How much tile for 3×5 shower walls?

Data checked October 2026

Short answer

77 sq ft of 3×6 tile takes 649 tiles — 9 boxes — including 12% for cuts, plus 2 bags of thinset and 1 × 25-lb bag of grout.

Area: 3 × 7 + 5 × 7 + 3 × 7 ft = 77 sq ft.
Each 3×6 tile (actual 6 × 3 in) plus a 1/8 in joint covers 0.133 sq ft; 77 × 1.12 ÷ 0.133 = 649 pieces → 9 boxes of 80.
Thinset: 2 × 50-lb Store-brand thinset with a 1/4 × 1/4 square-notch (75 sq ft per bag).
Grout: about 16.9 lb of Keracolor S for a 1/8 in joint 0.394 in deep — 1 × 25-lb bag.
Backer: 6 sheets of HardieBacker 500 and about 153 screws.
Waterproofing: 1.5 gal of RedGard for two coats — 2 × 1-gal pail.
Materials come to about $425; installed by a pro, about $1,440–$4,073.

Adjust it to your exact job

What are you tiling?

Project

Enter each wall as width × tiled height (84 in = 7 ft is common).

Surfaces

Width

= 3' · 0.91 m

Height

= 7' · 2.13 m

Wall 2

Width

= 5' · 1.52 m

Height

= 7' · 2.13 m

Wall 3

Width

= 3' · 0.91 m

Height

= 7' · 2.13 m

Tile

Tile size

Floor & Decor Bright White Ice: 3 × 6 in, 10 mm, 80 pieces (10 sq ft) per box, 1/8 in joint suggested.

Grout joint

Layout

You need

9boxes of 3×6

649 tiles for 77 sq ft incl. 12% extra · 90 sq ft in the boxes

Area to tile: 77sq ft
Tile cost: $108about $12.00 per box
Thinset: 2bagsStore-brand thinset · ¼ × ¼
Grout: 16.9 lbKeracolor S: 1 × 25-lb bag
Backer board: 6sheetsHardieBacker 500 · 153 fasteners
Waterproofing: 1.5galRedGard: 2 × 1-gal pail

Other tile sizes, same area

Pieces and boxes by tile size (recommended waste, carton counts as listed)
Tile	Pieces	Boxes	Tile cost
Mosaic 12×12 sheets	87	87 sheets	$1,304
3×6 subway	649	9	$108
4×12 subway	256	18	$272
4×4 4¼ wall	668	7	$258
6×24 plank	93	9	$276
12×12 ceramic	88	6	$97.81
12×24 porcelain	46	7	$233
24×24 porcelain	23	6	$278
24×48 large format	12	4	$368

Hiring it out?

Installed tile runs about $1,440–$4,073 for 77 sq ft (Fixr, 2025, including the pattern premium). Your materials above come to about $425.

Shopping list

9 boxes 3×6 subway tile649 pieces incl. 12% waste$108
2 bags Store-brand thinset thinset, 50 lb1/4 × 1/4 square-notch$27.98
1 units Keracolor S grout — 25-lb bag$14.48
6 sheets HardieBacker 500 (0.42 in, sold as 1/2 in), 3×5 ft$105
1 boxes Backer fasteners — box of 185$13.87
1 rolls 2 in alkali-resistant mesh tape — 50-ft roll$5.99
2 pails RedGard — 1-gal pail$150
1 each Notched trowel, 1/4 × 1/4 square-notch$11.49
649 pcs Tile spacers, 1/8 inabout one per tile

Estimated total$437

Cost estimate

Tap a price to use your store's

3×6 tile
9 boxes × $$0.15 per piece
$108
Store-brand thinset
2 bags × $
$27.98
Keracolor S 25-lb bag
1 units × $
$14.48
HardieBacker 500
6 sheets × $
$105
Screws, box of 185
1 boxes × $
$13.87
Mesh tape, 50-ft roll
1 rolls × $
$5.99
RedGard 1-gal pail
2 pails × $
$150
Notched trowel
1 each × $
$11.49

Materials total$437

Typical U.S. prices (Floor & Decor and others) checked October 2026. Tap any price to enter your store's.

Did this answer your question?

