Loading page
About this tool
Work out ceiling paint litres and cost from room length, width, cove depth and the number of coats.
The Ceiling Paint Coverage Calculator turns room length and width into the litres of emulsion a ceiling needs, using litres = area x coats / spreading rate with the 130-160 sq ft per litre per coat that interior emulsion data sheets quote for smooth primed surfaces. It adds the cove or cornice band, which is measured as perimeter x drop and is routinely left out of hand estimates, and corrects coverage for gypsum board, bare plaster or a textured finish. The output is a litre figure, a tin-by-tin shopping list and a material cost.
Open Ceiling Paint Coverage Calculator on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Enter the values you already know.
Fine-tune the options to match your scenario.
Read the result and use it in your planning or reporting.
Adds perimeter x cove drop, the part most rough estimates miss entirely.
Gypsum, bare plaster and textured ceilings each get their own spreading rate.
Shows both the least-paint and the fewest-tins purchase so you can pick on price.
About 2.5 litres for two coats on a smooth primed slab: 180 sq ft x 2 coats divided by roughly 140 sq ft per litre per coat, before a wastage allowance. A textured ceiling of the same size can need 4 litres or more because the profile adds real surface area.
Two coats over a primed surface is standard and is what gives an even sheen under overhead light. One coat is enough only when you are refreshing the same shade on a clean, sound ceiling; a stained or patched ceiling usually needs a stain-blocking primer first rather than a third finish coat.
Yes, interior wall emulsion works on ceilings, but dedicated ceiling paint is formulated to be thicker and flatter so it drips less and hides roller lines under grazing light. Whatever you use, a matt finish is far more forgiving on a ceiling than a sheen.
Paint the ceiling first. Overspray and roller spatter from the ceiling land on the walls, and any ceiling paint that runs onto the wall line gets covered when you cut in the wall colour afterwards.
Add the Ceiling Paint Coverage Calculatorwidget to your blog or website — free, responsive, no signup. Just keep the “Widget by AltFTool” credit link visible.
<iframe src="https://www.altftool.com/embed/widget/ceiling-paint-coverage-calculator"
title="Ceiling Paint Coverage Calculator — free AltFTool widget"
width="100%" height="640" style="border:0;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden"
loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:12px;margin:4px 0 0">Widget by <a href="https://www.altftool.com/tools/all/ceiling-paint-coverage-calculator?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=widget">AltFTool — free online tools</a></p>