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Tile Adhesive Calculator

Enter the tiling area, adhesive consumption per m² and bag size to get the total and bag count.

Result

72.5 kg
4
4.0 m²

How it is calculated

The total adhesive is the area times the consumption: kg = area × rate, with the area in m² and the rate in kg per m². The bags to buy are bags = ceil(kg / bag size), always rounded up to a whole bag, so a partly used bag is counted as a full one; an exact fit, such as 80 kg in 20 kg bags, gives exactly 4 bags, not 5. The third result, coverage per bag, is bag size / rate in m². Kilograms and coverage are shown to one decimal. All three inputs must be above zero. The tool applies the consumption you type and nothing else: it adds no allowance for waste, uneven floors, back-buttering or cuts at the edges, and the rate comes from the adhesive's data sheet and your trowel notch, not from the tool.

Worked example

A floor of 14.5 m² is tiled with an adhesive used at 5 kg per m², sold in 20 kg bags. Total adhesive = 14.5 × 5 = 72.5 kg. Bags = 72.5 / 20 = 3.625, rounded up to 4 bags. Coverage per bag = 20 / 5 = 4.0 m². So the shopping list is 4 bags: 3 full bags would give only 60 kg, which is about 12 m² of coverage, short of the 14.5 m² floor.

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Common mistakes

  • Typing the consumption in kg per 10 m² or g per m². The field is in kg per m²; 5000 g/m² must be entered as 5.
  • Using the bag price or the weight of the tiles in the bag size field. Bag size is the adhesive weight in kg, such as 20 or 25.
  • Entering the room area instead of the area actually tiled. Subtract areas that will not be tiled, such as a bath panel or a built-in wardrobe, or the bag count is too high.
  • Taking one consumption figure for every tile. Large-format tiles and deeper notches use more per m², so use the figure from the adhesive's data sheet for your tile and trowel.
  • Buying exactly the bag count shown. The tool adds no waste or spare allowance, so a result just below a whole bag, or an exact fit like 80 kg in four 20 kg bags, leaves you no margin.

About this calculator

The adhesive needed for a tiling job is the tiling area multiplied by the consumption rate — how many kilograms of adhesive are spread per square metre, which depends mainly on trowel notch size and tile size. Small mosaic or standard ceramic tiles laid with a fine notch typically consume around 3 to 4 kg/m², while large-format porcelain tiles need a bigger notch and can push consumption up to 6-8 kg/m² or more, since larger, heavier tiles need a thicker adhesive bed for full, even contact.

Once the total kilograms needed is known, dividing by the bag size (commonly 20 or 25 kg per bag) and rounding up to a whole bag gives the number of bags to buy — rounding down would leave a job short mid-installation, which is a common and costly mistake for both professional tilers and DIY renovators. Contractors use this calculation to quote materials accurately, and homeowners use it before a trip to the hardware store to avoid buying too few bags or paying for bags they will not use.

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