How much paint do I need? A table by room size
A 3 × 4 m room (9.8 × 13.1 ft), 2.4 m high, with one door and one window, needs 6.77 L of wall paint and 2.64 L of ceiling paint for 2 coats at 10 m² per litre with 10% extra: 3 × 2.5 L tins (7.5 L) for the walls and 2 × 2.5 L tins (5 L) for the ceiling. These are generic example figures, not a product’s: use the coats, coverage and tin sizes on your tin.
| Room | In feet | Wall paint needed | Wall paint to buy | Ceiling paint needed | Ceiling paint to buy | Your room |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 × 2 m | 6.6 × 6.6 ft | 3.602 L | 2 × 2.5 L tins (5 L) | 0.88 L | 1 × 2.5 L tin (2.5 L) | Open 2 × 2 m in the planner |
| 2.5 × 3 m | 8.2 × 9.8 ft | 5.186 L | 3 × 2.5 L tins (7.5 L) | 1.65 L | 1 × 2.5 L tin (2.5 L) | Open 2.5 × 3 m in the planner |
| 3 × 3 m | 9.8 × 9.8 ft | 5.714 L | 3 × 2.5 L tins (7.5 L) | 1.98 L | 1 × 2.5 L tin (2.5 L) | Open 3 × 3 m in the planner |
| 3 × 3.5 m | 9.8 × 11.5 ft | 6.242 L | 3 × 2.5 L tins (7.5 L) | 2.31 L | 1 × 2.5 L tin (2.5 L) | Open 3 × 3.5 m in the planner |
| 3 × 4 m | 9.8 × 13.1 ft | 6.77 L | 3 × 2.5 L tins (7.5 L) | 2.64 L | 2 × 2.5 L tins (5 L) | Open 3 × 4 m in the planner |
| 3.5 × 4 m | 11.5 × 13.1 ft | 7.298 L | 3 × 2.5 L tins (7.5 L) | 3.08 L | 2 × 2.5 L tins (5 L) | Open 3.5 × 4 m in the planner |
| 4 × 4 m | 13.1 × 13.1 ft | 7.826 L | 4 × 2.5 L tins (10 L) | 3.52 L | 2 × 2.5 L tins (5 L) | Open 4 × 4 m in the planner |
| 4 × 5 m | 13.1 × 16.4 ft | 8.882 L | 4 × 2.5 L tins (10 L) | 4.4 L | 2 × 2.5 L tins (5 L) | Open 4 × 5 m in the planner |
| 5 × 5 m | 16.4 × 16.4 ft | 9.938 L | 4 × 2.5 L tins (10 L) | 5.5 L | 3 × 2.5 L tins (7.5 L) | Open 5 × 5 m in the planner |
| 5 × 6 m | 16.4 × 19.7 ft | 10.994 L | 5 × 2.5 L tins (12.5 L) | 6.6 L | 3 × 2.5 L tins (7.5 L) | Open 5 × 6 m in the planner |
Each row is the planner’s answer for that room, worked out when this page was built. The link at the end of a row opens the planner with that room filled in, to change the measurements and the product figures.
The walls and the ceiling are separate paints, so they are two answers, not one total. A tin that says it covers more square metres per litre needs fewer litres for the same wall: paint coverage explained says how to read the figure.
What the table assumes
Each room is a rectangle 2.4 m high, with one door 0.762 m × 1.981 m and one window 1.2 m × 1.1 m.
- 1 door, 1 window taken off the wall area; nothing is taken off the ceiling or the floor.
- Wall paint and ceiling paint are separate products and are never added together.
- Every quantity is rounded once, at the end, up to whole packs. Working uses unrounded figures.
- Wall paint and Ceiling paint use generic example figures, not the figures of any product. Enter the figures from the tin or pack for a closer answer.
- 2 coats (generic example)
- 10 m² per litre (generic example)
- 10% allowance (generic example)
How this table was made
It was worked out when this page was built, by the same room planner and formulas as the editable list: each row is one room sent through the planner. The room sizes are round examples. Product coverage, pack and allowance figures are the planner’s labelled generic examples, not figures for a product.
AI tools drafted the page and automated tests compare every cell with the planner. It has not been checked by a tradesperson or anyone outside the build. No price is shown or used.
Before you use it
Measure your own room, its doors and its windows. Check the figures against the room, and follow each product's own instructions: they decide coverage, coats and preparation.
Built and checked with AI tools, not yet by a tradesperson or anyone outside the build. Estimates are arithmetic on your measurements and the figures shown with them: follow each product's own instructions.