Kitchen & Bath
Backsplash Calculator
Tile count for a kitchen or bath backsplash, net of outlets, windows and range openings.
Inputs
Results
Adjust the inputs to see your result.
About this calculator
A backsplash is a small area with big deductions — outlets do not reduce tile count, but windows and the range opening do. This calculator uses the standard 18 in counter-to-cabinet height, applies your deductions, and counts tiles by format including subway-tile offsets.
What this number means
A backsplash is small in area and dense in complications: outlets every few feet (they do not reduce the tile count — you cut around them and the cuts consume tiles), a window over the sink, and a range opening that may or may not be tiled. This calculator separates the honest deductions (window and range areas you genuinely will not tile) from the false ones (outlets), and counts tiles by laid pitch including the grout joint.
Subway tile's running-bond offset does not change the count — the same tiles cover the wall, just staggered — but it does argue for the waste allowance, because every second row starts and ends with a half tile.
The formula
- Net area = (Wall length × splash height) − (window width × height) − (range width × height), in sq in
- Tile pitch = (Tile width + gap) × (Tile length + gap)
- Tiles = Net area × (1 + waste %) ÷ pitch, rounded up
- Boxes = Tiles ÷ tiles per box, rounded up
Worked example
12 ft of kitchen wall, standard 18 in splash, classic 3 × 6 subway tile.
- Gross area = 144 in × 18 in = 2,592 sq in = 18 sq ft
- Tile pitch at 1/16 in joints = 3.0625 × 6.0625 = 18.57 sq in
- Tiles = 2,592 ÷ 18.57 = 140 tiles before waste
- With 10% for outlet and corner cuts: 154 tiles → 2 boxes of 80
Assumptions and limitations
- Outlets and switches are not deducted — correctly. The tile behind them is cut, not omitted, and the pieces are consumed by the cutting.
- The range deduction assumes a slide-in range with an untiled gap behind it. If your design tiles behind the range (most do, for a range with a short backguard) or runs tile to the hood, set the range width to 0.
- Herringbone and vertical-stack patterns need the higher waste figure (15%): the perimeter cuts multiply at splash height.
- Trim pieces (pencil liner, chair rail, edge profile) are linear-foot items for the top edge and corners, and are not part of the tile count.
Frequently asked questions
A standard 12 ft run at 18 in high is 18 sq ft. In 3 × 6 in subway tile that is about 140 tiles before waste and 154 with a 10% cutting allowance — 2 boxes at 80 per box. Enter your wall length and tile format above for your own wall.
18 inches — the standard distance between a countertop and the underside of upper cabinets. Older kitchens and raised bars vary, and a range hood chimney often runs tile (or another finish) much higher, so always measure your actual gap.
No. Every outlet is a tile cut, not a tile saved — the tile is still bought, drilled or notched, and sometimes broken in the attempt. Outlets are one of the reasons the waste allowance on a small backsplash should never go below 10%.
Usually yes — behind a slide-in range the wall is visible above the backguard and grease lands there. Some designs leave a panel or the range's own backsplash. If the area will not be tiled, enter the range width (typically 2.5 ft) and the calculator deducts it.
Enter the sheet dimensions (commonly 12 × 12 in) as the tile size and the result reads as sheets instead of pieces. The grout gap becomes the joint between sheets; the tiny joints within the sheet are already netted in the sheet's coverage.