Introduction
The TEC Grout Calculator tells you how much grout you need for your tile job. Enter your total area, your tile size, tile thickness, and how wide you want the grout lines. Then pick your TEC grout product.
You get your answer in pounds, kilograms, gallons, or liters. It also tells you how many bags or pails to buy, so you don't have to guess at the store. Every result adds a 10% waste buffer, because some grout is always lost during mixing and cleanup.
The calculator works in both imperial (inches and square feet) and metric (millimeters and square meters). Switch at any time and every number you entered converts with it. There is also a room size helper if you know your room length and width but not the total area.
Below your results you will see a step-by-step solution, a chart comparing all TEC grout products, and a grout colorant coverage chart. A small tile preview shows what your joint width will look like next to your tiles. You can print or save a summary of the whole job.
How to use our TEC Grout Calculator
Enter your tile size, your grout joint width, and the area you are tiling. The calculator shows how much TEC grout you need, how many bags or pails to buy, and a step-by-step breakdown with a 10% waste buffer added.
Unit System: Pick Imperial (inches and square feet) or Metric (millimeters and square meters). Every value you have already typed converts with it.
Total Area: Type the full area you will tile. Use square feet for Imperial or square meters for Metric.
Tile Length: Enter the long side of one tile.
Tile Width: Enter the short side of one tile.
Tile Thickness: Pick a common thickness from the list or type your own. Thicker tile means deeper joints and more grout.
Grout Joint Width: Pick or type the space between two tiles. It must be smaller than your tile length and width.
Select Grout Product: Choose your TEC grout, such as Power Grout, AccuColor Premium Sanded or Unsanded Grout, Design FX, or Ready To Use Grout. This sets the bag or pail sizes and the notes shown.
Room Length and Room Width (optional): Enter room size, then click Apply to Area to fill in the total area for you.
Display results as: Switch between pounds/gallons and bags/pails to see the results the way you shop.
Click Calculate Grout Coverage to see your results. Use Print / Download Summary to save a copy, or Reset to start over.
What Is Grout and Why the Amount Matters
Grout is the material that fills the small gaps between tiles. Those gaps are called joints. Grout locks tiles in place, blocks water and dirt, and gives the floor or wall a clean, finished look. Buying too little grout means a trip back to the store and a color that may not match. Buying way too much wastes money.
What Changes How Much Grout You Need
Four things drive the number:
- Tile size. Small tiles have more joints in the same space, so they use more grout. Large tiles use less.
- Joint width. A wide joint holds more grout than a thin one. A 1/4 in joint can use about twice the grout of a 1/8 in joint.1
- Tile thickness. The joint is as deep as the tile is thick. Thicker tile means a deeper joint and more grout.
- Total area. More square feet means more grout. Double the area and you double the grout.
How the Math Works
Picture one tile plus the grout that wraps around it. The full block is (tile length + joint) × (tile width + joint). Take away the tile itself, and what is left is grout. That leftover share, times the tile thickness, gives the space grout must fill. Multiply that space by the product's density to get weight in pounds or kilograms.
Grout Types
Sanded grout has fine sand in it and is used for joints about 1/8 in and wider.2 Unsanded grout is smooth and is made for joints up to 1/8 in, including marble and other natural stone that sand could scratch.3 Epoxy and specialty grout resists stains and chemicals, so it is common in kitchens and showers, but it must be mixed as a full kit. Ready-to-use grout comes already mixed in a pail. TEC's Ready To Use Grout works in joints from 1/16 to 1/2 in and on shower walls, but not on shower floors, in pools or outdoors.5 TEC Design FX is also ready to use, for joints from 1/16 to 1/2 in on floors and 1/16 to 1/4 in on walls, but not on shower floors.4
Why Add 10% Extra
Real jobs are never perfect. Some grout sticks to the bucket, the float, and the sponge. Some joints end up a bit deeper than planned. Chipped tile edges eat more material. A 10% buffer covers that. Also buy full bags or pails from the same lot number, since color can shift a little between batches.
Tips Before You Buy
- Measure the room and check your tile box for the true tile size, not the nominal size.
- Rectangular tiles, like planks, have more joint length than squares of the same area.
- Textured or rough tile pulls grout into its surface, so coverage drops.
- Mix only what you can spread before it sets. Power Grout has a pot life of 35 to 55 minutes.1 TEC's AccuColor grouts stay workable for about 1 to 2 hours.2
- Seal cement-based grout after it cures unless the product says sealing is not needed. TEC recommends sealing its AccuColor Premium grouts.2 Power Grout never needs sealing.1