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Paint Calculator

How many litres of paint do you need? Coats, coverage and wastage, shown honestly.

InteriorCore● Free Formula shown Rates dated
Quick Answer

One litre of interior emulsion covers about 250 to 310 sq ft for one coat, or 130 to 160 sq ft over two coats, according to the Asian Paints Tractor and Royale datasheets (checked Oct 2026). Two coats over a 1,000 sq ft home (about 3,500 sq ft of walls and ceiling) needs 28 litres, or 31 L with a 10% buffer. The cost depends on the tin: interior emulsion lists at ₹157 to ₹835 a litre on the 20 L pack (Jul 2026), so the same 31 L costs about ₹4,900 in economy paint and ₹25,900 in luxury sheen. Enter your area, your paint's coverage and its price below.

Rates checked Oct 2026. Source: CPWD Delhi Analysis of Rates 2023, Civil Vol. I — basic rates (official PDF, mirror host).

250 to 310 sq ftper litre for one coat, interior emulsion (datasheets)
50–65 sq ftper litre over two exterior coats
× 3.5floor area to walls + ceiling
10%buffer so a wall never ends mid-can

Part of the system: Repaint a home before Diwali. Steps, checks and a free printable page.

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The Formula

Litres = area × coats ÷ one-coat coverage (sq ft per litre) + 10% wastage

Coverage is an input because it changes with the product and the wall. Enter the one-coat figure from your paint's datasheet and the answer matches the maker's own arithmetic. The 10% is a buffer so a wall never ends mid-can.

Litres for a 1,000 sq ft home, two coats1,000 times 3.5 is 3,500 sq ft; times 2 coats divided by 250 is 28 litres; plus 10% is about 31 litres.1Floor area × 3.51,000 × 3.5 = 3,500 sq ft of walls and ceiling2× 2 coats ÷ coverage7,000 ÷ 250 sq ft per litre (one coat) = 28 L3+ 10% buffer30.8 L, so buy 31 L
Litres for a 1,000 sq ft home, two coats. The quick-answer example, step by step.

Assumptions & Wastage

  • Coverage is the one-coat figure on a normal plastered wall after brushing, as the datasheets print it. Fresh plaster, walls without putty and textured walls absorb more
  • Exterior emulsion covers far less than interior: about 100–130 sq ft per litre per coat, i.e. 50–65 sq ft/L over the standard two coats, because it goes onto rough, porous, unputtied plaster (Asian Paints Apex Dust Proof 5–6 m²/L for two coats, Dulux Weathershield Protect 4.6–6.0, Berger WeatherCoat 60–65 sq ft/L; CPWD is stricter still at 60 sq ft/L). Never reuse an interior coverage figure on an outside wall; it under-orders paint by more than half
  • Floor-area mode multiplies by 3.5 to approximate walls + ceiling of a typical room layout with standard 9–10 ft ceilings
  • Measured-wall mode assumes door and window areas are already deducted
  • Primer and putty are separate materials with their own coverage and are not included in the litres shown
  • Two coats is the standard for a colour change or repaint; going light-over-dark may need a third
  • The cost line is the paint and nothing else. Primer, putty, painting labour, scaffolding and masking are excluded, and on fresh plaster they can cost more than the paint does. This page does not estimate them because we could not source a defensible per-sq-ft figure for Indian painting labour
  • Price is your input, not our average, so the cost is exact arithmetic on the figure you enter. The published national band beneath the form is there to tell you whether your quote is ordinary, and it is quoted on the 20 L pack at MRP
MaterialWastage allowance
paint10%
Coverage per litreInterior one coat 250 to 310 sq ft per litre, interior over two coats 130 to 160, exterior one coat 100 to 130, exterior over two coats 50 to 65.Interior emulsion, one coat 250–310Interior emulsion, over two coats 130–160Exterior emulsion, one coat 100–130Exterior, over two coats 50–650100200300sq ft per litre
Coverage per litre. Datasheets print a one-coat line and a two-coat line. The two-coat figure is roughly half the one-coat figure, because a litre has to go over the same wall twice. The calculator takes the one-coat figure and multiplies by your coats.

