# How many boxes of flooring do I need?

> Work out how many boxes of floorboards or herringbone parquet to order: measure m², add a waste allowance, divide by box coverage. Worked examples and a table.

- URL: https://timbo.com.au/guides/how-many-boxes-of-flooring
- Publisher: Timbo (https://timbo.com.au) – trade supplier of European oak floorboards to partners in Australia and New Zealand
- Last updated: 2026-10-14
- Contact (email only): partnerships@timbo.com.au

## Key facts

- Formula: area in m² × (1 + waste %) ÷ coverage per box, then round up to whole boxes.
- Timbo 710 × 123 × 18mm herringbone: 16 blocks per box, about 1.4 m² (1.397 m²).
- Timbo 820mm herringbone and chevron: ask Timbo for current box coverage before calculating.
- Rules of thumb for waste: about 5–10% for straight-laid boards, about 10–15% for herringbone and chevron, more for borders and awkward rooms.
- Your installer should confirm the final quantity after measuring on site.

## The formula

**Boxes needed = floor area in m² × (1 + waste allowance) ÷ coverage per box, rounded up to the next whole box.** That's it. The two numbers that cause most mistakes are the **area** (measured wrongly or with rooms missed) and the **waste allowance** (too little for the pattern).

| Step | What to do | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1. Measure | Length × width of each room, in metres | 4.2m × 3.6m = 15.12 m² |
| 2. Add up | Total all areas, subtract fixed joinery not floored | 15.12 m² |
| 3. Add waste | Multiply by 1 + waste % | 15.12 × 1.12 = 16.93 m² |
| 4. Divide | Divide by m² per box | 16.93 ÷ 1.397 = 12.1 |
| 5. Round up | Always to a whole box | **13 boxes** |

## Box coverage for Timbo products

**Timbo's 710mm Solid Oak Herringbone Parquet is packed 16 blocks per box, covering about 1.4 m².** The arithmetic is 16 × 0.710m × 0.123m = **1.397 m²** per box. For other products, ask Timbo for the current coverage before you calculate.

| Product | Block size | Blocks per box | Coverage per box |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Solid Oak Herringbone Parquet](https://timbo.com.au/products/f11-solid-oak-herringbone-parquet) – standard | 710 × 123 × 18mm | 16 | About 1.4 m² (1.397 m²) |
| Solid Oak Herringbone Parquet – large | 820 × 123 × 18mm | Ask Timbo | Ask Timbo |
| [Solid Oak Chevron Parquet](https://timbo.com.au/products/sample-4) | 710 × 123 × 18mm or 820 × 123 × 18mm | Ask Timbo | Ask Timbo |
| [Timeless Pattern Parquet](https://timbo.com.au/products/timeless-patterned-solid-oak-flooring) | 450 × 450 × 15mm or 800 × 800 × 15mm | – | 0.2025 m² or 0.64 m² per panel |

Herringbone is laid with left- and right-hand blocks. Ask Timbo how they are packed so you order balanced quantities for your layout.

## Waste allowances by pattern (rules of thumb)

**As a rule of thumb, allow about 5–10% for straight-laid boards and about 10–15% for herringbone and chevron, and more for borders, angled walls and small or broken-up rooms.** These are industry rules of thumb, not fixed values – the installer's own allowance, based on the actual set-out, should always win.

| Pattern / situation | Typical allowance (rule of thumb) | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Straight-laid floorboards, simple room | About 5–10% | Offcuts can often start the next row |
| Herringbone, open rectangular room | About 10–15% | Angled cuts at every wall |
| Chevron | About 10–15% | Angled ends and perimeter cuts |
| Herringbone with border | Toward the top of the range or more | Extra cutting at the field edge |
| Hallways, L-shapes, many doorways | Toward the top of the range or more | High perimeter-to-area ratio |
| Diagonal layout to the walls | Toward the top of the range or more | More cuts per m² |

More detail on set-out and offcuts is in the [herringbone layout and waste guide](https://timbo.com.au/guides/herringbone-layout-and-waste), and pattern differences are explained in [herringbone vs chevron](https://timbo.com.au/compare/herringbone-vs-chevron).

## Quick reference table – 710mm herringbone

**This table shows how many boxes of Timbo 710mm herringbone (1.397 m² per box) common room sizes need at different waste allowances.** Figures are rounded up to whole boxes.

| Floor area | Boxes, no waste | + 5% | + 10% | + 15% |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 5 m² | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| 8 m² | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| 10 m² | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| 12 m² | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 15 m² | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| 20 m² | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 |
| 25 m² | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 30 m² | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 40 m² | 29 | 31 | 32 | 33 |
| 50 m² | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 |
| 60 m² | 43 | 46 | 48 | 50 |
| 80 m² | 58 | 61 | 63 | 66 |
| 100 m² | 72 | 76 | 79 | 83 |

The "no waste" column is for reference only – herringbone always needs a waste allowance.

