How do I calculate shower tile?

Measure each shower wall (height × width), add the shower floor or pan, and include any niche or bench. Subtract the door or entry opening. Total it up, add 10–15% waste, and round to whole boxes. The calculator above lets you enter each surface as its own area.

How many tiles do I need for a walk-in shower?

A standard 3 × 5 ft walk-in shower tiled to about 7 ft typically works out to roughly 100–130 sq ft of wall once you add three walls, before the pan. The exact number depends on your tile size and whether you tile to the ceiling, so measure your own walls.

Do I tile the shower ceiling?

Only if you want to — it's optional. Steam showers and fully enclosed showers are often tiled to the ceiling for waterproofing and a seamless look, while open walk-ins usually stop at a consistent height. If you are tiling the ceiling, add it as another surface in the calculator.

How much extra shower tile should I buy?

Go with 15% rather than the usual 10%. Showers are full of corners, a curb, a niche, and often a sloped pan — all of which mean more cuts and more breakage. The extra also gives you spares for a wet area where a future repair is a bigger job.

Shower Tile Calculator

A shower is several small surfaces — three or four walls, a pan, usually a niche, sometimes a bench. Measure each one, add them here, and get a tile count and box total with a waste buffer sized for all those fiddly cuts.

Free tile estimator

Plan your tile project in 3 easy steps

Enter the area, choose your tile, and get an instant quantity with waste included.

1 Measure2 Choose tile3 Estimate

Choose your calculatorStart simple or access every project option.

What are you tiling?

This helps us label your estimate.

Surface

Pick a shape & enter the floor dimensions

Choose the outline that best matches your area, then fill in the measurements.

Room shape

Length (ft)

Width (ft)

Enter the length and width of the area.

Measuring units

Choose your tile size

Dimensions are usually printed on the tile box.

Tile length (in)

Tile width (in)

Tile pattern

Waste is automatically set to 10% for this pattern.

Ready for your estimate?We’ll add 10% waste and round up.

How to measure a shower for tile

Showers punish anyone who measures roughly. There are more corners and more cuts per square foot than almost any other tiling job, so take it surface by surface and write each one down before you add them together. Tile height matters a lot here — tiling to 7 feet versus to the ceiling can be a couple of boxes’ difference.

Back wall — height × width.
Two side walls— height × width each (they’re often different widths).
Shower pan / floor — the footprint, usually a smaller mosaic for grip and drainage.
Niche and bench — measure the inside faces; they use more tile than their size suggests.

Worked example: a 3 × 5 ft walk-in shower

Back wall: 7 × 5 = 35 sq ft
Two side walls: 2 × (7 × 3) = 42 sq ft
Walls subtotal: 77 sq ft
Pan (small mosaic): 3 × 5 = 15 sq ft
+15% waste on walls: 77 → ~89 sq ft of wall tile

Keep the wall tile and the floor/pan mosaic as separate line items — they’re different products bought in different units. Our shower tile guide has the full walk-through including niche math, and the cost-to-tile-a-shower guide covers waterproofing and labour.

Why showers need a bigger waste buffer

Every corner is a cut, the curb is a cut, the niche is four little cuts, and a sloped pan means tapered pieces. That’s why 15% is the sensible floor for a shower rather than the 10% you’d use on a plain wall. It also leaves you spares — and in a wet area you really want spares, because swapping a cracked tile later means disturbing the waterproofing. While you’re planning, don’t forget thinset and backer board.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate shower tile?: Measure each shower wall (height × width), add the shower floor or pan, and include any niche or bench. Subtract the door or entry opening. Total it up, add 10–15% waste, and round to whole boxes. The calculator above lets you enter each surface as its own area.
How many tiles do I need for a walk-in shower?: A standard 3 × 5 ft walk-in shower tiled to about 7 ft typically works out to roughly 100–130 sq ft of wall once you add three walls, before the pan. The exact number depends on your tile size and whether you tile to the ceiling, so measure your own walls.
Do I tile the shower ceiling?: Only if you want to — it's optional. Steam showers and fully enclosed showers are often tiled to the ceiling for waterproofing and a seamless look, while open walk-ins usually stop at a consistent height. If you are tiling the ceiling, add it as another surface in the calculator.
How much extra shower tile should I buy?: Go with 15% rather than the usual 10%. Showers are full of corners, a curb, a niche, and often a sloped pan — all of which mean more cuts and more breakage. The extra also gives you spares for a wet area where a future repair is a bigger job.

Tiling a different surface?

The math behind every tile estimate is the same — area, tile size, grout gap, and a waste buffer. These versions just come preset for a specific job, with tips and worked examples for that surface. Pick whichever is closest and the numbers come out the same.

Floor tile calculator

Work out floor tiles, boxes, and waste for any room — including L-shaped layouts.

Wall tile calculator

Estimate wall tiles wall-by-wall and subtract windows and doors as you go.

Bathroom tile calculator

Add up the floor, walls, and shower in one project and get a single tile count.

Backsplash tile calculator

Size up a kitchen or bathroom backsplash — subway, mosaic sheets, or large format.