How much paint for 500 sq ft?
Covering 500 sq ft in two coats takes about 3.1 gallons of paint — round up to 4 one-gallon cans at 350 sq ft per gallon per coat, with a 10% loss allowance.
- Area
- 500 sq ft
- Wall area
- 500 sq ft
- Coats
- 2
- Paint needed
- 3.1 gal
Based on 350 sq ft per gallon per coat, two coats, and a 10% loss allowance. One coat is about half; change coats and coverage in the calculator.
Change the numbers in the paint calculator →How this is worked out
Paint calculator uses the same method as every tool here: measure the area, add a visible allowance, divide by what one can covers, and round up. The number above is the honest planning quantity — not an exact coverage guarantee. Coverage varies with colour and surface.
paint = wall area × coats ÷ coverage × (1 + loss) → round up to whole cans
Other sizes
Related
- Paint calculator — change any number for your job
- Room material planner — every material on one shopping list
- How much does a gallon of paint cover?
- Buying paint for several rooms
Frequently asked questions
How many gallons of paint for 500 sq ft?
About 3.1 gallons for two coats — round up to 4 one-gallon cans.
How much paint for 500 sq ft, one coat?
Roughly half — about 1.6 gallons. Set coats to 1 in the paint calculator for the exact number.