How much tile for a 60-inch tub surround?

Data checked October 2026

Short answer

60 sq ft of 4×12 tile takes 200 tiles — 14 boxes — including 12% for cuts, plus 2 bags of thinset and 1 × 25-lb bag of grout.

Area: 2.5 × 6 + 5 × 6 + 2.5 × 6 ft = 60 sq ft.
Each 4×12 tile (actual 11.81 × 3.94 in) plus a 1/8 in joint covers 0.337 sq ft; 60 × 1.12 ÷ 0.337 = 200 pieces → 14 boxes of 15.
Thinset: 2 × 50-lb Store-brand thinset with a 1/4 × 3/8 square-notch (55 sq ft per bag).
Grout: about 7.1 lb of Keracolor S for a 1/8 in joint 0.31 in deep — 1 × 25-lb bag.
Backer: 5 sheets of HardieBacker 500 and about 119 screws.
Waterproofing: 1.2 gal of RedGard for two coats — 2 × 1-gal pail.
Materials come to about $512; installed by a pro, about $1,122–$3,174.

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

= 2' 6" · 0.76 m

Height

= 6' · 1.83 m

Wall 2

Width

= 5' · 1.52 m

Height

= 6' · 1.83 m

Wall 3

Width

= 2' 6" · 0.76 m

Height

= 6' · 1.83 m

Tile

Tile size

MSI Domino 4×12: 15 pieces = 4.85 sq ft per box (0.323 sq ft each, a true 100 × 300 mm). Daltile's 4×12 cartons hold 28 pieces of 4¼ × 12⅞ in — check yours.

Grout joint

Layout

You need

14boxes of 4×12

200 tiles for 60 sq ft incl. 12% extra · 67.9 sq ft in the boxes

Area to tile: 60sq ft
Tile cost: $212about $15.12 per box
Thinset: 2bagsStore-brand thinset · ¼ × ⅜
Grout: 7.1 lbKeracolor S: 1 × 25-lb bag
Backer board: 5sheetsHardieBacker 500 · 119 fasteners
Waterproofing: 1.2galRedGard: 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	68	68 sheets	$1,019
3×6 subway	506	7	$84.00
4×12 subway	200	14	$212
4×4 4¼ wall	521	6	$221
6×24 plank	72	7	$215
12×12 ceramic	68	4	$65.21
12×24 porcelain	36	6	$200
24×24 porcelain	18	5	$232
24×48 large format	9	3	$276

Hiring it out?

Installed tile runs about $1,122–$3,174 for 60 sq ft (Fixr, 2025, including the pattern premium). Your materials above come to about $512.

Shopping list

14 boxes 4×12 subway tile200 pieces incl. 12% waste$212
2 bags Store-brand thinset thinset, 50 lb1/4 × 3/8 square-notch$27.98
1 units Keracolor S grout — 25-lb bag$14.48
5 sheets HardieBacker 500 (0.42 in, sold as 1/2 in), 3×5 ft$87.50
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 × 3/8 square-notch$11.49
200 pcs Tile spacers, 1/8 inabout one per tile

Estimated total$523

Cost estimate

Tap a price to use your store's

4×12 tile
14 boxes × $$3.12/sq ft × 4.85 sq ft per box
$212
Store-brand thinset
2 bags × $
$27.98
Keracolor S 25-lb bag
1 units × $
$14.48
HardieBacker 500
5 sheets × $
$87.50
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$523

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 60 sq ft in other tile sizes

Tile	Pieces	Boxes	Thinset bags	Tile cost
Mosaic 12×12 sheets	68	68 sheets	1	$1,019
3×6 subway	506	7	1	$84.00
4×12 subway	200	14	2	$212
4×4 4¼ wall	521	6	1	$221
6×24 plank	72	7	2	$215
12×12 ceramic	68	4	2	$65.21
12×24 porcelain	36	6	2	$200
24×24 porcelain	18	5	2	$232
24×48 large format	9	3	2	$276

How this was worked out

A standard 60 × 30 in tub alcove tiled 6 ft above the tub is about 60 sq ft: a 5-ft back wall and two 30-in end walls.

