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Paint Calculator
How many litres of paint do you need? Coats, coverage and wastage, shown honestly.
Quick Answer
Indian interior emulsions cover about 100–150 sq ft per litre per coat on plastered walls (as of Jul 2026, per manufacturer datasheets). Two coats over a 1,000 sq ft floor-area home — roughly 3,500 sq ft of paintable walls and ceiling — needs about 54 litres, or 60 L once you add the standard 10% buffer. What that costs depends almost entirely on which tin you buy: interior emulsion runs ₹157–835 a litre (Jul 2026), so the same 60 L is ₹12,540 in economy paint and ₹50,220 in luxury sheen. Enter your area, your paint's coverage and its price below.
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The Formula
Litres = area × coats ÷ coverage (sq ft per litre per coat) + 10% wastage
Coverage is an input, not a hidden constant, because it varies by product and surface — read it off your paint's datasheet and this calculator will match the manufacturer's own arithmetic. The 10% wastage is the published buffer so a wall never ends mid-can.
Assumptions & Wastage
- Coverage figures are per coat on a smooth plastered, primed surface — fresh plaster, putty-skipped or 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 — 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 deliberately 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
| Material | Wastage allowance |
|---|---|
| paint | 10% |
Worked Examples
Whole 1,000 sq ft (floor area) home, 2 coats
- Paintable area: 1,000 sq ft floor × 3.5 = 3,500 sq ft of walls and ceiling
- Paint: 3,500 × 2 coats ÷ 130 sq ft/L = 53.8 L
- +10% wastage = 59.2 L → buy 60 L (e.g. 3 × 20 L)
- Paint cost: 60 L × ₹450/L = ₹27,000 — a mid-range washable emulsion, paint only
One 12 × 10 ft room, walls measured at 320 sq ft, 2 coats
- Paintable area: 320 sq ft (12 × 10 room, 9 ft ceiling, door and window deducted)
- Paint: 320 × 2 coats ÷ 130 sq ft/L = 4.9 L
- +10% wastage = 5.4 L → buy 6 L (a 4 L can + two 1 L tins)
- Paint cost: 6 L × ₹209/L = ₹1,254 at an economy emulsion's published 20 L rate — buying it as one 4 L can and two 1 L tins costs more per litre, so treat this as the floor
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.
| Item | Rate / value | As of | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior wall emulsion paint | ₹157–835 / litre (20 L pack, MRP incl. GST) | Jul 2026 | 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) | Jul 2026 | 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
- 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.
- Read your paint's coverage. Every datasheet states sq ft (or m²) per litre per coat. Enter that number — it is the one figure that changes the answer most.
- 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.
- Buy to the rounded figure. Paint keeps — a sealed extra litre is cheap insurance against a shade-batch mismatch from a later purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much area does 1 litre of paint cover?
Indian interior emulsions typically cover 100–150 sq ft per coat on a smooth primed wall — budget emulsions sit near the bottom of that band and premium lines near the top, with manufacturers quoting up to 160 sq ft/L in ideal conditions. Exterior paints and rough or absorbent surfaces run meaningfully lower. The datasheet on the tin is the authoritative number.
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; after a door and a window that is ~320 sq ft. Two coats at 130 sq ft/L needs about 5 litres, or 6 L with the 10% buffer. Add roughly 2 L more if you are painting the ceiling too.
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 line items: primer generally covers a similar or slightly larger area per litre than emulsion (one coat), while wall putty is sold by weight — roughly 10–15 sq ft per kg for two coats, surface-dependent. Check each product's datasheet; this calculator deliberately prices only the top-coat paint.
Why do painters quote more paint than this calculator?
Three honest 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 60 L that is roughly ₹12,500 at the bottom and ₹50,000 at the top. What we deliberately 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 per-litre price falls sharply with size. Combine sizes to just clear your rounded-up figure — for 60 L, three 20 L drums; for 6 L, a 4 L can plus two 1 L tins — and keep one small tin sealed for touch-ups.
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Sources & Limitations
- Interior wall paints, plain finishes — Asian Paints (manufacturer product pages; per-coat coverage and pack sizes are stated on each datasheet)(accessed Jul 2026)
- Tractor Emulsion — Asian Paints (official product datasheet: coverage stated qualitatively, pack ladder shown)(accessed Jul 2026)
- Royale Matt — Asian Paints (official product page, pack-size table)(accessed Jul 2026)
- Apcolite Premium Emulsion — Asian Paints (official product page)(accessed Jul 2026)
- Berger Bison Emulsion Lite 20 L — Industrybuying (street price with tax split)(accessed Jul 2026)
- Dulux Velvet Touch Pearl Glo 20 L Brilliant White — Industrybuying (street price with tax split)(accessed Jul 2026)
- CPWD Delhi Analysis of Rates 2023, Civil Vol. I — basic rates (official PDF, mirror host)(accessed Jul 2026)
- WPI monthly item-level index, base 2022-23 — Office of the Economic Adviser, DPIIT(accessed Jul 2026)
- Ace exterior wall paints range — Asian Paints (manufacturer's published MRP per litre)(accessed Jul 2026)
- Apex exterior wall paints range — Asian Paints (manufacturer's published MRP per litre)(accessed Jul 2026)
- Ultima exterior wall paints range — Asian Paints (manufacturer's published MRP per litre)(accessed Jul 2026)
- Ace Sparc — Asian Paints (official product page, pack-size table proving the per-litre basis)(accessed Jul 2026)
- Dulux Weathershield Max 20 L Brilliant White — Industrybuying (street price with tax split)(accessed Jul 2026)
- Asian Paints Ace Sparc Exterior Emulsion 20 L White — Flipkart (street price)(accessed Jul 2026)
- Dulux Weathershield Protect — AkzoNobel India (official datasheet, coverage)(accessed Jul 2026)
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