Paint Coverage
Find how many gallons of paint cover your walls and ceilings.
About Paint Coverage
Each coat covers the whole area, so multiply the surface by the number of coats before dividing by the per-gallon coverage. Rounding up gives gallons to buy. Estimating paint honestly avoids both buying too much and the frustration of running out on the final coat.
Formula
Paint Coverage
Gallons = area x coats / coverage per gallon
- coverage
- Square feet a gallon covers in one coat
Worked example
With the default values below, Paint Coverage returns Total Area (coats) of 800. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Area to paintminimum 0 sq ft
- 400 sq ft
- Number of coatsminimum 1
- 2
- Coverage per gallonminimum 0.01 sq ft
- 350 sq ft
Results
- Total Area (coats)
- 800 sq ft
- Gallons Needed
- 2.29
- Gallons to Buy
- 3
- Quarts Remainder
- 3
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Paint Coverage
- 3Total Area (coats)= 800 sq ft
- 4Gallons Needed= 2.29
- 5Gallons to Buy= 3
- 6Quarts Remainder= 3
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Paint Coverage calculated?
Gallons = area x coats / coverage per gallon Each coat covers the whole area, so multiply the surface by the number of coats before dividing by the per-gallon coverage. Rounding up gives gallons to buy.
Why does Paint Coverage matter?
Estimating paint honestly avoids both buying too much and the frustration of running out on the final coat.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 3 inputs: Area to paint, Number of coats, Coverage per gallon. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.