Compare

The same 77 sq ft in other tile sizes

Tile	Pieces	Boxes	Thinset bags	Tile cost
Mosaic 12×12 sheets	87	87 sheets	1	$1,304
3×6 subway	649	9	2	$108
4×12 subway	256	18	2	$272
4×4 4¼ wall	668	7	2	$258
6×24 plank	93	9	3	$276
12×12 ceramic	88	6	2	$97.81
12×24 porcelain	46	7	3	$233
24×24 porcelain	23	6	3	$278
24×48 large format	12	4	3	$368

How this was worked out

A 3×5 stall has two 3-ft side walls and a 5-ft back wall. Tiled to 7 ft that is 77 sq ft; going to the ceiling adds about 11 sq ft per foot of height.

The 12% extra is the recommendation for ½ offset layout. The full boxes leave 71 spare pieces — keep them for repairs.

The full method, material data and tips are on the main tile calculator page.

Similar jobs

Other sizes people check

Sources

Data behind this answer

Floor & Decor carton specs — Venato 12×24, Napoli 24×48, Bright White Ice 3×6 — 12×24 = 11.70 × 23.50 in, 7 per box; 24×48 = 23.50 × 47.08 in, 3 per box; 3×6 subway 80 per box · checked October 2026
Floors Center carton specs — Daltile 12×12, 24×24, 6×24, 4×4 and MSI 4×12 — 12×12 = 11.81 in, 17 per box; 24×24 = 23.62 in, 4 per box; 6×24 planks 11 = 10.23 sq ft; 4¼ wall tile 100 = 12.5 sq ft; MSI 4×12 15 = 4.85 sq ft · checked October 2026
Floor & Decor tile category pricing (Ypsilanti, MI store) — 12×24 porcelain median $2.49/sq ft, 24×48 $3.99, porcelain overall $2.99, ceramic $0.99, mosaic sheets $14.99 · checked October 2026
Daltile FAQ and MSI FAQ — overage and attic stock — buy about 10% extra as attic stock; MSI: 10–15% by pattern plus 5–10% for future repairs · checked October 2026
Custom Building Products — VersaBond family sell sheet SS215 (9/26R) and TDS-119 — VersaBond 85–95 sq ft at 1/4 in, 60–67 at 1/4×3/8, U-notch 34–38 (45°) / 42–47 (30°); VersaBond LHT, LITE (35 lb = 50 lb) · checked October 2026
Custom grout data — Polyblend Plus TDS-360, Grout Card CC25, Prism SS160, Fusion Pro TDS-242 — Polyblend Plus 12×12×3/8 at 1/8 in: 348 sq ft per 25 lb; Prism 17 lb = 25 lb coverage; Fusion Pro 199 sq ft/gal at 12×12×3/8, 1/8 in · checked October 2026
MAPEI TDS — Keracolor S (Feb 2026), Keracolor U, Ultracolor Plus FA (Aug 2026), Kerapoxy CQ (Apr 2026) — Coverage tables used to calibrate the grout factor per product; Kerapoxy CQ joints 1/16–3/8 in only · checked October 2026
James Hardie — installing HardieBacker on floors and walls — fasteners every 8 in over the whole floor sheet, 1/4 in square-notch thinset under floor board, 1/8 in gaps, 2 in mesh tape; studs max 16 in o.c. · checked October 2026
Custom RedGard — TDS-104 — waterproofing 55 sq ft/gal (two coats at 110), IAPMO pan liner 40, crack prevention 100; 1 and 3.5 gal pails · checked October 2026
Celebration Hardware — RedGard LQWAF1 1-gal — $74.99 per 1-gal pail (regular price, Oct 2026) · checked October 2026
Floor & Decor backer board, screws and mesh tape listings — Durock 3×5 $12.50–$21.00, HardieBacker $13.40 / $17.50; 1-1/4 in screws 750 ct $38.44, 185 ct $13.87; 2 in tape 300 ft $15.99 · checked October 2026
homewyse — cost to install tile floor, wall tile and backsplash (May 2026) — floor $16.38–$20.21, walls $11.48–$21.27, backsplash $28.31–$49.78 per sq ft installed · checked October 2026
Fixr — shower tiling cost guide (updated Aug 29, 2025) — porcelain shower walls $17–$46/sq ft installed; diagonal and herringbone +20%, running bond +10–15%; tear-out $2–$5/sq ft · checked October 2026

Short answer

77 sq ft of 3×6 tile takes 649 tiles — 9 boxes — including 12% for cuts, plus 2 bags of thinset and 1 × 25-lb bag of grout.

Area: 3 × 7 + 5 × 7 + 3 × 7 ft = 77 sq ft.