Worked Examples

Whole 1,000 sq ft (floor area) home, 2 coats

  1. Paintable area: 1,000 sq ft floor × 3.5 = 3,500 sq ft of walls and ceiling
  2. Paint: 3,500 × 2 coats ÷ 250 sq ft/L (Tractor's one-coat figure) = 28 L
  3. +10% wastage = 30.8 L → buy 31 L (a 20 L, a 10 L and a 1 L pack)
  4. Paint cost: 31 L × ₹450/L = ₹13,950 for a mid-range washable emulsion, paint only

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One 12 × 10 ft room, walls measured at 320 sq ft, 2 coats

  1. Paintable area: 320 sq ft (12 × 10 room, 9 ft ceiling, door and window deducted)
  2. Paint: 320 × 2 coats ÷ 250 sq ft/L = 2.6 L
  3. +10% wastage = 2.8 L → buy 3 L
  4. Paint cost: 3 L × ₹209/L = ₹627 at Tractor Emulsion's 20 L rate (₹4,180 MRP, Oct 2026). Small tins cost more per litre (1 L is ₹258), so a 4 L can (₹953) is the cheaper buy here

Load this example in the calculator

Tools on Amazon.in

Tools for painting the room

Brushes and a roller to apply it, tape to mask the edges and a tape to measure.

  • For edges, corners and trim.Buildskill 4-brush set, 1 to 4 inch (4.2★, 709 ratings) · See on Amazon.in
  • Covers the main wall area quickly.Asian Paints Trucare 9-inch roller (4.2★, 145 ratings) · See on Amazon.in
  • Masks switches, skirting and the ceiling line.AIPL masking tape, 2 rolls (4.3★, 2,200 ratings) · See on Amazon.in
  • For the wall sizes the calculator needs.Stanley 5 m measuring tape (4.5★, 27,100 ratings) · See on Amazon.in

Or search Amazon.in yourself. Type what you need, or tap a common search.

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As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Ratings checked October 2026. We don't show prices; Amazon has the current one.

Rates & Model Data Used

Every number below is a range with a date — material prices in India move quickly, so always check the "as of" month before relying on a figure.

