How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover?
Answer
350-400 square feet per gallon for one coat on smooth surfaces
Standard interior latex paint covers 350-400 sq ft per gallon per coatExterior paint typically covers 250-350 sq ft per gallonTextured or porous surfaces reduce coverage to 200-300 sq ft per gallonPrimer coverage is similar: 300-400 sq ft per gallonTwo coats on a 12x12 room (384 sq ft of wall) needs about 2 gallonsPremium paints with built-in primer may cover slightly more
Need a custom calculation?
Open the full calculator with custom inputs
How We Calculated This
Gallons Needed = Total Square Feet / 350 (per coat)
700 sq ft wall area with 2 coats: 700 x 2 = 1,400 sq ft / 350 = 4 gallons
Related Calculations
How much paint for a 8×8 room with 8' ceilings?2 gallons (2 coats)How much paint for a 8×8 room with 9' ceilings?2 gallons (2 coats)How much paint for a 8×8 room with 10' ceilings?2 gallons (2 coats)How much paint for a 8×8 room with 12' ceilings?2 gallons (2 coats)How much paint for a 8×10 room with 8' ceilings?2 gallons (2 coats)
Calculated using verified formulas. Last updated March 2026.