How to work out how many rolls of wallpaper you need
- Choose Whole room or One wall (for a feature wall), then feet or metres, and enter the room’s length and width or the wall’s width, plus the wall height.
- For a whole room, enter the total width of doors and large windows that won’t be papered.
- Check the Roll width, Length and Pattern repeat on the label and enter them. Read the rolls to buy and how many drops each roll gives.
How the rolls are counted
The calculator uses the drop method that decorators use, not area alone, because offcuts can’t be joined into a new drop:
- Width to cover = the room’s perimeter, less doors and windows.
- Drops needed = width ÷ roll width, rounded up.
- Drop length = wall height plus trimming, rounded up to the pattern repeat.
- Drops per roll = roll length ÷ drop length, rounded down.
- Rolls = drops needed ÷ drops per roll, rounded up.
Small windows are left in, since the paper above and below them still uses most of a drop.
Before you buy
Buy every roll from the same batch number, shown on the label, because colour can vary between batches. Add a spare roll for mistakes or a tricky pattern match, and keep any leftover for repairs. Papering a ceiling or a stairwell takes more care and waste; add 10 to 15% or ask your decorator. Painting instead? The paint calculator uses the same room measurements.