## Worked examples

**Example 1 – bedroom.** A 4.2m × 3.6m bedroom is 15.12 m². With a 12% herringbone allowance: 15.12 × 1.12 = 16.93 m². Divide by 1.397 = 12.1, so order **13 boxes** (18.2 m² of product).

**Example 2 – L-shaped living area.** Main area 6.0m × 7.5m = 45 m², plus a 2.0m × 3.0m nook = 6 m², total 51 m². Because of the L-shape, allow 15%: 51 × 1.15 = 58.65 m². Divide by 1.397 = 41.97 – so **42 boxes** is the bare minimum. That leaves almost nothing spare, so most installers would order **43**.

**Example 3 – hallway.** A 1.1m × 8.0m hallway is 8.8 m². Long, narrow areas have lots of perimeter cuts, so allow 15%: 8.8 × 1.15 = 10.12 m². Divide by 1.397 = 7.2, so order **8 boxes**.

## Measuring tips

**Measure every room at its widest points, include doorways and robes the floor runs into, and draw a simple plan.**

- Measure in metres to two decimal places and note which way the pattern will run.
- Split odd shapes into rectangles, then add them up.
- Include thresholds, built-in robes and under-stair areas if they're being floored.
- Subtract only what the floor definitely won't go under (check kitchen islands and joinery with the builder).
- Keep the plan with the quote – it makes reordering easy.

Don't forget everything that isn't the floor itself: adhesive, moisture barrier, levelling, borders, trims and sanding and coating for raw parquet. See [parquet installation cost](https://timbo.com.au/guides/parquet-installation-cost) for a full line-item list.

## Why ordering a little extra pays

**Ordering one spare box is cheap insurance.** Timber is natural, so colour and grain vary between production batches. Running short mid-job can mean waiting for stock and blending a different batch. A spare box also gives the client matching blocks for future repairs. Before acclimatising and installing, see [acclimatising oak flooring](https://timbo.com.au/guides/acclimatising-oak-flooring).

Flooring businesses can get quantities and coverage confirmed when ordering – Timbo partners order by email purchase order. Homeowners should get a measure and quote from a [Timbo partner](https://timbo.com.au/partners/find-a-partner).

**See and feel the oak:** Free samples for trade partners and their clients. Tell us the product and where to send it. → https://timbo.com.au/samples

## Sources

- Timbo product data – 710 × 123 × 18mm herringbone, 16 blocks per box (coverage calculated: 16 × 0.710 × 0.123 = 1.397 m²).
- Waste allowances are general industry rules of thumb; confirm with your installer for each project.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many boxes of herringbone do I need for 20 m²?

With Timbo's 710mm herringbone (about 1.4 m² per box), 20 m² is 14.3 boxes before waste. Adding a typical 10–15% herringbone allowance gives 16–17 boxes. Your installer confirms the final number.

### How much does one box of Timbo 710mm herringbone cover?

About 1.4 m². Each box holds 16 blocks of 710 × 123 × 18mm, and 16 × 0.710m × 0.123m = 1.397 m².

### How much does a box of 820mm herringbone cover?

Ask Timbo for the current box coverage of the 820 × 123 × 18mm size before you calculate. Don't assume it is the same as the 710mm box.

### Why does herringbone need more waste than straight floorboards?

Every block that meets a wall, border or doorway is cut at an angle, and the offcuts often can't be reused elsewhere. Straight-laid boards can usually reuse offcuts to start the next row.

### Should I round up to a whole box?

Yes, always. Boxes are sold whole, and running short mid-job can mean a delay and a slightly different batch. Many installers add one spare box for future repairs.

### Do I subtract kitchen islands and built-in cupboards?

Usually yes, if the floor won't run underneath them – but confirm with the builder, because some installers lay under joinery. Measure the rooms first, then subtract fixed areas the floor won't cover.

### Does a border change how many boxes I need?

Yes. A border reduces the herringbone field area but adds cutting at the field edge, and the border itself may be a different product. Measure the field and border separately.

## Related pages

- [Herringbone layout and waste allowance](https://timbo.com.au/guides/herringbone-layout-and-waste) – How to set out herringbone flooring – centre line, borders, left and right blocks – with waste allowance and a worked box calculation for 710mm blocks.
- [Solid Oak Herringbone Parquet](https://timbo.com.au/products/f11-solid-oak-herringbone-parquet) – Prime grade European solid oak herringbone parquet, 18mm thick, in 710 × 123mm and 820 × 123mm. Natural brown. Supplied to trade partners in Australia & NZ.
- [Parquet installation cost – a quoting guide for flooring businesses](https://timbo.com.au/guides/parquet-installation-cost) – How to quote parquet installation in Australia line by line: removal, slab prep, levelling, adhesive, labour, borders, sanding and coating, with cited ranges.