How to Measure Carpet Size

Before purchasing carpet, you need to measure the area you want carpeted. This measurement allows you to calculate how much carpet you actually need, so you don't buy too much, or worse, too little. It's generally a good idea to factor in some excess material to account for mistakes, alignment issues or irregular room sizes. If your carpet store sells carpet by the square yard, which is common, then you will need to convert your measurements to accommodate these units.

Tape measure

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the width and length of each carpeted room. If the room is irregularly sized, measure at the widest sections.
- 2
  Multiply the length and width measurements to calculate the room area. As an example, a 10-foot-by-12-foot room would be 120 square feet.
- 3
  Add all the room area calculations to produce the total area to be carpeted. In the example, if you had three rooms to carpet, and they were all equally sized, you would have 360 square feet of floor to carpet.
- 4
  Multiply this figure by 1.10 to add a 10 percent safety margin on the figure. In the example, you would need 396 square feet of carpet.
- 5
  Divide this figure by nine to calculate the square yards required. In the example, you would need 44 square yards of carpet.

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