Solve backwards
How much court line will my line marking paint mark?
- 1 galThe example worked below
- Sports Court Floor Line Marking Paint CalculatorEvery figure is its own
You have
How much line marking paint?
That is 1 gal(3.8 L). Worked by the Sports Court Floor Line Marking Paint Calculator at the settings below.
The settings it uses
- Line Width
- 2 in
- Paint Coverage Rate
- 325 ft²/gal
What it will do
Enough for 1,950 ft of court line.
One court line. Enough for 1,950 ft of court line.
Or several. About 2 court lines of the size the Sports Court Floor Line Marking Paint Calculator opens on: 655 ft of court line.
Check it forwards
- Total Line Length
- 1,950 ft
- It asks for
- 1 gal
- You have
- 1 gal
The Sports Court Floor Line Marking Paint Calculator asks for 1 gal at that size.
If you had more, or less
Around your amount
Each worked by the Sports Court Floor Line Marking Paint Calculator at the same settings.
Half
0.5 gal
975 ft of court line
Yours
1 gal
1,950 ft of court line
Half as much again
1.5 gal
2,925 ft of court line
Double
2 gal
more than one court line
Common amounts
What each amount of line marking paint covers
The sizes it is usually sold in, each worked by the Sports Court Floor Line Marking Paint Calculator at the settings above.
| You have | It covers | As one court line | Average court lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 gal(1.9 L) | — | 975 ft of court line | 1 |
| 1 gal(3.8 L) | — | 1,950 ft of court line | 2 |
| 1.5 gal(5.7 L) | — | 2,925 ft of court line | 4 |
A gallon is nearly two thousand feet
Line area is length times width, and paint is that area over the rated coverage. At 2 inches wide and 325 square feet a gallon, one gallon marks about 1,950 feet (594 m) of line and a quart about 488 feet. At 50 mm and 8 m² a litre, one litre marks 160 m (525 feet). Coverage depends on the formulation and the floor's porosity, so use your product's own rating.
One colour per sport
A multi-sport hall carries several games on one floor, and each is painted in its own colour. Total the lines per sport: overlapping runs are not one length, and each colour comes in its own can with its own smallest size, so a single pooled figure is really several part-used cans. The governing body for each sport sets line width, colour and position; this counts paint, not the layout.
Tape, surface and finish
Every line is masked down both sides, so tape runs to twice the line length, and on a gym floor laying and pulling it fills the day. A sealed sports floor takes little paint and an outdoor macadam court several times as much. On a wood floor the lines usually sit under the finish coats, which must be compatible with the line paint, or the colour bleeds or the finish lifts along every line.
How the answer is worked
Nothing here is a second formula. The Sports Court Floor Line Marking Paint Calculator runs forwards — a size in, a quantity out — and this page grows its own starting court line in proportion until the quantity it asks for is what you have. Where it rounds up to whole containers, the answer is the largest size before the next one would be needed.
Where the calculator adds an allowance for cuts or breakage when you order, the same allowance comes off here, because it is the same calculator: a stack you already own finishes less than its face value. Where it adds none, neither does this page — the settings beside the answer say which.
Sports Court Floor Line Marking Paint Calculator
runs it forwardsCalculate the paint needed to mark playing lines on a gym or sports court floor.
Work out what to buy insteadSolve backwards
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Solve backwards
Start from what is already in the yard
Paint, sheets, rolls, bags and pieces, each read the other way by the calculator that orders it.
The calculator's own figures
Nothing is estimated twice: the page runs the same calculator you would order with.
The largest size that fits
Where a calculator rounds up to whole containers, the answer stops before the next one.
Both unit systems
Gallons and litres, square feet and square metres, side by side.
Frequently asked questions
- How much court line does 1 gal of line marking paint cover?
- At the Sports Court Floor Line Marking Paint Calculator's own settings: Enough for 1,950 ft of court line. That is about 2 court lines of the size the calculator opens on: 655 ft of court line. Every figure follows the settings, which you can change in the calculator.
- How much court line does 2 L of line marking paint cover?
- At the Sports Court Floor Line Marking Paint Calculator's own settings: Enough for 320 m of court line. That is about 1 court line of the size the calculator opens on: 200 m of court line. Every figure follows the settings, which you can change in the calculator.
- How much paint do I need to line a basketball court?
- Add up every line's length — boundary, centre, key, free-throw and arcs — times its width, then divide by the paint's coverage. At 2 inches (50 mm) wide, every 1,000 feet (305 m) of line is about 167 square feet (15.5 m²), about half a gallon at 325 square feet a gallon. The governing body's rules give the layout.
- How wide are court lines?
- Most gym and court lines are painted about 2 inches (50 mm) wide, the calculator's default, but some sports specify a different standard width, so check the governing body's rules. A court marked at the wrong width is wrong whatever it cost in paint.
- How much masking tape for court lines?
- About twice the total line length, because every line is masked down both sides — 1,000 feet of line takes about 2,000 feet (610 m) of tape — plus paper or film to keep overspray off a finished floor. The calculator counts the paint only.