Polyester (PET)
Budget$1 to $3
material per sq ft
Soft, stain-resistant, and cheap. Crushes in seating areas within 2 to 3 years. Right answer for low-traffic bedrooms and rentals.
Lifespan: 5 to 10 yrs
Best for: Spare rooms, rentals
The Calculator
Enter your room's length and width, not square feet.
Most cost calculators ask for total square footage you don't know. Ours takes the dimensions you can read off a tape measure. It outputs the full installed cost range for your chosen carpet grade, plus the square yardage to order with the standard 10% waste factor for cuts and seams already added.
- Material, padding, labour, and removal split out separately
- Five-region pricing multiplier (Northeast, West, Midwest, Southeast, Southwest)
- Square yards to order with waste factor included
- Three grade tiers: budget polyester, standard nylon, premium wool
Carpet Cost Calculator
= 144 sq ft | approx 18 sq yards to order
Budget
$1.5–$2.5/sqft
Standard
$2.5–$4/sqft
Premium
$4–$12/sqft
The Numbers, Quickly
Six numbers that answer most carpet questions.
$2 to $8
Per sq ft installed (national average, all-in)
$1 to $5
Carpet material per sq ft, by grade
$0.30 to $0.75
Standard rebond pad per sq ft
$0.50 to $1.50
Labour per sq ft (national average $0.80)
$0.70 to $1.60
Old carpet removal, per sq ft (or DIY for $0)
10 to 15%
Waste factor: order this much extra carpet
Cost By Room
What it costs to carpet, by room size.
Ranges are for standard nylon-grade carpet with 8 lb rebond pad and professional installation. Multiply by 0.6 for budget polyester, by 1.7 for premium wool.
All-in includes carpet, 8 lb rebond pad and professional install. Pad and labour are typically about half of what you pay, even though the carpet gets all the attention.
The Five Fibres You'll Be Quoted
The carpet you choose drives most of the price. Pile style follows fibre, not the other way round.
Cost-per-year reality check: wool at $15/sqft installed across 25 years works out to $0.60/sqft/yr. Polyester at $3/sqft installed across 7 years is $0.43/sqft/yr. The cheapest carpet is rarely the cheapest carpet over time. See the full type breakdown on the carpet types page.
The Full Guide
Eleven follow-on pages, each answering one question well.
Bedroom Carpet Cost
→
10x10 to 14x20 master, by carpet grade.
$400 to $1,170
12x12 standard nylon
Living Room Cost
→
Higher traffic, longer seams, the laminate question.
$840 to $2,880
15x20 mid-grade
Stairs Cost
→
Per-step pricing, waterfall vs cap-and-band explained.
$10 to $26
per step installed
Whole House Cost
→
1,000 to 3,000 sq ft, room-by-room breakdowns.
$3,780 to $9,720
1,200 sqft (3BR)
Carpet Types & Prices
→
Polyester, nylon, triexta, berber, frieze, wool, olefin.
$1 to $20
per sqft material
Carpet Padding Cost
→
Rebond, frothed foam, memory foam, felt, rubber waffle.
$0.30 to $2.00
per sqft installed
Carpet Removal Cost
→
Pro rates vs the full DIY removal walkthrough.
$0.70 to $1.60
per sqft pro removal
DIY vs Hiring a Pro
→
Phase-by-phase honest assessment of what's worth doing.
$200 to $600
savings, 12x12 bedroom
Carpet vs Laminate
→
Cost, durability, and 20-year total cost of ownership.
$2 to $12
installed, side by side
Carpet vs Hardwood
→
Comfort vs resale value, where each one wins.
$2 to $23
carpet vs hardwood
Cost by US State
→
All 50 states with regional labour multipliers.
$2 to $10
MS to HI spread
How a Quote Is Built
Everything an installer is charging you for, in order.
01
The carpet itself
$1 to $20 per sq ft
The biggest single line item, and the one with the widest range. A 12x12 bedroom needs about 160 sq ft of carpet to allow for the standard 10% waste factor on cuts and seams. US retail is per sq ft for the consumer, but rolls are mill-direct in square yards (1 sq yd = 9 sq ft).
02
Padding
$0.30 to $2 per sq ft
Standard 8 lb rebond foam at 7/16 inch is the industry default and what most installs use. Memory foam is a $0.40 to $1.10 per sq ft upgrade and worth it in master bedrooms. Reusing old pad voids most carpet warranties, never accept that compromise.
03
Installation labour
$0.50 to $1.50 per sq ft
National average around $0.80/sqft. Covers cutting, power-stretching, seaming, and trimming. Big-box retailer install packages bundle this with the carpet for a flat per-sqft rate. Independent flooring contractors quote separately and often run cheaper for larger jobs.
04
Old carpet removal
$0.70 to $1.60 per sq ft
Pull-up, haul-away, and tack-strip handling. The most legitimate DIY job in the entire process, save the full labour cost by stripping it yourself the morning before the install. Disposal at a transfer station runs $10 to $30 per car-load.
05
Subfloor prep & extras
$0 to $4 per sq ft
Most jobs need none of this. When subfloor is squeaky, rotted, or uneven, expect $1.50 to $4/sqft of repair. Tack strips, transition strips, and stair nosings run a few dollars per linear foot and are usually included in a complete quote.
Three Routes to Buying
Where the carpet comes from, and what each option trades.
Big-box retailer install
Convenience, predictable pricing
- Carpet, pad, install, and removal bundled
- Mid-range selection of nylons and polyesters
- Often a 'free install' promotion above a minimum sq ft
- Best for: a single-room job where you want one phone call
Independent flooring contractor
More selection, better quality at the same price
- Local installer, often family-owned
- Wider mill access, more pile and fibre options
- Negotiable on labour, especially multi-room jobs
- Best for: whole-house jobs and quality-conscious buyers
Specialty broadloom dealer
Premium fibres, bespoke service
- Wool, custom patterns, designer fibres
- Higher per-sqft price; better lifecycle value
- In-home consultation usually included
- Best for: master suites, formal rooms, design-led projects
Always get three quotes for any job over $1,000, ideally one from each tier. Ask each to itemise carpet, padding, labour, and removal separately so the totals can be compared like-for-like.
Frequently Asked
Carpet questions, answered honestly.
The national average is $2 to $8 per sq ft installed, which covers carpet material ($1 to $5), padding ($0.30 to $0.75), and labour ($0.50 to $1.50). Old carpet removal adds $0.70 to $1.60/sqft if you hire it out, or you can DIY that piece and keep the savings. Most homeowners pay $800 to $2,500 for a single room.
The Flooring Cluster