ItemRate / valueAs ofNote
Interior wall emulsion paint₹157–835 / litre (20 L pack, MRP incl. GST)Oct 2026Checked against Asian Paints' price list on 23 Oct 2026 and left unchanged: Tractor Sparc ₹157/L, Apcolite Premium ₹438/L, Royale Matt ₹16,730 for 20 L. Per litre of the 20 L pack at published MRP, GST included — state the basis, it moves the number 6–33%. Grade dominates: economy ₹157–275 (Asian Paints' Tractor rung; Berger Bison Lite ₹159 street), premium washable ₹275–540 (Apcolite ₹438–537), luxury sheen ₹540–835 (Royale ₹718–837, corroborated by Nerolac Impressions ₹585 and Dulux Pearl Glo ₹826). Two stretches — ₹275–438 and ₹537–718 — are interpolated, not observed. Pack size and channel pull opposite ways: a 1 L can runs +21% over the 20 L rate for economy paint, +12% Apcolite, +6% Royale, while dealer discount off MRP runs 7–28%, so a 1 L can at a neighbourhood shop against a dealer's 20 L drum differs by 18–33%, not the 2–3× sometimes claimed. The band stops at ₹835 deliberately: Royale Glitz ₹892 to Aspira ₹1,011 are genuine published prices but Asian Paints is the only party quoting above ₹836, and the highest non-Asian-Paints figure found anywhere is ₹826. Excluded as a different product class — acrylic distemper (Tractor Uno ₹79, NeoBharat Latex ₹98, Aqualock ₹106) and lime-based Nilaya Arc (₹1,050–1,200). Every MRP is the white or base tint; deep and red-family shades carry a 10–25% colourant premium. GST 18% (HSN 3208/3209), verified from retailers' own tax splits; paint moved 28% → 18% in the Sep-2025 rationalisation, so any pre-Sep-2025 figure is ~8% high. Official anchor (verified 2026-07): CPWD DAR 2023 code 0803 acrylic emulsion ₹105/L and code 0804 premium interior grade ₹210/L ex-GST ex-carriage (Delhi, Apr 2023) = ₹124 and ₹248 grossed at 18% — branded retail runs 1.27× the government rate at the band floor and 1.77× at premium grade, and WPI paint moved just +0.31% over 39 months, so that gap is carriage, margin and brand premium, not inflation. Kept medium because Asian Paints is the only major that publishes a price list: Berger's store returns 403 to every automated fetch, Nerolac states in terms that it does not publish prices, Dulux India publishes none, and the same Dulux 20 L Brilliant White is ₹826/L at one retailer and ₹550/L at another with nothing resolving the 50% gap. No regional or seasonal claim is supported by this entry.
Exterior wall emulsion paint₹145–710 / litre (20 L pack, MRP incl. GST)Oct 2026Checked against Asian Paints' price list on 23 Oct 2026 and left unchanged: Ace Sparc Shyne ₹166/L, Apex Ultima Protek ₹700/L. The Ace page now also shows a ₹125/L line that we have not traced to a product page, so the floor stays where it is. Per litre of the 20 L bucket, white or light-pastel base, GST included. Grade dominates — a 4.9× spread separates 2-year economy from PU/silicone: economy ₹145–260, value sheen ₹260–330, mid-range weatherproof (6–8 yr) ₹330–455 (the default for a normal house), premium PU/silicone (8–15 yr) ₹455–710. Warranty years are printed on the bucket, which makes them the one grade axis a buyer can actually answer. Smaller packs run 10–30% dearer per litre (Ace Sparc 1 L +29%, Apex Advanced 1 L +34%); dealer discount off MRP ran 2–26% the other way. The ₹145 floor is street, not MRP: the cheapest exterior emulsion on the manufacturer's own list is Ace Sparc Shyne at ₹166/L MRP, and two independent marketplaces put 20 L economy buckets at ₹143–147 street — at a physical dealer expect ₹165–200. The ₹710 ceiling is jointly set by three brands (Apex Ultima Protek Advanced ₹700 MRP, Dulux Weathershield Max ₹708, Birla Opus One True Vision ₹700). Excluded as specialty: Ultima Protek Duralife ₹928, Ultima Metallics ₹1,614, tile and floor guards ₹463–667. GST 18% (HSN 3208/3209), verified from retailers' own tax splits. Official anchors (verified 2026-07): CPWD DAR 2023 codes 8505 acrylic exterior ₹170/L, 8506 premium acrylic ₹250/L and 0836 acrylic-silicone ₹300/L ex-GST ex-carriage (Delhi, Apr 2023) = ₹201, ₹295 and ₹354 grossed at 18% — the mid band is 1.23–1.49× CPWD 8506, ordinary margin plus brand premium, and WPI paint at +0.31% over 39 months rules inflation out. COVERAGE matters more here than the price: exterior emulsion covers ~100–130 sq ft/L per coat, i.e. 50–65 sq ft/L over the standard two-coat system (Asian Paints Apex Dust Proof 5–6 m²/L for two coats, Dulux Weathershield Protect 4.6–6.0, Berger WeatherCoat 60–65 sq ft/L; CPWD is stricter at 1.67 L/10 m² = 60 sq ft/L). Interior emulsion covers 2.3–2.6× more on the same basis, because exterior paint goes onto rough, porous, unputtied plaster at 30–40% dilution against 50–55% over smooth putty inside. Never apply an interior coverage figure to an exterior wall — it under-orders paint by more than half. Kept medium: every street price was scraped on one day in mid-monsoon, the dead season for exterior painting and therefore the deepest-discount window, so the band's lower edges come from the trough of the discount cycle while its upper edges are MRP, and no regional series was found in either direction.

How to Use This Calculator

  1. Measure what you can. Best: wall perimeter × height minus doors/windows. Quick: use the floor area and let the 3.5× estimate do the rest.
  2. Read your paint's coverage. Datasheets print two lines: one coat and over two coats. Enter the one-coat figure. If you only have the two-coat figure, enter it and set Coats to 1.
  3. Pick the coats. Two for a normal repaint or colour change; three when covering a dark shade with a light one or painting fresh plaster after primer.
  4. Buy to the rounded figure. Paint keeps, and a sealed extra litre is cheap insurance against a shade-batch mismatch from a later purchase.

Tips and tricks

  • Check the coverage on the tin or the maker's datasheet for your exact product; it changes with brand and finish.
  • Wait until new plaster is fully dry. Paint on damp walls can peel and go patchy.
  • Get all the tint for one colour mixed in one go, or pour the tins together in a bucket before you start, so the shade matches wall to wall.
  • For big areas, 10 L and 20 L packs usually cost less per litre than 1 L tins.
  • Keep half a litre of each colour, labelled with the shade code, for touch-ups.