Each 3×6 tile (actual 6 × 3 in) plus a 1/8 in joint covers 0.133 sq ft; 77 × 1.12 ÷ 0.133 = 649 pieces → 9 boxes of 80.

Thinset: 2 × 50-lb Store-brand thinset with a 1/4 × 1/4 square-notch (75 sq ft per bag).

Grout: about 16.9 lb of Keracolor S for a 1/8 in joint 0.394 in deep — 1 × 25-lb bag.

Backer: 6 sheets of HardieBacker 500 and about 153 screws.

Waterproofing: 1.5 gal of RedGard for two coats — 2 × 1-gal pail.

Materials come to about $425; installed by a pro, about $1,440–$4,073.

Adjust it to your exact job

What are you tiling?

Project

Enter each wall as width × tiled height (84 in = 7 ft is common).

Surfaces

Width

= 3' · 0.91 m

Height

= 7' · 2.13 m

Wall 2

Width

= 5' · 1.52 m

Height

= 7' · 2.13 m

Wall 3

Width

= 3' · 0.91 m

Height

= 7' · 2.13 m

Tile

Tile size

Floor & Decor Bright White Ice: 3 × 6 in, 10 mm, 80 pieces (10 sq ft) per box, 1/8 in joint suggested.

Grout joint

Layout

You need

9boxes of 3×6

649 tiles for 77 sq ft incl. 12% extra · 90 sq ft in the boxes

Area to tile: 77sq ft
Tile cost: $108about $12.00 per box
Thinset: 2bagsStore-brand thinset · ¼ × ¼
Grout: 16.9 lbKeracolor S: 1 × 25-lb bag
Backer board: 6sheetsHardieBacker 500 · 153 fasteners
Waterproofing: 1.5galRedGard: 2 × 1-gal pail

Other tile sizes, same area

Pieces and boxes by tile size (recommended waste, carton counts as listed)
Tile	Pieces	Boxes	Tile cost
Mosaic 12×12 sheets	87	87 sheets	$1,304
3×6 subway	649	9	$108
4×12 subway	256	18	$272
4×4 4¼ wall	668	7	$258
6×24 plank	93	9	$276
12×12 ceramic	88	6	$97.81
12×24 porcelain	46	7	$233
24×24 porcelain	23	6	$278
24×48 large format	12	4	$368

Hiring it out?

Installed tile runs about $1,440–$4,073 for 77 sq ft (Fixr, 2025, including the pattern premium). Your materials above come to about $425.

Shopping list

9 boxes 3×6 subway tile649 pieces incl. 12% waste$108
2 bags Store-brand thinset thinset, 50 lb1/4 × 1/4 square-notch$27.98
1 units Keracolor S grout — 25-lb bag$14.48
6 sheets HardieBacker 500 (0.42 in, sold as 1/2 in), 3×5 ft$105
1 boxes Backer fasteners — box of 185$13.87
1 rolls 2 in alkali-resistant mesh tape — 50-ft roll$5.99
2 pails RedGard — 1-gal pail$150
1 each Notched trowel, 1/4 × 1/4 square-notch$11.49
649 pcs Tile spacers, 1/8 inabout one per tile

Estimated total$437

Cost estimate

Tap a price to use your store's

3×6 tile
9 boxes × $$0.15 per piece
$108
Store-brand thinset
2 bags × $
$27.98
Keracolor S 25-lb bag
1 units × $
$14.48
HardieBacker 500
6 sheets × $
$105
Screws, box of 185
1 boxes × $
$13.87
Mesh tape, 50-ft roll
1 rolls × $
$5.99
RedGard 1-gal pail
2 pails × $
$150
Notched trowel
1 each × $
$11.49

Materials total$437

Typical U.S. prices (Floor & Decor and others) checked October 2026. Tap any price to enter your store's.

Tile

Pieces

Boxes

Thinset bags

Tile cost

Mosaic 12×12 sheets

87 sheets

$1,304

3×6 subway

649

$108

4×12 subway

256

$272

4×4 4¼ wall

668

$258

6×24 plank

$276

12×12 ceramic

$97.81

12×24 porcelain

$233

24×24 porcelain

$278

24×48 large format

$368

How this was worked out

A 3×5 stall has two 3-ft side walls and a 5-ft back wall. Tiled to 7 ft that is 77 sq ft; going to the ceiling adds about 11 sq ft per foot of height.

The 12% extra is the recommendation for ½ offset layout. The full boxes leave 71 spare pieces — keep them for repairs.

The full method, material data and tips are on the main tile calculator page.