How many bags of self-leveling concrete do I need?

The floor's area × the depth in feet ÷ the bag's yield, rounded up. A 10 × 12 ft floor at 1/4 inch is 2.50 cu ft, or 2.75 with 10% waste: 6 bags at 0.5 cu ft, 7 bags at Quikrete's 0.45.

How much does a 50 lb bag of self-leveler cover?

It depends on the depth and the product. Quikrete's Self-Leveling Floor Resurfacer covers about 21 sq ft at 1/4 inch; CustomTech's TechLevel 150 covers 45.98–48.19 sq ft at 1/8 inch, by their data sheets. Halve the coverage for each doubling of the depth.

How much water does self-leveler take?

What the bag says: Quikrete's resurfacer takes about 5 quarts per 50 lb bag, the calculator's starting figure. Too much water weakens it and makes it shrink and separate, so measure every batch the same way.

Do I need a primer under self-leveler?

Yes, for the products here: Quikrete primes with its Concrete Bonding Adhesive mixed 1 part to 2 parts water, and old porous concrete gets two coats. Type your primer's coverage from its label and the calculator gives the amount; without it, it gives the area to prime.

How do I measure the depth of a floor for self-leveler?

Lay a long straightedge or a laser line across the floor and measure the gap at the low spots. If the floor slopes evenly, enter its thinnest and deepest spots and the calculator averages them; if it is level with a few dips, measure each dip as an area of its own at its average depth.

Self-Leveling Concrete Calculator

Level a floor before tile, vinyl or carpet. A 10 × 12 ft floor at 1/4 inch takes 6 bags at 0.5 cu ft a bag. Enter the floor and its average depth, or the thinnest and deepest spots, to get the 50 lb bags at your bag's yield, the mixing water, the primer and how far one bag goes.

Units

LengthWidthOther areas (sq ft)

Average depth (in)

Bag yield preset (50 lb bag)

Yield per bag (cu ft)Water per bag (quarts)Primer coverage (sq ft per gal)Waste allowance (%)

Type the yield, water and primer coverage printed on your bag and primer; the water starts at Quikrete's figure, and the primer is left empty until you type its label figure.

6 bags of self-leveler (50 lb)

Floor area:: 120.0 sq ft
Average depth:: 0.250 in
Volume, waste included:: 2.75 cu ft
One bag covers at this depth:: 24.0 sq ft
Weight of the bags:: 300 lb
Mixing water:: 7.5 gallons (30 quarts)
Primer:: 120 sq ft to prime; type the primer's coverage to get the amount

Pouring a new slab instead? Use the concrete calculator.

How HomeMath calculates self-leveling concrete

HomeMath multiplies the floor's area by the average depth in feet for the volume, adds the waste allowance, and divides by one bag's yield, rounding up. With low and high spots it takes their middle as the average, which holds for a floor that slopes evenly between them; for a dip in an otherwise level floor, measure it as an area of its own. The water is the bags × the water per bag on the label, and the primer the area ÷ the primer's coverage. In metric, sizes are in meters and millimeters, the yield and water in liters.

The published rules it uses: self-leveler coverage; US customary units; metric conversion. Their sources, and how HomeMath tests every result, are on the about page.

How many bags does a typical room take?

At 0.5 cu ft a 50 lb bag, with 10% waste.

Bathroom, 5 × 8 ft at 1/8 in1 bag
Kitchen, 10 × 12 ft at 1/4 in6 bags
Bedroom, 12 × 14 ft at 3/8 in12 bags
Basement, 20 × 30 ft at 1/4 in28 bags
Low spot, 4 × 6 ft at 1/2 in3 bags
Garage, 20 × 20 ft at 1/2 in37 bags

How far does one bag go at each depth?

A bag's coverage is its yield ÷ the depth in feet, so it halves each time the depth doubles. By their data sheets, Quikrete's Self-Leveling Floor Resurfacer yields 0.45 cu ft a bag (21 sq ft at 1/4 inch) and CustomTech's TechLevel 150 covers 45.98–48.19 sq ft at 1/8 inch, which is 0.48–0.50 cu ft a bag. The calculator starts at 0.5; type your bag's figure.

