Flooring (C-15) · Lesson 7 of 7

Carpet Layout: Breadths, Seams, and Pattern Repeat

"Carpet Layout: Breadths, Seams, and Pattern Repeat" is lesson 7 of 7 in the Flooring (C-15) Learning Hub. It opens with "You Buy Roll Footage, Not Room Area" and works through 6 short steps, then a worked example you can check yourself against.

Open the free trialSee pricing

One-time purchase, no subscription. Law & Business included.

Steps in this lesson

  1. You Buy Roll Footage, Not Room Area
  2. Cut Size = Room Plus a Trim Allowance
  3. Count Breadths and Place the Seam
  4. Round Each Breadth Up to Whole Pattern Repeats
  5. Convert Linear Feet to Square Yards and Compare
  6. The Part California Does Print: Carpet Pile and Edges

The worked example in the course applies this lesson to a realistic job in 7 steps, from "Breadths and seam" through "Edge trim".

What you'll be able to do

  • Explain the main idea of "Carpet Layout: Breadths, Seams, and Pattern Repeat" in plain language you can use on the exam.
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Count Breadths and Place the Seam".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Round Each Breadth Up to Whole Pattern Repeats".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Convert Linear Feet to Square Yards and Compare".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "The Part California Does Print: Carpet Pile and Edges".
  • Test yourself on the worked example and the quick-check quiz inside the classroom.
Carpet Cut Layout: 12-ft Roll, Seam Along the LengthFLOOR PLAN - CUT SIZE 15 ft 0 in x 19 ft 6 inBREADTH 1full 12 ft roll widthBREADTH 2 - 3 ft usedseam19 ft 6 in cut length (19 ft + 3 in + 3 in)Seam runs the long way (a layout choice, not code);3 in trim and 24 in repeat are job inputs.ESTIMATE (24 in pattern repeat)Cut width: 14 ft 6 in + 3 in + 3 in= 15 ft 0 in, so 2 breadths of 12 ft rollCut length: 19 ft + 3 in + 3 in= 19 ft 6 in = 234 in234 in / 24 in = 9.75 repeatsround up to 10 repeats = 240 in = 20 ft2 breadths x 20 ft = 40 linear ft40 ft x 12 ft wide = 480 sq ft480 / 9 = 53.3 sq ydRoom itself: 14.5 x 19 = 275.5 sq ftORDER 40 linear ft of 12-ft broadloom = 480 sq ft = 53.3 sq ydabout 43% of the order is waste (room is 30.6 sq yd): roll width and repeat drive itArithmetic only: trim and repeat are job inputs, not code. Carpet edge trim and pile: 2025 CBC 11B-302.2.CC
The diagram for this lesson, exactly as it appears in the Learning Hub.

The first steps of this lesson

Step 1: You Buy Roll Footage, Not Room Area

Broadloom carpet comes in a fixed roll width, commonly 12 ft, and you pay for the linear feet pulled off the roll. A 14 ft 6 in wide room cannot be covered by one 12 ft breadth, so the roll width, not the room area, decides how much you order. This lesson is estimating arithmetic: California's building codes do not set carpet cut sizes, seam locations or pattern-repeat allowances, so every allowance below is a job input taken from the product data or the installer.

Step 2: Cut Size = Room Plus a Trim Allowance

Carpet is cut oversize and trimmed to the wall. This lesson uses an assumed 3 inches at each end of both room dimensions (an installer's allowance, not a code number; use the figure in your product data). A 14 ft 6 in by 19 ft 0 in room becomes a cut size of 15 ft 0 in by 19 ft 6 in.

The remaining 4 steps, the worked example and the quiz are in the course. This is a preview. The full lesson, with the step-by-step explanations, a worked example and a quick-check quiz, is inside the classroom.

More lessons for this trade

Browse all lesson previews

Ready to practice for real?

Try the real classroom free, no sign-up, or get the full course for your trade.

Open the free trialSee pricing

Independent exam preparation. Contractors Classroom is not affiliated with the Contractors State License Board, and no course can guarantee a passing result.