Free tool
Wallpaper calculator: how many rolls do I need?
How many rolls of wallpaper do you need? Enter the total width and height of the walls you're papering, the roll size and the pattern repeat from the label, and the calculator works out the number of drops, how many fit on each roll and how many rolls to buy, including a 10% allowance. It's set up for standard UK rolls (53cm x 10.05m) but works with any roll size, in pounds, dollars or euros.
Not sure how to measure? Follow the step-by-step guide, or check the quick reference chart for typical rooms.
Your wall
Pattern details
Roll specifications
Openings & waste
Pricing (optional)
Enter your measurements and press calculate to see your roll requirements.
Designer's guide
How to measure a room for wallpaper
Accurate measurements are the difference between a seamless finish and a last-minute dash for another roll that doesn't match. Use metres for walls and centimetres for rolls.
- 1
Measure the width
Measure the width of each wall you're papering and add them together for the total width.
- 2
Measure the height
Measure from the top of the skirting board to the ceiling at the tallest point of the wall.
- 3
Check the roll label
Note the roll width and length, the pattern repeat and the match type: straight, drop or random.
- 4
Allow for large openings
Deduct only the full width of large openings such as patio doors or wide windows. Papering around a standard door or window still uses most of a drop.
- 5
Add an allowance
Keep the 10% allowance switched on to cover trimming, mistakes and future repairs, and buy every roll from the same batch.
The method
How to calculate how many rolls of wallpaper you need
Professional decorators don't divide the wall area by the area of a roll, because that ignores trimming and pattern matching and almost always leaves you short. Instead, they work in drops: the full-height strips of paper that cover the wall.
- 1. Count the drops. Divide the total wall width by the roll width and round up. A 4m wall with 53cm rolls needs 4 ÷ 0.53 = 7.5, so 8 drops.
- 2. Work out the length of each drop. Add about 10cm to the wall height for trimming. With a pattern, round this up to a whole number of pattern repeats, and add half a repeat for a drop match.
- 3. Count the drops per roll. Divide the roll length by the drop length and round down. A 2.4m wall plus 10cm trim is a 2.5m drop, so a 10.05m roll gives 4 drops.
- 4. Work out the rolls. Divide the drops needed by the drops per roll and round up: 8 ÷ 4 = 2 rolls.
- 5. Add an allowance. Add 10% and round up for mistakes and future repairs: 3 rolls.
Pattern repeats make a big difference. The same 2.4m wall papered with a 53cm repeat needs a 2.65m drop, so you only get 3 drops per roll instead of 4.
Quick reference
Wallpaper roll chart
Typical numbers of standard 53cm x 10.05m rolls, including a 10% allowance and 10cm trim, with no deduction for doors or windows. Use the calculator above for your exact measurements.
| Wall width | 2.4m high, plain | 2.4m high, 53cm repeat | 2.7m high, any |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2m | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 2.5m | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 3m | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 3.5m | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| 4m | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| 4.5m | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5m | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Room | Perimeter | 2.4m high, plain | 2.4m high, 53cm repeat | 2.7m high, any |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5m x 2.5m | 10m | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| 3m x 3m | 12m | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| 3m x 4m | 14m | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| 3.5m x 4m | 15m | 9 | 11 | 11 |
| 4m x 4m | 16m | 9 | 13 | 13 |
| 4m x 5m | 18m | 10 | 14 | 14 |
| 5m x 5m | 20m | 11 | 15 | 15 |
Designer's tips
Measuring for tricky spaces
Feature walls
A single wall is the easiest way to try wallpaper. Measure the full width, including any alcoves, and keep the 10% allowance, as one bad drop can leave you a roll short.
Chimney breasts and alcoves
Measure each face separately, including the returns either side of the chimney breast, then add them together for the total width.
Sloping and tall walls
Use the tallest point of the wall for the height. On stairwells, measure the longest drop and treat the shorter ones as offcuts.
Ceilings
Paper across the shortest width of the room. Enter the room length as the width and the room width as the height.
Wide-width papers and murals
Enter the exact roll width and length from the label. Murals are often sold as panels to fit a set wall size, so check the supplier's sizing guide.
Large patterns
Bold, large-scale patterns often have repeats of 53cm or more. Always enter the repeat and match type, as they can add a roll or two.
Peel and stick wallpaper
Peel and stick rolls are often only about 5m long, half a standard roll. Enter the exact size from the label (1 inch is 2.54cm, 1 foot is 30.48cm) and keep the 10% allowance.
Renting or hoping to take your wallpaper with you when you move? Read my honest guide: can you reuse peel and stick wallpaper?
Wallpaper FAQs
Common questions
Choosing a paper as well as measuring for it? Read how to choose a colour palette or book a design consultation.
How many rolls of wallpaper do I need for one wall?
It depends on the wall size, roll size and pattern repeat. For example, a wall 4m wide and 2.4m high, papered with standard 53cm × 10m rolls and no pattern repeat, needs 8 drops. Each roll gives 4 drops, so you need 2 rolls, or 3 once you add the recommended 10% allowance.
What size is a standard UK wallpaper roll?
A standard UK roll is about 10.05m long and 52 to 53cm wide, which is roughly 5.3 square metres of paper. Wide-width papers (often 70cm or more) and murals vary, so always check the label and enter your roll's exact size in the calculator.
What is a pattern repeat?
The pattern repeat is the vertical distance before the design starts again, shown on the roll label. The larger the repeat, the more paper is trimmed away when matching drops, so you'll need more rolls.
What's the difference between straight match, drop match and random match?
With a straight match the pattern lines up horizontally across every drop. With a drop (or half-drop) match the pattern on each neighbouring drop is offset by half a repeat, which usually creates more waste. Random or free match papers need no matching, so they waste the least.
How many rolls of wallpaper do I need for a feature wall?
Most feature walls in UK homes need 3 to 5 standard rolls. A wall 3m wide and 2.4m high needs 6 drops, so 2 rolls of plain or random match paper, or 3 rolls once you add a 10% allowance. A large pattern repeat can push that up by a roll.
How many rolls of wallpaper do I need for a 3m x 3m room?
A 3m x 3m room with a 2.4m ceiling has a perimeter of 12m, which needs about 7 standard rolls of plain paper or 9 rolls of a paper with a 53cm pattern repeat, including a 10% allowance and without deducting doors or windows.
How many square metres does a roll of wallpaper cover?
A standard 53cm x 10.05m roll is about 5.3 square metres, but you can't use all of it, because each drop is trimmed at the top and bottom and patterns need matching. That's why it's more accurate to calculate by drops, as this calculator does, than by dividing the wall area by 5.3.
Does this calculator work for peel and stick wallpaper?
Yes. Peel and stick rolls are usually much shorter than traditional rolls, often around 52cm wide and only about 5m long, so enter the exact width and length from the label in centimetres. To convert, 1 inch is 2.54cm and 1 foot is 30.48cm.
How much wallpaper paste do I need?
It depends on the paste and the paper, so check the packet, which shows how many rolls it covers. Heavier papers such as vinyls and textured papers need a stronger paste, and paste-the-wall papers should be hung with the paste recommended on the label.
Should I buy an extra roll of wallpaper?
Yes. Buy all your rolls from the same batch number, as colour can vary slightly between batches, and keep at least one spare for mistakes or future repairs. Adding 10% to your total is a sensible allowance.
Wallpaper inspiration