If the thought of calculating how many wallpaper rolls you need makes you break into a sweat — take a deep breath. You don’t have to be a math whiz to learn how to measure for wallpaper. I promise.
Was I a total overachiever in algebra and art club? Yes. Do you need to be? Absolutely not.
This guide is here to help you confidently measure for wallpaper in order to figure out how many rolls of wallpaper you need — no graphing calculator required.
✏️ Before You Start: A Quick Note About the Numbers
Every wallpaper brand has different specs — meaning roll width, length, and coverage area can vary. The examples and printable guide below are based on our byHopeatHome wallpaper, which comes in the following standard:
Roll Width : 27 inches
Roll Length : 27 feet (that’s 9 yards)
Roll Coverage : 60.75 square feet
If you’re shopping wallpaper from somewhere else, always check the roll specs before doing your math. But the same formula used here should apply to most wallpaper (with the exceptions of mural styled artwork and rolls).
DISCLAIMER: Every installer will have a preference on how much extra yardage they will need to ensure that the pattern falls correctly, enough allowance for coverage, etc. This guide is meant to give you an estimate. Please ensure with your installer your final quantity of rolls needed for your project.
Wallpaper Vocabulary
Square Footage
You'll hear the words Square Footage and Area used when talking about wallpaper. These terms are referring to the same thing.
Roll Coverage
Roll Coverage refers to the amount of wall area (or square footage) that your roll covers, typically noted on the product details or spec sheet.
Pattern Repeat
The Pattern Repeat size is simply the size of the artwork before it repeats from left to right and from bottom to top, typically noted on the product details or spec sheet.
Overage
When hanging wallpaper, you’ll always want to order an Overage amount, which is simply an intentional excess amoun to account for waste. For wallpaper rolls, a 15-20% Overage amount is fairly standard.
STEP ONE:
measuring your wall or walls
This method requires some quick measurements of your wall and a one-step plug and play formula.
area (square footage) = width x height
Measuring a Single Wall
Using the example from the illustration, we can plug in the measurements of the single wall and get 150 square feet.
Area (sqft) = 15ft X 10ft
Area (sqft) = 150 sqft
. . .
✨ Simple Tip : Always round up! It’s better to have a little extra than run out mid-wall — trust me. If your math lands somewhere close to the next whole number (like 2.7 or 2.9 rolls), we always recommend rounding up.
For example, if your calculations say you need 2.8 rolls, I’d go ahead and order 4 rolls . That extra roll gives you the wiggle room to line up your pattern repeat exactly where you want it — plus a little buffer in case of cutting errors, repairs, or future touch-ups.
*do not subtract out the area for windows and doors
area (square footage) = width x height
Measuring Multiple Walls
Using the example from the illustration above, we can add up the widths of multiple walls, plug in the measurements to our formula, and get 310 square feet.
Area (sqft) = (8+15+8)ft x 10ft
Area (sqft) = 31ft x 10ft
Area (sqft) = 310 sqft
Remember, do not subtract out the area for windows and doors.
Measuring A Sloped Walls
Treat the wall like a full rectangle!
Measure from the tallest point of the wall (floor to ceiling). Measure the widest width from side to side. Use the same math formula as above to calculate your wall or walls' square footage.
STEP TWO:
calculate your roll count
After you complete step one, you will be able to figure out how many rolls it will take to cover that square footage.
roll count = wall sqft ÷ roll coverage
Calculating Your Roll Count
Using the same math as above, we calculated this example as needing to cover a square footage (area) of 310 sqft. All of the byHopeatHome wallpaper rolls cover 60.75 sqft, so that is the measurement being used for the example.
To calculate the rolls needed:
Rolls Needed = Area ÷ Roll Coverage
Rolls Needed = 310 ÷ 60.75 sqft
Rolls Needed = 5.10
rounding up at least to 6 rolls for good measure and extra wiggle room
✨ PRO TIP
Always round up! It’s better to have a little extra than run out mid-wall — trust me. If your math lands somewhere close to the next whole number (like 2.7 or 2.9 rolls), we always recommend rounding up.
For example, if your calculations say you need 2.8 rolls, I’d go ahead and order 4 rolls . That extra roll gives you the wiggle room to line up your pattern repeat exactly where you want it — plus a little buffer in case of cutting errors, repairs, or future touch-ups.
*do not subtract out the area for windows and doors
Measuring for wallpaper doesn’t have to be intimidating. Whether you’re styling a full room, an accent wall, or just want to dip your toe into pattern, getting your measurements right is the first (and easiest!) step.
If you ever need help figuring out how many rolls to order — especially if you’re working with one of our wallpapers — I’m happy to help. Shoot me a message, and I’ll make sure your space ends up looking as good in real life as it does in your head.
You’ve got this — ruler in hand, calculator optional.
