How do I calculate countertop square footage?

Multiply each run’s length by its depth in inches, add the island, and divide by 144. Count each corner once and leave the sink and cooktop cutouts in.

Do I subtract the sink cutout?

No. The opening comes out of a slab you still buy, and fabricators price the piece. A cutout can add a charge of its own, so ask.

When are countertops measured for fabrication?

After the cabinets are installed. The fabricator templates from the real cabinets, because walls can be out of square. Order from a drawing and pieces can miss.

Is the backsplash included?

Only if the bid says so. Measure it as its own area: a 4 in backsplash along 20 ft is about 6.7 sq ft. A full-height one can need another slab.

Why does the slab count matter?

Stone is bought by the slab. A layout just over what one slab covers can add another. Ask the fabricator how many slabs your layout uses and what change would save one.

HyreRemodel tools

Countertop cost calculator

Measure each run and the island, then pick HomeGuide’s granite band or type your fabricator’s rate. Cutouts, edges and backsplash belong on the bid.

$50–$200 per square foot, granite HomeGuide, “How Much Does It Cost to Remodel a House?”, retrieved August 23, 2026. Its kitchen page puts an average kitchen’s counters at $1,500 to $6,000.

Countertop cost = counter area in square feet × a price per square foot. Area is each run’s length × its depth, plus the island. 40 sq ft at HomeGuide’s granite band of $50 to $200 per square foot is $2,000 to $8,000. Your fabricator’s rate replaces the band.

Work out your countertops

Arithmetic on your figures. Nothing is stored or emailed.

— Cost on your figures

— Rate used

— Check on the bid

What this assumed —

A check on a bid, not a quote. Slab yield and extras change a real price.

Worked examples

One L-shaped kitchen with an island

Measure it

Runs of 10 ft and 8 ft along the walls, 2 ft deep, with the corner counted once: 10 × 2 + 6 × 2 = 32 sq ft. A 6 ft × 3 ft island adds 18. Total 50 sq ft.

Price it two ways

At HomeGuide’s granite band of $50 to $200 per square foot: $2,500 to $10,000. At a fabricator’s quoted $75: $3,750, before any line the rate leaves out.

Cost = counter area × $/sq ft. The band is HomeGuide’s, retrieved August 23, 2026. The $75 is an example; type your fabricator’s rate.

How to measure countertop area

1
Measure each run along the wall
Length along the wall, and depth from the wall to the front edge. Measure your own cabinets: counters overhang the boxes.
2
Count each corner once
Two full runs in an L double-count the corner. Measure one run full and the other from the edge of the first.
3
Measure the island with its overhang
A seating overhang is counter you pay for, and it can need brackets or steel under it.
4
Add a backsplash as its own area
A 4 in backsplash along 20 ft is about 6.7 sq ft. A full-height backsplash behind a cooktop is much more.
5
Leave the cutouts in
The sink and cooktop openings come out of a slab you still buy, so do not subtract them.
6
Convert to square feet
Inches × inches ÷ 144 = square feet. A 120 in × 25 in run is about 20.8 sq ft.

What a countertop bid should list

Two bids at the same rate can differ because one leaves these out. Check each row.

Line	What it should say	Why it matters
Material and thickness	The stone or product, by name, and its thickness	So two bids price the same slab.
Slab count	How many slabs the layout uses	Stone is bought by the slab, and a small change can add one.
Seams	Where each seam falls, shown before cutting	After cutting, a seam is permanent.
Edge profile	Which edge is included and what others cost	Mitered and waterfall edges add labor and material.
Cutouts	Sink, cooktop, faucet and outlet holes	An undermount sink needs a polished edge.
Backsplash	Height and length	A full-height backsplash can need another slab.
Removal and reconnection	Old tops out, sink and faucet back on	The plumber may be a separate trade.

HyreRemodel’s checklist, not prices. We hold no dataset of fabricator quotes.

Templating waits for the cabinets

Why the order matters. The fabricator measures from the installed cabinets, not from a drawing, because walls can be out of square. Cabinets go in first, then the template, then cutting.

What it does to the calendar. The sink cannot be connected until the counter it sits in is installed. Ask for the fabricator’s turnaround at bid time and put it in the timeline planner.

Before you sign. Ask to see the slab layout, with every seam marked, before any stone is cut.

What the calculator leaves out

Slab yield. A rate per square foot does not show how much of the last slab goes unused. Ask the fabricator how many slabs your layout needs.

Your market. HomeGuide’s granite band pools quotes nationally. Other materials have their own prices: type the rate on your bid.

Everything under the counter. Cabinets, the sink and plumbing are separate lines. The kitchen remodel cost calculator puts them together.

Questions this calculator answers

How do I calculate countertop square footage?: Multiply each run’s length by its depth in inches, add the island, and divide by 144. Count each corner once and leave the sink and cooktop cutouts in.
How much do granite countertops cost?: HomeGuide’s granite band is $50 to $200 per square foot (retrieved August 23, 2026). Its kitchen page puts an average kitchen’s counters at $1,500 to $6,000. Your fabricator’s rate for your slab is the figure to use.
Do I subtract the sink cutout?: No. The opening comes out of a slab you still buy, and fabricators price the piece. A cutout can add a charge of its own, so ask.
When are countertops measured for fabrication?: After the cabinets are installed. The fabricator templates from the real cabinets, because walls can be out of square. Order from a drawing and pieces can miss.
Is the backsplash included?: Only if the bid says so. Measure it as its own area: a 4 in backsplash along 20 ft is about 6.7 sq ft. A full-height one can need another slab.
Why does the slab count matter?: Stone is bought by the slab. A layout just over what one slab covers can add another. Ask the fabricator how many slabs your layout uses and what change would save one.

Sources and methodology

Figures dated August 23, 2026. Last reviewed August 16, 2026.

How Much Does It Cost to Remodel a House? (HomeGuide, retrieved August 23, 2026). Granite $50 to $200 per square foot. Member-reported quotes.
How Much Does a Kitchen Remodel Cost? (HomeGuide, retrieved August 23, 2026). Counters $1,500 to $6,000 for an average kitchen.

Kitchen remodel cost calculator Counters as one line among cabinets, appliances and wet-work.
Kitchen remodeling Where the countertop falls in the order of the job.
Flooring calculator Another takeoff: area plus waste × your rate.
Quote comparison worksheet Six written items to check on every bid.
What remodeling costs What moves a remodeling price.

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