What we would do

Work out the litres here, then buy the main colour in large packs tinted in one batch and the accent colours in small tins. Do putty and primer first, then one coat, and check how far a litre actually went before you buy the rest.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much area does 1 litre of paint cover?
An interior emulsion covers about 250 to 310 sq ft per litre for one coat on a normal plastered wall: Asian Paints Tractor Emulsion prints 250 to 270 and Royale Luxury 270 to 310. Over two coats the same datasheets print 130 to 150 and 140 to 160. Exterior paint and rough or absorbent walls cover less. Your own tin's datasheet is the number to use.
How much paint do I need for a 12 × 10 ft room?
With a 9 ft ceiling the four walls are about 400 sq ft, or about 320 sq ft after a door and a window. Two coats at 250 sq ft per litre for one coat needs 2.6 litres, or 2.8 L with the 10% buffer, so a 4 L can is enough. The ceiling (120 sq ft) needs about 1 L more for two coats.
Is the ceiling included in the estimate?
In floor-area mode, yes: the 3.5× factor approximates walls plus ceiling together. In measured-wall mode it counts only what you measured; add the ceiling as length × width of the room if you are painting it.
How much primer and putty do I need?
They are separate items with their own datasheets. Asian Paints Acrylic Wall Putty covers 38 to 44 sq ft per kg for one coat and 24 to 35 for two, on a primed wall. Decoprime water-thinnable primer covers 215 to 270 sq ft per litre for one coat. On a repaint you usually need them only on patched spots and on walls going from a dark colour to a light one. This calculator prices only the top coat.
Why do painters quote more paint than this calculator?
There are three usual reasons: absorbent or textured surfaces cut real-world coverage below the datasheet figure, dark-to-light changes need a third coat, and quotes often bundle primer. If the gap is much beyond that, ask the painter to show the coverage arithmetic; this page gives you the formula to check it against.
What does it cost to paint a house in India?
Take the litres from this page and multiply by your tin's price. That is the only part of the answer we will give you a number for, because it is the only part we can source. Interior emulsion spans ₹157–835 a litre (Jul 2026): economy lines around ₹157–275, premium washable ₹275–540, luxury sheen ₹540–835, all on the 20 L pack at MRP. For a 1,000 sq ft home needing 31 L that is roughly ₹4,900 at the bottom and ₹25,900 at the top. What we do <em>not</em> publish is a labour-and-materials total. Putty, primer and the painter's own charge are often as much as the paint again on fresh plaster, and we could not find an Indian per-sq-ft painting rate above a content-farm source. Anyone quoting you a confident all-in figure per square foot has either measured it or invented it. Ask which.
Is the price band on this page what I will pay?
It is what the tin is listed at, not what you will hand over. Two things move it, in opposite directions. Pack size: a 1 L can costs 6–21% more per litre than the 20 L drum of the same paint, steepest on economy lines. Dealer discount: observed street prices ran 7–28% below MRP. Between them a 1 L can at a neighbourhood shop and a 20 L drum from a dealer differ by about 18–33% on the same product. Also note every published MRP is for the white or base tint. Deep and red-family shades carry a colourant premium of roughly 10–25%.
What pack sizes should I buy?
Emulsion is sold in 1, 4, 10 and 20 L packs, and the price per litre falls with pack size (Tractor: ₹258 for 1 L, ₹4,180 for 20 L at MRP). Combine sizes to just clear your rounded-up figure (for 31 L, a 20 L, a 10 L and a 1 L; for 3 L, one 4 L can) and keep the leftover sealed for touch-ups.

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Sources & Limitations

What this calculator does not model

  • The cost shown is paint only. Primer, putty, painting labour, scaffolding and masking are excluded. We researched a per-sq-ft painting adder from CPWD's composite items and could not source the step from a government contractor's rate to what a homeowner pays a painter, so we publish nothing rather than a number we cannot defend
  • Price is the figure you enter. The national band under the form is drawn almost entirely from Asian Paints, the only Indian major that publishes a price list. Berger, Nerolac and Dulux publish none, so brand coverage is the weak point in that band
  • The band is quoted on the 20 L pack at MRP. A 1 L can runs 6–21% dearer per litre and dealers discount 7–28% off MRP, so a small-pack shop purchase and a dealer's drum can differ by about a third
  • Textured finishes, stencils and dark accent walls consume more than flat-coverage arithmetic suggests
  • The 3.5× floor-to-paintable factor is an estimate for typical layouts; open plans with few internal walls need less