Paint & Coating Calculators
No paint calculator can tell you exactly how many gallons you need, because coverage itself is a range: manufacturers publish 250 to 400 square feet per gallon and mean it. Porosity, texture, application method, and color change all move the number. Calculators that output one gallon count are choosing a point in that range without telling you. These output the range and name what pushes you toward each end.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Pool Paint Calculator is the one most people need. Pool and masonry surfaces are where coverage guesses go wrong fastest, because porous surfaces sit at the low end of every published range.
Specialty Coatings
Pool, masonry, and industrial coatings at their own published coverage bands, which sit well below interior wall paint.
- Pool Paint CalculatorPool and masonry coatings cover roughly 150-300 sq ft per gallon, about half of wall paint's range, because porous surfaces absorb far more of the coating.
- Industrial Paint CalculatorIndustrial and DTM coatings cover roughly 200-400 sq ft per gallon, but only at the manufacturer's specified dry film thickness. Always verify against the PDS.
What Painting Costs
Modeled labor from published painter wage data, with the coverage band carrying through to the material line.
What the Prices Are Doing
At the producer level, prepared paint costs 6.2% more than a year ago (BLS Producer Price Index, July 2025 to July 2026, unadjusted 12-month change). Paint pricing is driven more by line and finish than by the commodity index, so the sampled shelf price below is the honest anchor. Full picture on the Cost Index.
| Item | Sampled price |
|---|---|
| BEHR PRO i100 Interior Eggshell (1 gal) | $24.98 / gallon |
Every calculator above ships with externally validated test values and sourced assumptions. See the methodology page for the full ledger.