Wallpaper is sold in individual rolls, or two or three rolls to a package. Each standard American roll gives you about 35 square feet. Allowing for trimming and waste, the usable amount in each roll generally comes to 27 square feet. This figure also takes into account waste resulting from the drop pattern. This is the distance one section of new paper must be dropped to match the pattern on the panel just installed. To eliminate this concern and save paper, use two rolls at a time and alternate.

Wallpaper is identified not only by its pattern number but also by a number that is variously called a lot, batch, or run number. This number shows that an entire print run was made in that color, which indicates that the color is consistent. The same color in a subsequent run with a different lot number may be noticeably different. When buying wallpaper, purchase more than you need of the same lot number so you can match colors later for repairs or additional papering. Save excess for future repairs or for shelf and drawer liners.

To estimate the amount of standard American wallpaper your project requires, enter the measurements—rounded to the nearest foot—into our pop-up calculator. The total given is the number of rolls, not number of packages. To ensure you have enough wallpaper, do not deduct the square footage of doors and windows from the total area. Also note that this calculator does not apply to European wallpaper, which generally contains approximately 56 square feet per roll.

 Tips on Measuring for Wallpaper

Before you begin, take the room measurements in the list below.

1. Wall height
   Measure from floor to ceiling.
   
   
2. Wall perimeter for areas you plan to wallpaper
   Measure the length of each wall. Add all lengths together to obtain the total horizontal distance, or perimeter.
   
   
3. Sloping walls
   Sloping walls form a triangular wall space. To calculate a triangle’s square footage, multiply the length of the wall at the base of the triangle by its height and divide by 2.

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