The 12% extra is the recommendation for ½ offset layout. The full boxes leave 10 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

60 sq ft of 4×12 tile takes 200 tiles — 14 boxes — including 12% for cuts, plus 2 bags of thinset and 1 × 25-lb bag of grout.

Area: 2.5 × 6 + 5 × 6 + 2.5 × 6 ft = 60 sq ft.

Each 4×12 tile (actual 11.81 × 3.94 in) plus a 1/8 in joint covers 0.337 sq ft; 60 × 1.12 ÷ 0.337 = 200 pieces → 14 boxes of 15.

Thinset: 2 × 50-lb Store-brand thinset with a 1/4 × 3/8 square-notch (55 sq ft per bag).

Grout: about 7.1 lb of Keracolor S for a 1/8 in joint 0.31 in deep — 1 × 25-lb bag.

Backer: 5 sheets of HardieBacker 500 and about 119 screws.

Waterproofing: 1.2 gal of RedGard for two coats — 2 × 1-gal pail.

Materials come to about $512; installed by a pro, about $1,122–$3,174.

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

= 2' 6" · 0.76 m

Height

= 6' · 1.83 m

Wall 2

Width

= 5' · 1.52 m

Height

= 6' · 1.83 m

Wall 3

Width

= 2' 6" · 0.76 m

Height

= 6' · 1.83 m

Tile

Tile size

MSI Domino 4×12: 15 pieces = 4.85 sq ft per box (0.323 sq ft each, a true 100 × 300 mm). Daltile's 4×12 cartons hold 28 pieces of 4¼ × 12⅞ in — check yours.

Grout joint

Layout

You need

14boxes of 4×12

200 tiles for 60 sq ft incl. 12% extra · 67.9 sq ft in the boxes

Area to tile: 60sq ft
Tile cost: $212about $15.12 per box
Thinset: 2bagsStore-brand thinset · ¼ × ⅜
Grout: 7.1 lbKeracolor S: 1 × 25-lb bag
Backer board: 5sheetsHardieBacker 500 · 119 fasteners
Waterproofing: 1.2galRedGard: 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	68	68 sheets	$1,019
3×6 subway	506	7	$84.00
4×12 subway	200	14	$212
4×4 4¼ wall	521	6	$221
6×24 plank	72	7	$215
12×12 ceramic	68	4	$65.21
12×24 porcelain	36	6	$200
24×24 porcelain	18	5	$232
24×48 large format	9	3	$276

Hiring it out?

Installed tile runs about $1,122–$3,174 for 60 sq ft (Fixr, 2025, including the pattern premium). Your materials above come to about $512.

Shopping list

14 boxes 4×12 subway tile200 pieces incl. 12% waste$212
2 bags Store-brand thinset thinset, 50 lb1/4 × 3/8 square-notch$27.98
1 units Keracolor S grout — 25-lb bag$14.48
5 sheets HardieBacker 500 (0.42 in, sold as 1/2 in), 3×5 ft$87.50
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 × 3/8 square-notch$11.49
200 pcs Tile spacers, 1/8 inabout one per tile

Estimated total$523

Cost estimate

Tap a price to use your store's

4×12 tile
14 boxes × $$3.12/sq ft × 4.85 sq ft per box
$212
Store-brand thinset
2 bags × $
$27.98
Keracolor S 25-lb bag
1 units × $
$14.48
HardieBacker 500
5 sheets × $
$87.50
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$523

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

68 sheets

$1,019

3×6 subway

506

$84.00

4×12 subway

200

$212

4×4 4¼ wall

521

$221

6×24 plank

$215

12×12 ceramic

$65.21

12×24 porcelain

$200

24×24 porcelain

$232

24×48 large format

$276

How this was worked out

A standard 60 × 30 in tub alcove tiled 6 ft above the tub is about 60 sq ft: a 5-ft back wall and two 30-in end walls.

The 12% extra is the recommendation for ½ offset layout. The full boxes leave 10 spare pieces — keep them for repairs.

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