Rug Size Calculator
Choosing the wrong rug size is the most common decorating mistake. Too small and the room looks unfinished; too big and it feels like wall-to-wall carpet. Enter your room size and furniture below to get the right rug size for your living room, bedroom, dining room or hallway.
Result
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How this calculator works
The calculator first works out the largest rug your room can take. It leaves a border of bare floor around the edges: 12 inches in rooms under 12 feet wide and 18 inches in larger rooms. It then checks each standard rug size against the way you use the room.
Living room: with the front legs of your sofa on the rug, the rug should reach at least 6 inches past each arm. With all legs on, it needs to be at least 24 inches wider than the sofa and deep enough for the sofa and chairs.
Bedroom: for the popular “two-thirds under the bed” look, the rug runs across the bed and shows about 30 inches on each side, so your feet land on something soft when you get up.
Dining room: the rug extends at least 24 inches past every edge of the table, so chairs stay on the rug when pulled out.
Hallway: a runner leaves 4 to 6 inches of floor on each side and about 12 inches at each end.
The result is always a standard size you can actually buy.
Tips for a better result
Measure the clear floor, not the wall line
Measure from skirting board to skirting board, then subtract anything fixed to the floor such as a hearth, radiator or floor vent. If one wall has a built-in cabinet, use the measurement to the front of the cabinet.
Tape it out before you buy
Mark the recommended size on the floor with painter’s tape and leave it for a day. You will see straight away whether the rug lines up with the sofa legs, bed or table the way you imagined.
Think about the door
In a living room or bedroom, check that the door can still swing over the rug. A thick pile or a rug that is a size too big can catch the bottom of the door, so measure the clearance if you plan to go for the largest option.
Rug pad adds height
A good rug pad lifts the rug about a quarter of an inch. That is enough to matter under a dining chair and at door edges, so allow for it.
Limitations of This Estimate
This calculator works with a single rectangular room and uses standard rug sizes. It does not know about alcoves, bay windows, doorways or fixed furniture, and it assumes your sofa, bed or table sits roughly in the middle of the space it is in. Where a room is an unusual shape, measure the area the rug will actually cover and compare it with the recommended size.
The diagram is drawn to scale, but it is a guide rather than a floor plan. Rugs are sold in nominal sizes, so the real rug can be an inch or two different from the label.
Frequently Asked Questions
In most cases, an 8' × 10' rug. Take about a foot off each side of the room (10 × 12 becomes 8 × 10) and you have the largest rug that still shows a border of floor. It's big enough for the front legs of your sofa and chairs to sit on it. If your sofa is wider than 84 inches, check that the rug reaches at least 6 inches past each arm.
An 8' × 10' rug, laid with the 10-foot side running across the bed. That leaves about 30 inches of rug showing on each side of a queen bed. In a smaller bedroom, a 6' × 9' rug gives about 24 inches on each side. Another option is two 3' × 5' rugs, one on each side of the bed.
At least 24 inches bigger on every side, so 48 inches longer and 48 inches wider than the table. That keeps all four chair legs on the rug when someone pulls a chair out. For a 72 × 40 inch table, you need at least 120 × 88 inches, which is an 8' × 10' rug.
Leave 12 to 18 inches of bare floor between the rug and the walls: about 12 inches in small rooms and 18 inches in rooms 12 feet or wider. Less than that looks like wall-to-wall carpet; much more makes the rug look too small for the room.
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