Gold Leaf Calculator

How many leaves of gold or metal leaf a surface needs, with the overlap, the books to buy and the cost.

Loose gold leaf is sold in books of 25 leaves, and a standard leaf is 80 by 80 millimetres square, which is a little over 3 inches. That sounds generous until the overlap is counted: loose leaf is laid with 10 to 20 percent overlap because the leaf tears at the slightest breath, and transfer leaf needs only about 5 percent because it is carried on a backing paper. This calculator works out the leaves, the books to order and the cost per square metre of gilding.

At a glance

What you enter: Surface area to gild, Leaf length, Leaf width, Overlap between leaves, Leaf type, Extra for waste and small pieces, Leaves in one book, Price per book
What you get: Leaves for the bare area, Leaves to order, Books to order, Leaves you will own, Area one leaf actually covers, Leaves per square metre, Cost of the leaf, Cost per square metre of gilding, Share of each leaf lost to the overlap, Leaves if you used transfer leaf at 5 percent overlap, Share of the order transfer leaf would save
Formula shown: Yes, every step, right below your results.
Cost and privacy: Free, no account needed, and nothing you type is stored.

See worked examples ↓ Read the FAQ ↓ Share this calculator ↓

Surface area to gild sq m

For a moulding or a carved surface, measure over the profile rather than across the footprint.

Leaf length mm

The standard loose leaf is 80 by 80 millimetres, about 3.15 inches square. Larger leaves of 90 and 100 are available.

Leaf width mm

Equal to the length for the square leaves that make up most of the trade.

Overlap between leaves %

Ten to twenty percent for loose leaf, about five percent for transfer leaf, which is carried on a backing paper.

Leaf type

Extra for waste and small pieces %

Torn, blown and dropped leaves, plus the small pieces every moulding needs. Ten percent is a fair planning figure.

Leaves in one book

A standard book of loose leaf is 25 leaves. Some suppliers sell books of 20 or 30.

Price per book

Optional. Used for the cost of the leaf.

Reset

Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.

How to use the Gold Leaf Calculator

1 Enter Surface area to gild (sq m), For a moulding or a carved surface, measure over the profile rather than across the footprint.
2 Enter Leaf length (mm), The standard loose leaf is 80 by 80 millimetres, about 3.15 inches square. Larger leaves of 90 and 100 are available.
3 Enter Leaf width (mm), Equal to the length for the square leaves that make up most of the trade.
4 Enter Overlap between leaves (%), Ten to twenty percent for loose leaf, about five percent for transfer leaf, which is carried on a backing paper.
5 Enter Leaf type
6 Enter Extra for waste and small pieces (%), Torn, blown and dropped leaves, plus the small pieces every moulding needs. Ten percent is a fair planning figure.
7 Enter Leaves in one book, A standard book of loose leaf is 25 leaves. Some suppliers sell books of 20 or 30.
8 Enter Price per book, Optional. Used for the cost of the leaf.
9 Press Calculate. You get Leaves for the bare area, Leaves to order, Books to order, Leaves you will own, Area one leaf actually covers, Leaves per square metre, Cost of the leaf, Cost per square metre of gilding, Share of each leaf lost to the overlap, Leaves if you used transfer leaf at 5 percent overlap, Share of the order transfer leaf would save, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
10 Change one number at a time to see what moves the result, that is usually the most useful thing a calculator can tell you.

Worked examples

Real numbers run through this calculator. Open any example to load it into the form above and change it.

One square metre of flat panel in loose leaf

A standard 80 millimetre leaf with a 15 percent overlap, 10 percent waste and books of 25.

You enter

Surface area to gild: 1 sq m
Leaf length: 80 mm
Leaf width: 80 mm
Overlap between leaves: 15%
Leaf type: 1
Extra for waste and small pieces: 10%
Leaves in one book: 25
Price per book: $42.00

You get

Leaves for the bare area: 217
Leaves to order: 239
Books to order: 10
Leaves you will own: 250
Area one leaf actually covers: 46.24 sq cm
Leaves per square metre: 216.26
Cost of the leaf: $420.00
Cost per square metre of gilding: $420.00
Share of each leaf lost to the overlap: 27.8%
Leaves if you used transfer leaf at 5 percent overlap: 174
Share of the order transfer leaf would save: 27.2%

Each leaf covers 46.24 square centimetres, so 217 for the area and 239 with waste, which is 10 books of 25. That is 420 for a square metre of gilding.

Open this example in the calculator →

The same panel in transfer leaf

A 5 percent overlap and the same waste allowance.

You enter

Surface area to gild: 1 sq m
Leaf length: 80 mm
Leaf width: 80 mm
Overlap between leaves: 5%
Leaf type: 2
Extra for waste and small pieces: 10%
Leaves in one book: 25
Price per book: $0.00

You get

Leaves for the bare area: 174
Leaves to order: 192
Books to order: 8
Leaves you will own: 200
Area one leaf actually covers: 57.76 sq cm
Leaves per square metre: 173.13
Cost of the leaf: $0.00
Cost per square metre of gilding: $0.00
Share of each leaf lost to the overlap: 9.8%
Leaves if you used transfer leaf at 5 percent overlap: 174
Share of the order transfer leaf would save: 9.4%

At 5 percent overlap a leaf covers 57.76 square centimetres, so 174 for the area and 192 with waste, which is 8 books. Transfer leaf saves about a quarter of the order on a flat panel.

Open this example in the calculator →

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Frequently asked questions

How many gold leaves do I need for a square metre?

About 216 leaves of 80 millimetres square at a 15 percent overlap, or about 157 if you ignore the overlap and use the bare leaf area, which is why gilding estimates that skip the overlap come up short. That is nine books of 25 leaves. Transfer leaf at 5 percent overlap needs about 173 leaves, so seven books, which is a real saving on a large area and the reason transfer leaf is popular for big flat panels.

How big is a leaf of gold?

A standard loose leaf is 80 by 80 millimetres, which is about 3.15 inches square and 64 square centimetres. Larger leaves are sold at 85, 90, 95 and 100 millimetres square, and they cover more per leaf with fewer joins, which matters on a large flat panel. Transfer leaf is usually the same 80 millimetre size on a tissue backing. Check the size on the supplier listing, because the book count and the cost both follow from it.

How much overlap should gold leaf have?

Ten to twenty percent for loose leaf, and about 5 percent for transfer leaf. Loose leaf is extraordinarily thin and tears at the slightest draught, so the overlap is what guarantees full coverage when a leaf shifts slightly as it is laid. Transfer leaf cannot fold back on itself because it is carried on a backing paper, so it needs only a narrow lap. Working to the low end of the loose leaf range is possible with experience, but a beginner should allow 20 percent and accept the extra leaves.

Is composition leaf as good as real gold?

It depends what the piece is for. Composition or imitation leaf is a copper and zinc alloy, or aluminium for the silver colour, and it is a fraction of the price of real gold leaf, which makes it the sensible choice for practice, for a temporary set piece and for a large area on a budget. It tarnishes and can oxidise, so it needs a sealing coat, and it behaves differently under a burnisher. Real gold does not tarnish and can be burnished to a mirror finish, which is why it is used on anything that has to last.

Why does gilding a moulding use so much more leaf?

Because the developed surface of a moulding is much larger than its footprint. A profile that steps in and out several times has all of the sides of those steps as surface, and each change of plane needs its own piece of leaf because leaf will not wrap neatly around a corner. Measuring across the moulding underestimates the area seriously. Run a tape or a piece of string over the profile from edge to edge, use that developed width, and add extra waste for the small pieces.