Should I round up or down?

Always up. Wallpaper is cut to length, so a shortfall of half a drop means an entire extra roll — often from a different batch. Rounding up costs one roll; rounding down can cost the whole wall.

Do I subtract doors and windows?

Not usually. Paper still has to be hung above and below an opening, and the offcuts rarely align with the pattern elsewhere. Only deduct for very large openings, and even then keep the spare roll.

What is a batch number and why does it matter?

Each print run is dyed separately and colour drifts subtly between runs. Order all your rolls together and check the batch number printed on every label matches before you start hanging.

How much extra does a large pattern repeat add?

A 64cm repeat on a 2.4m wall means each drop is cut to 2.56m rather than 2.5m — small per drop, but enough to reduce a 10m roll from four usable drops to three. Larger repeats and lower ceilings compound the effect.

Can I use this for a ceiling or a stairwell?

Ceilings, yes — enter the ceiling as a wall using its length and width. Stairwells need care: use the tallest drop as your height, since every drop must be cut to the longest point.

How many rolls of wallpaper do I need for one wall?

A 4m wide, 2.4m high wall in a free-match paper takes about three rolls of standard 53cm × 10m wallpaper. Add a pattern repeat and it often rises to four, because each drop has to be cut longer to keep the design aligned.

How much wallpaper do I need for a feature wall?

Measure that wall alone rather than the room. Most single feature walls take two to four rolls — enter the width and height above and the calculator gives the exact figure for your chosen paper.

What is a pattern repeat and where do I find it?

The pattern repeat is the vertical distance before the design starts again, printed on the roll label and listed in the product specification — usually between 0 and 64cm. It is the single biggest factor in how much paper you waste.

How much wallpaper is wasted on a pattern repeat?

On a straight match, every drop is cut up to one full repeat longer than the wall. A 64cm repeat on a 2.4m wall adds roughly 6cm per drop, which is enough to lose a fourth usable drop from a 10m roll.

Should I buy an extra roll of wallpaper?

Yes — one spare, always. It covers trimming errors, a mis-cut drop and future repairs. Dye lots shift between print runs, so a roll bought later will rarely match the paper already on your wall.

How do I calculate wallpaper for a room with a sloped ceiling?

Enter each sloped section as its own wall, using the tallest point as the height. You will over-order slightly, which is correct — the offcuts from a slope are rarely usable elsewhere.

Is wallpaper measured in metres or rolls?

Rolls. A standard UK roll is 53cm wide by 10m long, about 5.3m² before waste, but you cannot buy part of one — which is why the answer is always rounded up to a whole roll.

How long does a roll of wallpaper take to hang?

Allow roughly 20 to 30 minutes per drop for a first-timer on a plain wall, longer for a large repeat or an offset match. A standard room is comfortably a weekend, or half a day for a decorator.

How much does it cost to wallpaper a room?

Reckon on the roll count from this calculator times the price per roll, plus adhesive at around £10 and lining paper if the walls are poor. A decorator will typically charge per roll hung, so the number above is also the number you will be quoted against.

Can I wallpaper over existing wallpaper?

Only as a last resort. The old paper can lift and bubble as the new adhesive soaks through, and any seam or pattern beneath will telegraph. Strip it, fill, and let the wall dry properly first.

Wallpaper Calculator

How many rolls do you need?

1Your walls

Wall 1

Wall widthmWall heightm

Add each wall separately for the most accurate result — measuring a whole room as one wall overestimates on corners.

2Your wallpaper

Roll widthcmRoll lengthmPattern repeatcm

Where do I find this?

Pattern match

Estimates only — always check the roll dimensions and batch number on your chosen wallpaper before ordering.

Measuring

How to measure a wall for wallpaper

How many rolls of wallpaper you need starts here: wall by wall, with a steel tape. Measure twice — wallpaper is cut to length, not returned.

Measure the wall width

Across the widest point of the wall, alcoves included.

Measure the wall height

Skirting board to ceiling, at the tallest point of the room.

Repeat for each wall

Add every wall separately above — doors and windows stay in.

The method

How to calculate wallpaper: the method

Wallpaper isn't bought by area — it's bought by the drop. A drop is one full-height length of paper hung on the wall, and the real question is how many rolls of wallpaper you need once the pattern repeat has to line up. A standard UK roll is 53cm × 10m, about 5.3m² before waste.

Measure your wall height and add 10cm of trimming allowance.
Round that length up to the next whole pattern repeat, so every drop starts at the same point in the design.
Divide roll length by drop length and round down — a part drop is waste.
Divide the total number of drops by drops-per-roll and round up — that's how many rolls to order.

We then recommend one spare roll. Dye lots shift between print runs, so a roll bought in six months rarely matches the one on your wall today.

Free match wallpaper

No alignment needed between drops — plains, grasscloths, random textures. Zero pattern waste, so you'll often need fewer rolls than a patterned paper of the same size.
Straight match wallpaper

The design meets at the same height on every drop. Each length is cut to a whole number of repeats, so a large repeat adds real waste on a low ceiling.
Offset and half-drop match

Alternate drops step down by half a repeat, staggering the motif. Allow an extra half repeat per drop — the calculator adds it when you select this match.

Roll sizes

Standard wallpaper roll sizes

Every roll size costed against the walls you entered above.

Origin	Roll size	Notes	For your walls
United KingdomYour paper	53 cm × 10 m	The standard British roll — about 5.3m² before waste.	3rolls
Europe	53 cm × 10.05 m	Near-identical to UK; most designer papers use this.	3rolls
United States	68.6 cm × 8.2 m	Sold as a single roll, often supplied as a double.	2rolls

A dark botanical wallpaper hung across a full wall in a panelled room — "Order the spare roll. The batch you can buy today will not exist in six months."

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you know the number, choose the paper

Hand-picked patterns, murals and textures from the brands we love — filter by brand, colour and style.

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Brands

The wallpaper brands we love

The brands we love

House of Hackney

A maximalist’s reference point, with fantastical florals, botanicals and archival-inspired prints rooted in the natural world.
Shop House of Hackney
OKA

Iconic OKA prints move onto the walls, bringing the brand’s love of travel, pattern and decorative tradition to wallpaper.
Shop OKA
Dunelm

One of the broadest wallpaper edits on the high street, spanning William Morris florals, stripes and botanicals to understated textures.
Shop Dunelm