How Is Carpet Sold?
Carpet is sold by the running length of a fixed-width roll, but it is priced differently around the world - by the square yard, the square foot, the square metre or the broadloom metre. Here is what each one means and how to convert between them.
By the Calculate My Reno Team / Published
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Carpet is always sold by the running length of a fixed-width roll - that part is the same everywhere. What changes from country to country is the unit the price is quoted in. Knowing which one you are looking at stops you comparing two quotes that are not the same thing.
The four units you will meet
| Unit | Where | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Square yard | US, Canada | The traditional carpet unit; 1 sq yd = 9 sq ft |
| Square foot | US | The same carpet, quoted smaller; multiply by 9 for the sq yd price |
| Square metre | UK, Europe | Priced per m² of carpet |
| Broadloom metre | Australia, NZ | A 1 m length of the full roll width |
Square yards and square feet
In the US, carpet was always priced by the square yard, and a 12 ft roll makes this tidy: every linear foot off the roll is exactly four square yards. Many retailers now quote the square foot instead, because a smaller number reads as cheaper. They are the same carpet:
price per sq yd = price per sq ft × 9
So $4.00 per square foot is $36.00 per square yard. When you compare quotes, convert them to the same unit first.
Square metres and broadloom metres
The UK and Europe price by the square metre of carpet. Australia and New Zealand use the broadloom metre - a 1 m length of the full roll width, which on a 3.66 m roll is 3.66 m² and is usually the smallest cut you can buy. To compare:
price per m² = broadloom-metre price ÷ roll width
A broadloom metre at $90 on a 3.66 m roll is about $24.60 per square metre.
Why it is still a running length
However it is priced, the carpet leaves the shop as a length of a fixed-width roll. If your room is narrower than the roll you pay for the full width and trim the rest; if it is wider you buy a second strip. That is why the carpet calculator works in linear run and roll width, and why getting the roll width right matters as much as the price per unit. Once you have the quantity, our guide on how much carpet costs turns it into a budget.
Frequently asked questions
How is carpet sold, in yards or feet?
In the US, broadloom carpet is traditionally priced by the square yard, though many retailers now quote the square foot because the number looks smaller. One square yard is nine square feet, so a $36 per square yard carpet is $4 per square foot - the same price, written two ways. Always check which unit a quote uses before comparing.
What is a broadloom metre?
A broadloom metre is how carpet is sold in Australia and New Zealand: a 1 m length cut from the full roll width. On a 3.66 m roll that is 3.66 m² of carpet, and it is usually the smallest amount you can buy. To compare a broadloom-metre price with a per-square-metre price, divide the broadloom price by the roll width.
Is carpet sold by the square foot or square yard?
Both, in the US - historically the square yard, increasingly the square foot. They describe the same carpet; a square yard is nine square feet. The UK and Europe use the square metre, and Australia and New Zealand use the broadloom (lineal) metre. Whatever the unit, the carpet still comes off a fixed-width roll, so you pay for the running length.