Updated October 2026 · Prices checked 13 October 2026
Carpet Cost Per Square Yard, Installed
Installed carpet costs $17.46 to $138.15 per square yard with pad and labor, and nylon or triexta on 8 lb pad runs $31.77 to $82.71 per sq yd. Those are our per sq ft figures times 9, built from Home Depot and Lowe’s carpet and pad prices and Home Depot’s published $0.69 per sq ft install rate ($6.21 per sq yd), checked 13 October 2026.
Grade
Per sq ft installed
Per sq yd installed
Budget: polyester on 6 lb rebond
$1.94 to $7.49
$17.46 to $67.41
Standard: nylon or triexta on 8 lb rebond
$3.53 to $9.19
$31.77 to $82.71
Premium: wool on memory foam
$4.77 to $15.35
$42.93 to $138.15
Each line per square yard
Quotes that come by the yard usually split carpet, pad and labor. Here is each line from the listings we checked, converted.
Installation labor (Home Depot’s rate to our estimate)
$0.69 to $1.60
$6.21 to $14.40
The installed figures above add 10 percent to the carpet and pad for cutting waste; the listing rows do not. To price your own rooms with any fiber and pad, use the carpet installation cost calculator, which shows per sq ft and per sq yd together.
Installed cost per square yard by carpet type
Carpet type
Installed per sq ft
Installed per sq yd
Polyester (PET)
$1.94 to $7.49
$17.46 to $67.41
Olefin (polypropylene)
$2.07 to $5.01
$18.63 to $45.09
Nylon
$3.53 to $9.03
$31.77 to $81.27
Triexta (PTT)
$4.35 to $9.19
$39.15 to $82.71
Wool
$4.77 to $15.35
$42.93 to $138.15
Berber (loop, any fiber)
$3.14 to $10.95
$28.26 to $98.55
Checking a per-yard quote
Ask how many square yards the quote orders. A 12x12 room is 16 sq yd of floor and about 18 sq yd to order. If the yardage is far above the floor area plus about 10 percent, ask about seams and roll width before signing: Shaw says most carpet is made in 12-foot rolls, so a room wider than 12 feet needs a seam and often more carpet. Then divide the carpet and pad lines by 9 and compare them with the listing rows above.
Questions
In our model, $17.46 to $138.15 per square yard with pad and labor, from budget polyester to wool. Nylon or triexta on 8 lb rebond is $31.77 to $82.71 per sq yd. That is the per sq ft model times 9, on prices checked 13 October 2026. Removal and stairs are extra.
Sources and method.The Home Depot, Installed Carpet listings by fiber (per sq ft prices of polyester, nylon, triexta, wool, olefin and berber carpet; checked 13 October 2026); Lowe's, carpet listings (nylon and polyester) (per sq ft prices of nylon and polyester carpet; checked 13 October 2026); The Home Depot, Carpet Padding listings (per sq ft prices of 6 lb and 8 lb pad, memory foam and moisture-barrier pad; checked 13 October 2026); Lowe's, carpet padding listings (per sq ft prices of rebond, fiber and foam pad; checked 13 October 2026); The Home Depot, Carpet Installation Cost Guide (average cost per sq ft: carpet $1 to $4, padding $1.01, installation $0.69 for basic install; furniture moving, removal and disposal priced separately; checked 13 October 2026); The Home Depot, Carpet Estimator (current offer) (current offer: installation starting at 49 cents per sq ft; checked 13 October 2026); The Home Depot, How to Calculate Square Footage (order 5 to 10 percent more material for waste; checked 13 October 2026); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, Carpet Installers (47-2041) (national and state hourly wages, read through the BLS public data API; checked 13 October 2026); Shaw Floors, Carpet Installation (plan and install guide with FAQs) (most carpet is made in 12-foot rolls and 15-foot rolls are available; larger rooms and large pattern repeats need extra material; installation takes several hours or a couple of days depending on size and complexity; furniture moving and old-floor removal are usually an additional cost; checked 13 October 2026). Installed figures are our arithmetic on the cited inputs: carpet and pad at the retail prices shown, plus 10 percent for waste, plus labor from $0.69 per sq ft (Home Depot's published basic rate) to $1.60 (our estimate: $0.69 scaled by the BLS 90th to 10th percentile installer wage ratio). Removal, furniture moving and stair surcharges are not included. Per square yard figures are the per sq ft figures, rounded to the cent, times 9.
Ask about a carpet quote
A figure here that does not match your quote?
Send it over and a person reads it. We answer what we can answer, and every answer names what it rests on, whether that is a pad manufacturer’s specification, a wage series, or a retailer’s own published price sheet.