How do I work out carpet cost per square foot?
You want to compare carpet prices given per square foot, per square yard and per square metre.
Divide a price per square metre by 10.76 to get the price per square foot. Multiply a price per square foot by 9 for a square yard, or by 10.76 for a square metre. UK carpet is almost always sold per square metre, so convert everything to metres before you compare, and compare the carpet you actually have to buy rather than the floor area.
Written for: For anyone who measures rooms in feet but is quoted carpet in metres, or is comparing prices written in different units.
Why prices appear in three different units
British carpet is made and sold in metric widths, so warehouses and most retailers quote per square metre. Many people still measure rooms in feet, American websites quote per square foot, and older price lists and some fitters still use the square yard. Put two of those side by side without converting and a cheaper carpet can look dearer, or the other way round.
A per square foot figure is roughly a tenth of the per square metre figure, so it always looks attractive. That alone is not a bargain; it is just a smaller unit.
The conversions you need
Keep these three numbers handy and every price becomes comparable. Work in one unit only once you have converted.
- Per square metre to per square foot: divide by 10.76
- Per square foot to per square metre: multiply by 10.76
- Per square yard to per square metre: divide by 0.836
- Per square metre to per square yard: multiply by 0.836
- Room in feet to metres: multiply each side by 0.3048 before multiplying them together
Unit conversions for carpet pricing
| From | To | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| Per m2 | Per sq ft | Divide by 10.76 |
| Per sq ft | Per m2 | Multiply by 10.76 |
| Per sq yd | Per m2 | Divide by 0.836 |
| Per m2 | Per sq yd | Multiply by 0.836 |
| Feet | Metres | Multiply by 0.3048 |
Pricing a room measured in feet
Convert the sides first, not the area. A 12ft by 14ft room is 3.66m by 4.27m. Its floor area is 15.6 square metres, or 168 square feet. Now remember that carpet comes off a roll, usually four metres wide, so the carpet you buy for that room is a 4m wide piece a little over 4.27m long, around 17.9 square metres once trimming is allowed.
Multiply that figure, not the floor area, by the price per square metre and you have the carpet cost. A per square foot quote worked out from floor area will always look lower than the true cost, because it ignores the offcut.
What a price per square foot leaves out
Whatever unit it is written in, a headline carpet rate is only one part of the job. Underlay, gripper and door bars, and fitting labour are separate, and an honest comparison lines up all of them. Ask any supplier to split those out before you convert anything.
Stairs are rarely priced by area at all. They are usually quoted per flight or per step, because fitting is slower, so a per square foot figure tells you almost nothing about a staircase.
Why we quote your rooms rather than a rate
We do not publish a single price per square metre, and so not per square foot either, because the right number depends on the rolls in stock and the shape of your rooms. Send your measurements in feet or metres and we will convert, work out the lengths and give you a real figure. Bring a written quote from anywhere else and we will beat any legitimate quote.
Still wondering?
- How many square feet are in a square metre?
- 10.76 square feet, so a price per square metre divided by 10.76 gives the price per square foot.
- Is carpet in the UK sold by the square foot?
- Rarely. Carpet in the UK is made in metric roll widths and nearly always priced per square metre.
- How do I compare a quote per square yard?
- Divide the per square yard figure by 0.836 to get the equivalent per square metre price, then compare like with like.
- Can I send you room sizes in feet?
- Yes. Send them in feet or metres and the team will convert and price them against stock.
- What payment methods can I use?
- Cash, all major credit and debit cards, Amex and bank transfer.
Where to go next on the site
Measured in feet? That is fine
Send the sizes as you have them and we will turn them into a proper price.