Measuring your wall correctly before ordering wallpaper is the most important step in any wallpaper project — order too little and you'll run short mid-project; order too much and you've wasted money. The good news: measuring a wall for wallpaper is straightforward once you understand the key principles. This guide covers how to measure any wall for wallpaper, how to account for pattern repeats, and how to calculate exactly how many rolls you need.
What You'll Need
- A tape measure (at least 10 feet / 3 metres)
- A pencil and notepad
- A calculator (or use our Wallpaper Calculator)
Step 1: Measure the Wall Height
Measure the height of the wall from floor to ceiling at multiple points — walls are rarely perfectly uniform. Use the tallest measurement. Add 4–6 inches (10–15cm) for trimming at the top and bottom. This is your cut length per panel.
Step 2: Measure the Wall Width
Measure the width of the wall from corner to corner. For an accent wall, measure only the wall you're papering. For a full room, measure the total perimeter of the room (all four walls combined), subtracting the width of doors and windows if desired (though many people include them for simplicity and to ensure enough material).
Step 3: Calculate the Number of Panels
Divide the wall width by the width of your wallpaper roll to get the number of panels needed. Peel & Pattern wallpaper rolls are 24 inches (61cm) wide.
Example: A wall 120 inches (305cm) wide ÷ 24 inches (61cm) roll width = 5 panels.
Always round up to the nearest whole number.
Step 4: Account for Pattern Repeat
This is the step most people miss — and the most common cause of running short on wallpaper.
Patterned wallpaper has a pattern repeat — the vertical distance before the pattern repeats itself. When hanging multiple panels side by side, each panel must be cut so the pattern aligns across the join. This means each panel after the first requires extra length to allow for pattern matching.
How to calculate with pattern repeat:
- Find the pattern repeat measurement for your wallpaper (listed on the product page).
- Round your cut length up to the nearest multiple of the pattern repeat.
- Use this adjusted cut length to calculate how many panels you can get from each roll.
Example: Wall height 100 inches + 5 inches trim = 105 inch cut length. Pattern repeat is 24 inches. Round 105 up to the nearest multiple of 24 = 120 inches adjusted cut length. A roll 10 yards (360 inches) long ÷ 120 inches = 3 panels per roll.
Step 5: Calculate the Number of Rolls
Divide the total number of panels needed by the number of panels per roll.
Example: 5 panels needed ÷ 3 panels per roll = 1.67 rolls. Round up to 2 rolls.
Always order at least one extra roll beyond your calculation — for mistakes, future repairs, and peace of mind. Wallpaper dye lots can vary between print runs, so it's important to have all your wallpaper from the same order.
Measuring for Specific Wall Types
Accent Wall
Measure only the accent wall — height and width. Follow the steps above.
Full Room
Measure the total perimeter of the room (all four walls). Subtract the width of doors and windows if you want to be precise, or include them for a simpler calculation with a small amount of extra material.
Staircase Wall
Staircase walls are irregular — the wall height varies from the bottom to the top of the stairs. Measure the tallest point of the wall and use that as your cut length throughout. Add 15–20% extra for the angled cuts at the top and bottom of each panel.
Ceiling
For a ceiling, measure the length and width of the ceiling. The wallpaper runs across the shorter dimension (to minimise joins). Calculate as for a standard wall, using the ceiling length as your cut length.
The Easy Way: Use Our Wallpaper Calculator
Our Wallpaper Calculator does all of this automatically — just enter your wall dimensions and the pattern repeat of your chosen wallpaper, and it will tell you exactly how many rolls to order. Always add one extra roll to the calculator's recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my walls are different heights?
Use the tallest wall height as your cut length for all panels. This ensures every panel is long enough, with a small amount of extra trimming on shorter walls.
Should I measure in inches or centimetres?
Use whichever you're most comfortable with — our Wallpaper Calculator accepts both imperial and metric measurements.
What happens if I order too little wallpaper?
If you run short and need to reorder, there's a risk that the new rolls will be from a different dye lot and may not match perfectly. Always order enough — plus one extra roll — in your original order.
Shop Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper at Peel & Pattern
Use our Wallpaper Calculator to calculate your rolls, then browse our full collection. Order samples before committing to your full order.