Paint Quantity Calculator
Estimate how much paint you need for a wall area.
Assumptions used in this calculation
- Coverage: Assumes 1 litre covers ~120 sqft per coat, actual coverage varies by paint brand and surface.
About this calculator
Buying paint by eyeballing a room is a coin flip between an unfinished wall halfway through the second coat and cans of unused paint left over, since coverage per litre and the number of coats needed both vary by paint type. This calculator multiplies your wall area by the number of coats you plan to apply, then divides by a standard coverage assumption of about 120 square feet per litre for emulsion paint on a smooth interior wall, to output the litres you need to buy. Two inputs, area and coats, replace the mental math of converting coverage rates and rounding up to whole cans. Since coverage varies by brand, surface texture and paint type (primer typically covers less than topcoat), check your paint tin's stated coverage figure and adjust the area input if it differs meaningfully from the 120 sqft/litre default.
Worked example
500 sqft, 2 coats
Result: ≈ 8.4 litres
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