Quick answer: floor area ÷ pack coverage
A 5.0 × 4.0 m room is 20 m². A pack with 12 boards of 1220 × 180 mm covers 2.64 m², so 20 ÷ 2.64 = 7.6, which rounds up to 8 packs. Add 10% for cuts and it is 9 packs. Retailer calculators (Bunnings NZ, Mitre 10 or PlaceMakers, for example) work out the area and leave the allowance for cuts to you.
Why that is not always enough
The laying plan for the same room, with a 10 mm expansion gap and boards laid lengthways, uses 99 boards in 23 rows. 99 ÷ 12 rounds up to 9 packs, with 9 boards left over. Buy by area alone and the 8 packs hold 96 boards: 3 boards short of the plan.
Read the coverage on the pack
| Board | Per pack | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| 1220 × 180 × 4.5 mm hybrid | 12 planks | 2.64 m² |
| 1261 × 192 × 8 mm laminate | 9 boards | 2.18 m² |
Examples from New Zealand listings, checked October 2026: Bunnings NZ and Mitre 10 state the coverage per pack. Pack sizes change between ranges, so read the coverage on your own pack.
Never work out the coverage from the plank size alone: the number of planks in a pack differs between ranges and thicknesses. Enter the number printed on the pack.
Packs for 15, 20 and 30 m² rooms
Each room below is a real plan from PlankBuddy with 1220 × 180 mm boards laid lengthways and a 10 mm expansion gap. The table compares three counts: by area alone, by area plus 10%, and from the boards in the plan.
| Room | Boards in the plan | Area only | Area + 10% | From the plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 × 3.0 m (15 m²) | 72 | 6 | 7 | 6 (0 spare) |
| 5.0 × 4.0 m (20 m²) | 99 | 8 | 9 | 9 (9 spare) |
| 6.0 × 5.0 m (30 m²) | 141 | 12 | 13 | 12 (3 spare) |
In 1 of these 3 cases the area-only count is short of the plan. In 2, the 10% allowance buys packs the plan does not need. The plan's measured wastage in these rooms is between 3.8% and 8.8%. Neither rule of thumb is right every time, because the count depends on how the rows fall in your room.
Area count vs layout count
An area count assumes every scrap of every board ends up on the floor. A laying plan knows where each cut falls: the end pieces in every row, the first and last rows cut to width, and which offcuts are long enough to start a later row. PlankBuddy reuses an offcut only when it meets your minimum end piece and stagger, and counts the rest as waste. The boards it uses, divided by the boards in a pack and rounded up, are the packs to buy.
Buying flooring in New Zealand
Take the same 5.0 × 4.0 m room with 1261 × 192 mm laminate, 9 boards to a pack (2.18 m²). The plan uses 84 boards in 21 rows: 10 packs, with 6 boards left over. By area it is 20 ÷ 2.18 = 9.2, or 10 packs, and 11 with 10% added.
Bunnings NZ, Mitre 10 and PlaceMakers list the coverage per pack, and the number of boards changes from range to range. Two packs that look alike on the shelf can cover quite different areas, so compare the m² per pack as well as the price per pack.
Order all the packs at once and check that the batch or lot numbers match, so the colour does too. The same range may not be in stock at your local store later, so keep the receipt and the label from one pack for repairs.
How much spare to keep
- Buy all the packs from the same batch, so the colour matches.
- A board can be damaged or have a faulty joint. If the plan leaves no boards over, consider one more pack.
- Keep a few boards for future repairs; a range can be discontinued.
- Add the allowance your manufacturer or supplier recommends for your room.
Questions about how many packs to buy
How many packs of hybrid flooring do I need for 20 m²?
With 1220 × 180 mm boards, 12 to a pack (2.64 m²), a 5.0 × 4.0 m room needs 99 boards in our plan: 9 packs. By area alone it is 8 packs, and 9 with 10% added. Your room, boards and pack size will differ, so plan your own room.
Should I add 10% to my flooring order?
Ten per cent is a common allowance for cuts, and awkward rooms may need more. A laying plan shows the boards your room really uses, so you can see whether 10% is too much or too little. Then add what your manufacturer or supplier recommends for damaged boards and spares.
Does PlankBuddy add an allowance to the pack count?
No. Enter the boards per pack printed on the pack, and PlankBuddy rounds the boards in your plan up to whole packs and shows how many boards are left over. Any extra is your decision.
Read how to work out flooring wastage from the plan, or how to avoid a narrow last row.