Carpet Measuring Sheet
Measure every room, try both orientations, and check the seam direction before you commit. The turned figure is often cheaper for free.
BFCBrilliance · bfcbrilliance.com/tools/carpet-calculator
The job
- Property
- Date
- Carpet
- Roll width
- Price per sq yd
- Pattern repeat?
- TOTAL LINEAR FT
- Sq yards
- Estimated cost
One row per room — record BOTH orientations
| Room | Length | Width | Linear ft (as is) | Linear ft (turned) | Seam direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The arithmetic
- Strips
- room dimension / roll width, rounded UP
- Linear feet
- strips x the other dimension x (1 + waste)
- Carpet bought
- linear feet x ROLL WIDTH, not room width
- Square yards
- square feet / 9
- Common roll widths
- 12 ft mostly; also 15 ft and 13 ft 2 in
- ⚠ 12 ft room on a 12 ft roll
- 0% waste
- ⚠ 13 ft room on a 12 ft roll
- about 85% waste
- Not included
- underlay, gripper, transitions, pattern repeat
Before ordering
- Roll width confirmed with the supplier FIRST
- Both orientations worked out and compared
- Seam direction checked against the main light source
- Seam direction checked against the traffic route
- Hallways run along their length, not seamed across
- Pattern repeat asked about, and its cost in linear feet
- Wider roll asked about if the room is awkward for 12 ft
- Doorways and alcoves measured into the room, not ignored
- Underlay and gripper costed separately
- Access checked — a roll of carpet is long, heavy and does not bend
The cost does not rise smoothly with the room
Carpet jumps in price at every multiple of the roll width and then falls back as the room grows into the strip you already bought. A 13 ft room can cost nearly what a 24 ft one does. If a room is just over a multiple, it is worth asking whether a wider roll exists in the carpet you want — it can halve the bill.
The cheaper orientation is not always the right one
Turning the room often saves linear feet for nothing. But a seam running across the light or across the traffic route will be visible for as long as the carpet lasts, and no saving is worth looking at it every day. Work out the cheap answer, then check whether the seam lands somewhere you can live with.