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Wallpaper Tally

Plan your walls. Compare your costs.

How many rolls do you really need?

Enter your walls and the roll details printed on the label. We count whole vertical strips — including trimming and pattern matching — then round up to whole rolls, so you can compare two papers by what you'll actually pay. The result is a conservative estimate for rectangular walls with plain/random or straight-match wallpaper.

Calculator

1 · Units & currency

2 · Your walls

Measure the full width and floor-to-ceiling height.
Wall 1
Width
ft
in
Height
ft
in

3 · Wallpaper options

A
Pattern match
3
rolls to buy (estimate)
$144.00
total
Cut length per strip
100″ (8′ 4″)
Whole strips per roll
3
Strips needed
8 = 8
Offcut per roll
96″ (8′ 0″)

Every strip is cut for the tallest wall. This is a conservative assumption and may overestimate the rolls needed when wall heights differ.

123One roll, unrolledhatched = offcut
B
Lower cost
Pattern match
3
rolls to buy (estimate)
$126.00
total
Cut length per strip
105″ (8′ 9″)
Whole strips per roll
3
Strips needed
8 = 8
Offcut per roll
81″ (6′ 9″)

Every strip is cut for the tallest wall. This is a conservative assumption and may overestimate the rolls needed when wall heights differ.

123One roll, unrolledhatched = offcut

Cost comparison (estimate)

Option B costs $18.00 less in total.

Option A
3 rolls · $144.00
Option B
3 rolls · $126.00

Based on cutting every strip for the tallest wall — a conservative assumption that may overestimate quantities when wall heights differ.

An estimate, not an ordering guarantee. Prices are shown in USD; nothing is converted.

Assumptions in this estimate

  • Every strip is cut to the tallest wall's height plus your trimming allowance.
  • Straight match: each strip is lengthened to the next whole pattern repeat so the design lines up.
  • Strips per wall = wall width ÷ roll width, rounded up to a whole strip.
  • Only whole strips count from each roll; leftover offcuts are treated as waste.
  • Rolls are rounded up to whole purchasable rolls.
  • Straight-match calculations assume the roll begins at a suitable pattern position; initial pattern alignment may require additional material.

Not included in this version

  • Half-drop (offset) patterns — these usually need more paper than straight match.
  • Sloped walls, gables or stairwells.
  • Deductions for doors and windows — every wall is treated as solid, which adds a small safety margin.
  • An optional spare roll for future repairs is not included in this estimate. Check your supplier's advice and batch availability.

Always check the manufacturer's instructions before ordering.

The method

Why we count strips, not square footage

wall width 4.0 m → 7.55 strips → 8 whole stripsheight 2.4 m

Wallpaper is hung in vertical strips, and a strip can only come from one roll. Dividing wall area by roll area ignores the offcut left at the end of every roll, so it often under-orders.

  1. 1Find the cut length. Take the tallest wall height and add your trimming allowance (extra for trimming at ceiling and skirting).
  2. 2Adjust for pattern match. With a plain or random match any length works. With a straight match, the design must line up across neighbouring strips, so each strip is lengthened to the next whole pattern repeat.
  3. 3Count whole strips per roll. Divide the roll length by the cut length and round down. The remainder is an offcut too short to use as a full strip.
  4. 4Count strips per wall. Divide each wall's width by the roll width and round up. A narrow final strip still uses a full cut.
  5. 5Round up to whole rolls. Total strips ÷ strips per roll, rounded up. Multiply by price for the total cost.

How matching creates waste: a large repeat can push the cut length just past a point where one fewer strip fits on each roll. That single lost strip per roll can add a whole extra roll or more — which is why a cheaper roll is not always the cheaper wallpaper.

Worked example

Example prices in USD

The cheaper roll that costs more

Two walls, 4.0 m and 3.2 m wide, both 2.4 m high. Both papers come in rolls 53 cm wide and 10.05 m long, with 10 cm trimming allowance per strip. Paper A is a plain match at $48 per roll. Paper B is a straight match with a 64 cm repeat at $42 per roll. Wall strips: 400 ÷ 53 = 7.55 → 8, and 320 ÷ 53 = 6.04 → 7.

StepA · plain, $48B · straight 64 cm, $42
Cut length240 + 10 = 250 cm250 cm → 4 repeats of 64 = 256 cm
Whole strips per roll1005 ÷ 250 = 4.02 → 41005 ÷ 256 = 3.93 → 3
Strips needed8 + 7 = 158 + 7 = 15
Rolls15 ÷ 4 = 3.75 → 415 ÷ 3 = 5
Total cost4 × $48 = $192.005 × $42 = $210.00

Paper B is $6 cheaper per roll, but its repeat costs one strip per roll, so it needs a fifth roll and costs $18 more overall.