Wallpaper Calculator: How Many Rolls Do I Need?
Work out how many rolls of wallpaper you need for a room, a feature wall or a chimney breast, allowing for the pattern repeat, plus the paste and lining paper to go with them.
No sign-up required. Free to use, with every formula shown on this page. Last reviewed October 2026.
Work out your wallpaper
Wallpaper Calculator
Work out how many rolls of wallpaper a room or feature wall needs, allowing for the pattern repeat, with paste and lining paper to go with them.
1 What you're papering
All four walls. For a feature wall or a chimney breast, choose Single walls.
From the skirting board (or floor) to the ceiling.
Doors and windowsWidth × height. Each opening saves whole drops of paper only; the short pieces above and below come from offcuts.
2 The wallpaper
Roll sizeIt's on the roll's label, usually as a symbol next to the pattern repeat.
Check the packet: heavy vinyl and embossed papers hang fewer rolls per packet.
3 Lining paper (optional)
Lining paper smooths uneven or patched walls before you wallpaper.
4 Prices (optional)
Add the prices you've seen to get a total. Leave any box empty to skip it.
Rolls you need
0 rolls
Drop length
0 m
Wall area
0 m²
Spare drops
0
What you'll need
Drops wall by wall
| Wall | Width | Drops |
|---|
How it's worked out: wallpaper goes up in vertical strips (drops). Each drop is the wall height plus 10 cm for trimming, rounded up to a whole pattern repeat (plus half a repeat for an offset match). Drops per roll = roll length ÷ drop length, rounded down. Drops = each wall's width ÷ roll width, rounded up, less the whole drops that doors and windows save. Rolls = drops ÷ drops per roll, rounded up. Lining paper is worked out by area, plus 10%.
Estimates only. How much paper you use depends on the pattern, the walls and how you hang it: check the maker's or shop's guide for the paper you choose. Check every roll has the same batch number.
How it works
Drops, pattern repeats and rolls
Wallpaper goes up in vertical strips called drops, so the calculator counts drops, not square metres. That’s how decorators measure, and it allows for the pattern. The sources and assumptions behind it are on our How we calculate page.
Count the drops
Each wall needs its width ÷ the roll width in drops, rounded up: a 4 m wall takes 8 drops of standard 53 cm paper. Doors and windows save whole drops only, because the short pieces above and below them still have to be cut from a roll.
Allow for the pattern
Each drop is the wall height plus 10 cm for trimming. With a patterned paper, every drop has to start at the same point in the pattern, so the length is rounded up to whole pattern repeats; an offset (half-drop) match adds half a repeat more.
Turn drops into rolls
A 10.05 m roll gives as many whole drops as fit in its length; the offcut is only good for small pieces. Rolls = drops ÷ drops per roll, rounded up. Paste and lining paper are added to the shopping list.
Examples
How many rolls of wallpaper for a room?
The same calculator, a few common jobs. A large pattern repeat can add two rolls to a living room, because fewer drops fit on each roll.
Illustrative only, from the calculator above. Each drop is the wall height plus 10 cm for trimming, rounded up to whole pattern repeats; a 10.05 m roll gives 4 drops of plain paper on a 2.4 m wall but only 3 with a 53 cm repeat. Doors and windows save whole drops only. Paste packets at 5 rolls each.
Tips
Before you start papering
A good wallpapering job starts with the label on the roll and well-prepared walls.
Read the roll label
The label gives the roll size, the pattern repeat in cm, the match type (free, straight or offset) and whether you paste the paper or the wall. It also has the batch number: check it’s the same on every roll, and buy one spare roll if you can.
Prepare the walls
Walls should be smooth, clean and dry. Fill cracks, sand them and seal new or patchy plaster with a coat of diluted paste (size) or primer. On poor walls, hang lining paper first, usually horizontally, and let it dry before you wallpaper.
Start in the right place
Draw a vertical line with a spirit level or plumb line for the first drop, rather than trusting a corner. Centre a bold pattern on a chimney breast or feature wall, and finish in the least-seen corner, where the pattern won’t meet exactly.
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Common questions
Frequently asked questions about how much wallpaper you need
Common questions about rolls, drops, pattern repeats and paste.
How many rolls of wallpaper do I need for a room?
Count the drops: the width of each wall ÷ the roll width, rounded up, less whole drops for doors and windows. Then divide by the drops you get from one roll. A 4.5 × 3.6 m living room 2.4 m high needs 8 standard rolls of plain paper, or 10 with a 53 cm pattern repeat. The calculator works it out for your own room.
How many rolls of wallpaper for a feature wall?
Most feature walls need 2 to 4 standard rolls. A 4 m wide wall 2.4 m high takes 8 drops of 53 cm paper; with a 64 cm pattern repeat you get 3 drops from each roll, so 3 rolls.
What is a pattern repeat?
The pattern repeat is the height, in cm, after which the pattern starts again. It’s printed on the roll label. Each drop has to start at the same point in the pattern, so a large repeat wastes more paper and you get fewer drops from each roll.
What’s the difference between straight and offset match?
With a straight match, the pattern lines up straight across from one drop to the next. With an offset (half-drop) match, every other drop starts half a repeat lower, so each drop needs about half a repeat more paper. Free-match papers, such as plains, stripes and textures, can be hung at any height.
How many drops do you get from a roll of wallpaper?
A standard roll is 10.05 m long. On a 2.4 m wall with plain paper, each drop is about 2.5 m, so you get 4 drops. With a 53 cm pattern repeat, each drop becomes 2.65 m and you get 3. Taller walls or bigger repeats can drop that to 2.
How much wallpaper paste do I need?
A standard packet of wallpaper paste hangs about 5 rolls of ordinary paper, fewer for heavy vinyl or embossed papers, so check the packet. Paste-the-wall papers need a paste-the-wall adhesive. Lining paper needs paste too.
Do I need lining paper?
Not on smooth, sound walls. Lining paper helps on uneven, patched or old plaster, and under thin or dark papers. It’s sold in rolls of about 10 m × 0.56 m; the calculator works out the rolls from the wall area plus 10%.
Are the results exact?
No. They are estimates: how much paper you use depends on the pattern, the walls and how you hang it. The calculator rounds everything up, but buy all the rolls from the same batch and, if you can, one spare.