Litres of paint and tins from wall area and coats

Paint needed L
Total area to coat (all coats)
Suggested tins
Assumption: 2 coats and a coverage of 11 m² per litre are typical for emulsion on smooth plaster. Porous or textured surfaces cover less — adjust the coverage to the paint datasheet.

About Paint Calculator

The paint calculator works out how many liters of paint a job needs and how many tins to buy. Enter the wall area directly, or let the tool compute it from the room perimeter and height; subtract openings like doors and windows, set the number of coats, and adjust the coverage rate.

The calculation is straightforward: net area times coats divided by coverage. The defaults — 2 coats and 11 m² per liter — are typical for emulsion on smooth plaster, but coverage is the variable that matters most: porous, textured, or previously unpainted surfaces absorb more, so check your paint’s datasheet and lower the figure accordingly.

Along with the liters, you get the total area to be coated across all coats and a suggested tin combination, so you are not left mid-wall with an empty can. It is a free in-browser estimator for rooms, facades, fences — anywhere the question is “how much paint do I need.”

How to use Paint Calculator

  1. Choose the input mode: enter the wall area directly, or compute it from perimeter and height.
  2. Subtract the area of doors, windows, and other openings in m².
  3. Set the number of coats — two is standard for a color change.
  4. Adjust the coverage (m² per liter) to match your paint’s datasheet.
  5. Read the liters needed, the total area to coat, and the suggested tins.

Frequently asked questions

Typical emulsion covers about 11 m² per liter per coat on smooth plaster, so a two-coat job uses roughly 1 liter per 5.5 m² of wall. The calculator divides your total coated area by whatever coverage you set.

Measure the room perimeter and multiply by the ceiling height, then subtract doors and windows. The dimensions mode does this for you: a 3 × 4 m room at 2.5 m high has (3+4+3+4) × 2.5 = 35 m² of wall before openings.

Two coats is the norm for a solid finish and any color change. One coat can suffice when repainting the same color on a sound surface; dark-to-light changes or fresh plaster (which needs a primer or mist coat first) may take more.

Manufacturer coverage figures assume smooth, sealed surfaces. Texture, porosity, roller nap, and application thickness all reduce real-world coverage — often by 15–25%. Lower the coverage value in the calculator to match your surface.

Yes — the tin suggestion already rounds up, and keeping a little extra of the same batch is wise for touch-ups, since a later batch can differ slightly in tint. Results are estimates; the datasheet of your specific paint governs.

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