Wallpaper Pattern Repeat Calculator
Calculate exactly how many rolls you need based on pattern repeat, room size, and roll specs
| Repeat Type | Typical Repeat Size | Extra Waste | Strips Lost Per Roll | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Repeat (Texture) | 0 in / 0 cm | 0% | 0 | Most economical |
| Straight Match | 6-18 in / 15-46 cm | 8-15% | 0-1 | Add 1 extra roll |
| Half-Drop Match | 13-27 in / 33-69 cm | 15-25% | 1 | Add 1-2 extra rolls |
| Quarter Drop Match | 18-27 in / 46-69 cm | 20-30% | 1-2 | Add 2 extra rolls |
| Random Match | n/a | 0% | 0 | No extra needed |
| Repeat Size (in) | Usable Strip (8 ft wall) | Strips per 33 ft Roll | Wall Width Covered (20.5 in roll) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 (no repeat) | 96 in (8 ft) | 4 | 82 in (6.8 ft) |
| 9 | 99 in (8.25 ft) | 3 | 61.5 in (5.1 ft) |
| 13.5 | 108 in (9 ft) | 3 | 61.5 in (5.1 ft) |
| 18 | 108 in (9 ft) | 3 | 61.5 in (5.1 ft) |
| 24 | 120 in (10 ft) | 3 | 61.5 in (5.1 ft) |
| 27 | 108 in (9 ft) | 3 | 61.5 in (5.1 ft) |
| Wall Width | Strips (20.5 in roll) | Strips (52 cm roll) | Rolls Needed (3 strips/roll) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft / 2.4 m | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| 10 ft / 3.0 m | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| 12 ft / 3.7 m | 8 | 7 | 3 |
| 14 ft / 4.3 m | 9 | 8 | 3-4 |
| 16 ft / 4.9 m | 10 | 9 | 4 |
| 20 ft / 6.1 m | 12 | 11 | 4-5 |
| 40 ft / 12.2 m | 24 | 22 | 8-9 |
Wallpaper pattern repeat is the vertical distance between one spot in wallpaper design and the place where that same spot appears again Almost all wallpapers have a pattern repeat. That means how far down the design goes on the strip of wallpaper until it repeats vertically. Unless the wallpaper is one color or has simple texture, it will have a pattern repeat.
The pattern repeat relates also to the horizontal alignment between two next strips. If you do not follow the pattern repeat of the wallpaper, you can hang it wrong and the final reslut will be disappointing. The drops must match up or the wallpaper will end looking bad.
What Wallpaper Pattern Repeat Is and How to Match It
Pattern match is the way the drops line up horizontally, side by side on the wall. In a straight match, every drop matches horizontally in the same way as the last. Offset match means that only every second length of wallpaper looks the same.
Because the pattern is not always at the same horizontal height in every strip, you must put the strips up in offset mode.
Half drop is a good example of that. The design repeats but it drops halfway down through the pattern. So if design is 20 inches wide and has vertical repeat of 20 inches, the half drop in that repeat will be 10 inches down through the width of the design.
Half drop is very good because the design looks more open and less rigid. Even so you need extra wallpaper because 10 inches of wallpaper is lost when you hang the strips and match the design.
Some wallpapers have a random repeat pattern that you do not need to watch and match during application. Random match is the easiest to install and does not create waste during measurement of strips, because such wallpapers match randomly at the seams. The pattern match is usually shown as written instruction, for instance “half drop” or “free match”.
Pattern repeat matters for some reasons, for instance to imagine the scale of the design. But the most important use is to count how much wallpaper is needed for the space and how much waste there will be. For instance, choosing a design with a 10-inch pattern repeat means that during installation of every strip you can lose up to 10 inches to match every next drop.
Common repeat measures are 64 cm, 32 cm, 26 cm, 16 cm and 8 cm for smaller patterns. Occasionally the repeat is marked as 0 cm or not noted, which often happens with single-colored wallpapers.
To count the number of rolls, you divide the height of the wall by the vertical repeat measure. Later round up the result to the nearest whole number to count any extra wallpaper needed for trimming and matching the pattern. If the wallpaper has a repeat pattern, you must follow it and apply it edge toedge.
