round up to cans you can actually buy.

How the litres are worked out

1
Area to paint2 × (length + width) × height − doors − windows (+ ceiling)
2
LitresArea × coats × (1 + extra %) ÷ coverage per litre per coat
3
To buyRounded up to whole litres, made up of 20, 10, 4 and 1 L cans

Worked example: 20 × 15 ft room, 10 ft walls

The walls measure 700 sq ft; two doors and three windows take off 78 sq ft, leaving 622 sq ft. Two coats at 100 sq ft per litre, plus 10%, need 13.68 litres. You buy 14 litres (1 × 10 L + 1 × 4 L), which at ₹ 400 a litre costs ₹ 5,600.

Worked example: 12 × 10 ft bedroom with the ceiling

One door, one window and the ceiling give 527 sq ft to paint. Two coats need 11.59 litres, so you buy 12 litres (1 × 10 L + 2 × 1 L) at ₹ 300 a litre for ₹ 3,600. With labour at ₹ 15 a sq ft, the room costs ₹ 11,505.

How do coverage and coats change the litres?

Litres to buy for the 20 × 15 ft room (622 sq ft), 10% extra.
Coverage, sq ft per L1 coat2 coats3 coats
809 L18 L26 L
1007 L14 L21 L
1206 L12 L18 L
1405 L10 L15 L

What else should you plan for?

Frequently asked questions

Divide the area by the coverage on the tin, then multiply by the number of coats. At a coverage of 100 sq ft per litre per coat, two coats on 600 sq ft need 12 litres before any extra. Coverage varies between paints and with the wall surface, so use the figure for your product.

Add the length and width, double it to get the perimeter, and multiply by the wall height. Then take away the doors and windows. A 20 × 15 ft room with 10 ft walls has 700 sq ft of wall before openings. Add the floor area again if you are also painting the ceiling.

Yes, if they will not be painted with the wall colour. The calculator takes off 21 sq ft per door and 12 sq ft per window by default; change the sizes under the adjust options to match yours. Leave them in if you want extra paint for frames or touch-ups.

Two coats is a common choice for a repaint in a similar colour. A big colour change, a fresh wall or a light colour over a dark one may need a third. Ask your painter, and follow the paint maker’s instructions for your walls.

Paint is sold in cans, and it is better to have a little left for touch-ups than to run short and buy a can from a different batch, which can differ slightly in shade. The calculator splits the litres into 20, 10, 4 and 1 litre cans.

Labour is included only if you enter a rate per sq ft. Primer and putty are not included, since the need for them depends on the wall’s condition. Ask your painter and add them separately. Indicative only; GST on materials and labour depends on the bill.

Sources

Indicative quantities from the numbers you enter, not a painter’s quote. For GST on materials and labour, indicative only.

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