Grout Calculator

Penny Tile Grout Calculator

Penny rounds use far more grout than you'd expect. Enter your tile's diameter for an accurate estimate.

Unsanded GroutRecommended
17.89lbs

Includes 10% overage

Project Details

Enter your tile specs

Your Estimate

Calculated grout amounts

Sanded Grout

For grout lines ≥ 1/8 inch

19.8lbs
✨ Recommended

Unsanded Grout

For grout lines < 1/8 inch

17.9lbs

+10% buffer included

Pro tip: Always buy a little extra grout. It's better to have leftovers than to run out mid-project with a color mismatch!

Why penny tile needs so much grout

Circles can't cover a surface completely. Even if every penny touched its neighbors, about 9% of the floor would still be the small triangular gaps where three circles meet. Add a joint between the tiles and the grout share climbs fast: with 3/4" pennies and 1/16" joints, nearly a quarter of the surface is grout.

That's why penny tile needs about seven times as much grout as 12×12" floor tile. Estimates based on straight grout lines undercount it, so this calculator works out the grout area between circles directly.

Grout needed per 100 sq ft of 1/4" thick penny tile, before overage.
TileThicknessJointSandedUnsanded
3/4" penny round1/4"1/16"49.6 lbs40.7 lbs
3/4" penny round1/4"1/8"72.8 lbs59.7 lbs
1" penny round1/4"1/16"42.9 lbs35.2 lbs
1" penny round1/4"1/8"61.8 lbs50.7 lbs

How to measure penny tile

  • Diameter: measure straight across one penny. 3/4" is the most common size, and 1" is the next most common.
  • Joint width: penny tile usually comes on mesh-backed sheets with the spacing built in. Measure the narrowest gap between two neighboring pennies on the sheet.
  • Thickness: measure the edge of a single penny. Most are about 1/4" thick.

Sanded or unsanded for penny tile?

The joint between two pennies may be narrow, but the gaps where three pennies meet are much wider. With 3/4" pennies and 1/16" joints, those gaps are about 3/16" across. Choose a grout rated for that wider gap as well as the narrow joint, and check the joint-width range printed on the bag. For glass or polished pennies, test a sanded grout on a spare tile first to make sure it won't scratch. See sanded vs. unsanded grout for more.

Tips for grouting penny tile

  • Grout in small sections. All that grout surface means a lot of cleanup, and grout can set before you finish wiping a large area.
  • Use a damp, not wet, sponge and wipe diagonally across the tiles so you don't pull grout out of the gaps.
  • Buy at least 10–15% extra. Penny tile loses more grout to cleanup than larger tile, and the grout color is a big part of the finished look, so you don't want to mix batches.