How to Use This Tool

Enter your canvas width and height in centimetres, choose how many coats you plan to apply, pick an application style (thin, average or heavy), and select your tube size. The tool estimates roughly how much paint and how many tubes you might need.

How the Estimate Works

The calculator multiplies your canvas area by the number of coats, then divides by a rough coverage rate (millilitres of paint per square centimetre) that varies depending on whether you paint thin and efficient washes, an average layer, or a heavy, fully opaque application. This gives a starting-point estimate rather than an exact figure.

Why This Is Only an Estimate

Paint coverage varies enormously in practice: some pigments are naturally more opaque and cover more efficiently than others, canvas texture and priming affect absorption, and every artist applies paint slightly differently. Treat the result as a rough guide for planning how much paint to buy, not a guaranteed exact amount.

Tips for Buying Paint

If you are working with multiple colours across a canvas, this estimate applies per colour if you were covering the whole canvas in that colour alone — in practice you will usually use less of each individual colour since most paintings use several colours across smaller areas. It is generally sensible to buy slightly more than the estimate, especially for a colour you plan to use as a base coat or large background area.