Paint coverage converter
Convert paint coverage between m²/L and square feet per gallon, and turn it into a film thickness.
That's about the same as emulsion on a smooth wall. A 2.5 liter tin would cover about 30 m² in one coat.
What it means
How far does it go?
Tin figures are for smooth, sealed, non-absorbent surfaces. Bare plaster, textured walls and dark colors under light ones all cut coverage sharply.
Every unit
Your coverage in every unit
Learn
Three things worth knowing
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1 m²/L = 40.7 sq ft per US gallon
So a US tin claiming 400 sq ft per gallon is about 9.8 m²/L. Imperial gallons are bigger, making the same paint look better by a fifth.
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Coverage is really thickness
Spreading a liter over more area means a thinner film. Manufacturers quote the area, but what protects the surface is the thickness left after it dries.
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Wet is not dry
An 83 micron wet film of emulsion dries to about 35 microns, because most of it was water. Protective coatings are specified by dry film thickness for that reason.
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Popular coverage conversions
Background
About coverage
Coverage is area per unit of paint: 12 m²/L is typical for emulsion, and a 2.5 L tin therefore covers about 30 m² per coat.
Turned around, it is a film thickness — and the two are the same number: one liter spread over one square meter is one millimeter thick, so 12 m²/L is an 83 micron wet film.