Coverage of one 50 lb bag, and bags per 100 sq ft with 10% waste
Depth	At 0.45 cu ft	At 0.5 cu ft	Bags per 100 sq ft at 0.5
1/8 in	43.2 sq ft	48.0 sq ft	3 bags
1/4 in	21.6 sq ft	24.0 sq ft	5 bags
3/8 in	14.4 sq ft	16.0 sq ft	7 bags
1/2 in	10.8 sq ft	12.0 sq ft	10 bags
3/4 in	7.2 sq ft	8.0 sq ft	14 bags
1 in	5.4 sq ft	6.0 sq ft	19 bags

How do I work out self-leveling concrete by hand?

Take a 10 × 12 ft kitchen at an average 1/4 inch.

Area: 10 × 12 = 120 sq ft.
Depth in feet: 0.25 ÷ 12 = 0.0208 ft.
Volume: 120 × 0.0208 = 2.50 cu ft, or 2.75 with 10% waste.
Bags: 2.75 ÷ 0.5 = 5.5, so 6 bags.
Water: 6 × 5 quarts = 30 quarts, about 7.5 gallons.

Floors are rarely the same depth everywhere. If one slopes evenly from 0.125 inch at one wall to 0.500 inch at the other, the average is the middle, 0.3125 inch; enter both in the Low and high points tab. For a few dips in a level floor, measure each dip as an area of its own.

How thick can self-leveling concrete be?

Quikrete Self-Leveling Floor Resurfacer: from a featheredge to 5/8 inch. Deeper areas take layers of up to 5/8 inch each, with the floor primed between them.
CustomTech TechLevel 150: from a featheredge to 1.5 inches in one pour.

Other products differ, so follow your bag's sheet. The calculator flags a deepest spot past 5/8 inch and past 1.5 inches. Deeper than that is a slab of its own: the concrete calculator measures it.

Does self-leveling concrete need a primer, and how much water?

Both products here go on a primed floor. Quikrete primes with its Concrete Bonding Adhesive, 1 part to 2 parts water, and asks for two coats on old, porous concrete. Mix with about 5 quarts of water per bag for Quikrete's resurfacer; more water weakens it and makes it shrink. There is no published primer coverage here to use, so type the figure on your primer's label and the calculator gives the gallons.

How much self-leveler does a floor take in metric?

Switch to metric for the floor in meters, the depth in millimeters, and the yield and water in liters. Quikrete's bag yields 12.7 L, and 0.5 cu ft is 14.2 L.

Frequently asked questions

How many bags of self-leveling concrete do I need?: The floor's area × the depth in feet ÷ the bag's yield, rounded up. A 10 × 12 ft floor at 1/4 inch is 2.50 cu ft, or 2.75 with 10% waste: 6 bags at 0.5 cu ft, 7 bags at Quikrete's 0.45.
How much does a 50 lb bag of self-leveler cover?: It depends on the depth and the product. Quikrete's Self-Leveling Floor Resurfacer covers about 21 sq ft at 1/4 inch; CustomTech's TechLevel 150 covers 45.98–48.19 sq ft at 1/8 inch, by their data sheets. Halve the coverage for each doubling of the depth.
How thick can self-leveling concrete be?: As thick as your product allows. Quikrete's Self-Leveling Floor Resurfacer goes from a featheredge to 5/8 inch; deeper areas take more layers, primed in between. CustomTech's TechLevel 150 goes from a featheredge to 1.5 inches in one pour. The calculator warns when your deepest spot is past those limits; deeper than that is a slab of its own, so measure it in the concrete calculator.
How much water does self-leveler take?: What the bag says: Quikrete's resurfacer takes about 5 quarts per 50 lb bag, the calculator's starting figure. Too much water weakens it and makes it shrink and separate, so measure every batch the same way.
Do I need a primer under self-leveler?: Yes, for the products here: Quikrete primes with its Concrete Bonding Adhesive mixed 1 part to 2 parts water, and old porous concrete gets two coats. Type your primer's coverage from its label and the calculator gives the amount; without it, it gives the area to prime.
How do I measure the depth of a floor for self-leveler?: Lay a long straightedge or a laser line across the floor and measure the gap at the low spots. If the floor slopes evenly, enter its thinnest and deepest spots and the calculator averages them; if it is level with a few dips, measure each dip as an area of its own at its average depth.