Quick answer: To find how many tiles are in a square meter, divide 10,000 by (tile length × width in centimeters). A 30×30 cm tile gives about 11.1 per m², a 60×60 cm about 2.8 per m², and a 60×30 cm about 5.6 per m². Always add 10–15% for waste and round up.
This is the metric companion to how many tiles are in a square foot. If you measure rooms in meters and buy tile sized in centimeters (the standard outside the U.S.), this chart and formula give you the count fast. To run a full project in one step, switch our tile calculator to Metric mode.
Tiles per square meter chart
Based on the nominal tile size (grout joints make the real coverage slightly larger — more on that below):
| Tile size | Area per tile (m²) | Tiles per m² |
|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 cm | 0.01 | 100 |
| 15 × 15 cm | 0.0225 | ≈ 44.4 |
| 20 × 20 cm | 0.04 | 25 |
| 30 × 30 cm | 0.09 | ≈ 11.1 |
| 45 × 45 cm | 0.2025 | ≈ 4.9 |
| 60 × 60 cm | 0.36 | ≈ 2.8 |
| 60 × 30 cm | 0.18 | ≈ 5.6 |
| 75 × 75 cm | 0.5625 | ≈ 1.8 |
| 120 × 60 cm | 0.72 | ≈ 1.4 |
The formula
Example (30×30 cm): 10,000 ÷ (30 × 30) = 10,000 ÷ 900 = 11.1 tiles
The 10,000 comes from the number of square centimeters in a square meter (100 cm × 100 cm). Divide it by the tile’s area in square centimeters and you get tiles per square meter.
From square meters to a tile count for your room
Knowing tiles per square meter is only step one. For a real project, multiply by your room area and add waste:
Tile: 30×30 cm = 0.09 m² each → 11.1 per m²
Base tiles: 12 ÷ 0.09 = 133.3 → 134 tiles
+10% waste: 148 tiles
At 1.0 m² per box (≈ 11 tiles): 148 ÷ 11 = 13.5 → 14 boxes
For the full measuring method, see how to calculate the area for tile (the same length × width method works in meters) and how many tiles do I need.
Why grout joints change the count slightly
The chart uses the nominal tile size. In reality each tile sits inside a grout joint, so its effective footprint is a few millimeters larger on each side. A 60×60 cm tile with a 3 mm joint effectively covers 60.3 × 60.3 cm, which very slightly reduces the tiles per square meter. The difference is small on large tiles but adds up on mosaics and small formats. Our calculator accounts for the joint width precisely — see how big grout lines should be.
Don’t forget waste
Never buy the exact base count. Add about 10% for straight layouts and 15% for diagonal, herringbone, or chevron patterns to cover edge cuts, breakage, and future repairs. Full breakdown: how much extra tile should you buy.
Frequently asked questions
- How many tiles are in a square meter?
- It depends on the tile size. A 30×30 cm tile gives about 11.1 tiles per square meter, a 60×60 cm tile about 2.8, a 60×30 cm about 5.6, and a small 10×10 cm tile 100 per square meter. The formula is: tiles per m² = 10,000 ÷ (tile length in cm × tile width in cm).
- How many 60x60 tiles are in a square meter?
- A 60×60 cm tile covers 0.36 m², so one square meter needs 1 ÷ 0.36 ≈ 2.78 tiles. In practice you buy whole tiles and add waste, so budget about 3 tiles per square meter plus 10% for cuts.
- How do I convert square meters to tiles?
- Divide your total area in square meters by the area of one tile in square meters (tile length × width in meters). Then add 10–15% waste and round up to whole tiles and full boxes. For example, a 12 m² floor with 30×30 cm tiles needs 12 ÷ 0.09 ≈ 134 tiles, plus waste.
- How many square meters does a box of tiles cover?
- Most boxes state the coverage on the label — commonly 1.0 to 1.5 m² per box for floor tiles. Divide your total area (with waste) by the box coverage and round up to find how many boxes to buy.
Prefer imperial units? Use the square-foot version of this chart, or just run the numbers in Metric mode on our tile calculator.
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