How many strips do you get from a roll of wallpaper?

Divide the roll length by the length of one strip and round down — a part strip is no use on a wall. A standard 20.5" × 33' roll gives three strips for an 8' wall once 4" of trim is added to each, and only two for an 11' wall. A pattern repeat makes every strip longer and can drop that by one.

What does pattern repeat do to how much wallpaper I need?

It makes each strip longer, because every strip has to start at the same point in the pattern. On an 8' wall with 4" of trim a plain paper is cut at 100"; a 21" straight match rounds that up to a whole number of repeats, 105"; a 21" half-drop adds half a repeat more, 115 1/2". A random match needs nothing extra. The repeat and the match type are printed on the roll label.

Should I subtract windows and doors?

Doors and floor-to-ceiling glass, yes — take their width off the wall. Ordinary windows, no: the short pieces above and below a window still each need a strip's width of paper, and they have to match the pattern either side, so in practice a window saves very little. Leaving windows in is the cautious count and the one most hangers use.

Should I buy an extra roll?

Buy every roll at once and check they carry the same batch or lot number. Paper printed in a different run can differ in shade enough to show at a seam, and a later roll of the same pattern is rarely from the same batch. The offcuts at the end of each roll cover the short pieces over doors and windows, which is why the count here does not add a separate waste percentage.

Wallpaper calculator: rolls, strips and pattern repeat

Enter the wall and the repeat off the roll label. This counts the strips, how many whole strips each roll gives once the pattern is matched, and the rolls to buy.

Width of wall

A whole room is its perimeter

Wall height

Doors and full-height openings

Their total width. Leave windows in — the strips above and below still take a full cut

Pattern repeat

On the roll label; 0 for none

Match

Advanced settings20.5" × 33 ft roll · 4" trim a strip

Roll width

20.5 for most US rolls

Roll length

33 for a standard double roll

Trim per strip

Both ends together; 2" at the ceiling and 2" at the skirting is usual

Rolls to buy

10rolls

Strips

Strips per roll

Cut each strip

105"

Where the number comes from

Wall to paper392 sq ft at 8 ft high: 49.0 ft
Strips across it588" of wall ÷ 20 1/2" a strip, rounded up: 29
Each strip cut96" wall + 4" trim + 5" to keep the pattern matched: 105"
Strips from one roll81" left on each roll after its last full strip: 3
Paper boughtFor 392 sq ft of wall: 564 sq ft

Before you order

Check every roll carries the same batch or lot number before you open any. Two batches of the same paper can differ in shade enough to show at the seam, and a shop will rarely take back an opened roll.

The roll offcuts above are the paper for the short pieces over a door, above a window and below it — which is why this count leaves windows in and does not add a separate waste figure.

Where to buy this

10 rolls of wallpaperHome Depot Lowe's

This searches the material, not a pattern we worked out for you. Check the roll size on the listing against the one above — some papers come in wider or longer rolls.

Plain search links, nothing sponsored. Prices and stock are the shop's, and a local lumberyard will usually beat both on solid stock.

Worked example: 52 ft of wall, 21" straight repeat

52 ft of wall less 3 ft of door is 49 ft, which takes 29 strips of 20 1/2" paper.

Each strip is cut 105" — the 96" wall, 4" of trim and 5" to keep the 21" repeat matched — so a 33 ft roll gives three strips.

29 strips at three a roll is 10 rolls.

Rolls: 10
Strips: 29
Strips per roll: 3
Cut length: 105"

These are the figures the calculator above opens on. Change any field and it works the same problem for your numbers.

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About wallpaper

How many strips do you get from a roll of wallpaper?: Divide the roll length by the length of one strip and round down — a part strip is no use on a wall. A standard 20.5" × 33' roll gives three strips for an 8' wall once 4" of trim is added to each, and only two for an 11' wall. A pattern repeat makes every strip longer and can drop that by one.
What does pattern repeat do to how much wallpaper I need?: It makes each strip longer, because every strip has to start at the same point in the pattern. On an 8' wall with 4" of trim a plain paper is cut at 100"; a 21" straight match rounds that up to a whole number of repeats, 105"; a 21" half-drop adds half a repeat more, 115 1/2". A random match needs nothing extra. The repeat and the match type are printed on the roll label.
Should I subtract windows and doors?: Doors and floor-to-ceiling glass, yes — take their width off the wall. Ordinary windows, no: the short pieces above and below a window still each need a strip's width of paper, and they have to match the pattern either side, so in practice a window saves very little. Leaving windows in is the cautious count and the one most hangers use.
Should I buy an extra roll?: Buy every roll at once and check they carry the same batch or lot number. Paper printed in a different run can differ in shade enough to show at a seam, and a later roll of the same pattern is rarely from the same batch. The offcuts at the end of each roll cover the short pieces over doors and windows, which is why the count here does not add a separate waste percentage.