How to use this calculator
- Enter your square footage. Use the room's total floor area in ft². For carpets, add 5–10% for waste and pattern matching before converting.
- Read the square yards. The primary result is yd². The stats also show m² (for metric quotes) and acres (for big land areas).
- Order with waste built in. Most carpet retailers cut from a roll, so you pay for the full width even if you only need a strip — order what your room covers.
Formula
Square Yards = Square Feet ÷ 9
Worked example
A 12 × 15 ft living room equals 180 ft² ÷ 9 = 20 square yards of carpet. Add 10% waste and you order 22 square yards — about $880–$1,500 at $40–$70/yd² installed.
Tips for accurate results
- 1 square yard = 9 square feet, since a yard is 3 feet and area scales by the square (3² = 9).
- Carpet rolls come in 12-ft widths in the U.S. — your usable yardage may be more than your room area.
- Sod typically comes in 16" × 24" pieces (2.67 ft²) or in pallets of ~450 ft² — convert to yards for cross-quoting.
- For metric quotes, 1 yd² ≈ 0.836 m². Double-check before committing — the difference adds up on big jobs.