Subway Tile Backsplash Ideas: Sizes, Materials, Layouts and Colors

Subway tile is a rectangular wall tile, traditionally 3 by 6 inches, named after the tiled walls of the first New York subway stations. Because the shape is plain, a subway tile backsplash gets its character from four choices: the size of the tile, the material, the layout, and the color of the tile and the grout. The subway tile backsplash ideas below take those choices one at a time, each with a real tile, its exact size, its finish and its box coverage.

In short: a 3 by 6 is the original proportion, longer tiles such as 2 by 16 give a more linear wall, marble and zellige add natural variation, glass adds shine, and a stacked or herringbone layout changes the whole wall. Every subway shape we carry is in subway tiles, and the kitchen picks are in subway tile backsplash for kitchens.

Subway tile sizes at a glance

Size	Proportion	Tiles per sq ft	Example in this guide	One box covers
2 x 6 in	1 to 3	12	Blanc Fes zellige	6.17 sq ft (74 tiles)
3 x 6 in	1 to 2	8	Calacatta Gold marble	5 sq ft (40 tiles)
3 x 9 in	1 to 3	5.3	Foam glass	7.5 sq ft (40 tiles)
3 x 12 in	1 to 4	4	Sky Blue glass	5 sq ft (20 tiles)
4 x 12 in	1 to 3	3	Gris Fonce ceramic	10.76 sq ft (33 tiles)
2 x 16 in	1 to 8	4.5	Soft Olive ceramic	10.76 sq ft (50 tiles)

A longer tile has fewer joints across the wall, so the backsplash looks smoother; a shorter tile has more, so the joints become part of the pattern. Our guide to subway tile sizes goes deeper into the measurements.

Subway tile materials at a glance

Material	Surface	Tile to tile	Finishes in this guide
Ceramic	Glaze over a clay body	Even, or wavy where the glaze varies	Glossy, matte, polished
Marble	Natural stone	Veining differs on every tile	Polished, honed, beveled
Glass	Light passes into the tile	Even color, deep shine	Glossy, matte
Zellige	Hand-cut clay, hand glaze	Shade and edge vary on every tile	Glossy

1. The original 3 by 6

The 3 by 6 inch tile, twice as long as it is tall, is the original subway proportion. Portico Pearl, on the left, is a glossy ceramic in a pearly beige, shown in a kitchen with dark cabinets and a stainless range. The Calacatta Gold, on the right, is the same 3 by 6 in polished marble, a white stone with veining, here behind open shelves; forty tiles cover 5 square feet. Every 3 by 6 we carry, in ceramic, marble and glass, is in 3x6 subway tile.

2. Long subway tiles

A long, narrow tile turns a subway backsplash into a set of fine lines. Soft Olive is a glossy ceramic, 2 by 16 inches, eight times as long as it is tall, shown stacked vertically above a dark counter; fifty tiles cover 10.76 square feet. In a vertical layout the joints lead the eye up to the ceiling. Long ceramic subway in many colors is in ceramic subway tile.

3. Beveled or flat

A beveled subway tile has its edges cut at an angle, so each tile has a slight frame and the wall looks three dimensional. A flat tile gives a smoother wall where the joint is the only break. This is the beveled version of the Calacatta Gold marble above, also 3 by 6 and polished, shown above a sink with a wood lower cabinet. Compare it with the flat tile in the pair above to see the difference the edge makes.

4. Marble subway

Marble gives each subway tile different veining, and it pairs with a stone counter. White marbles such as Calacatta and Carrara suit a light kitchen, and a black marble suits a dark one.

Eastern Black is a deep charcoal marble with fine white veining, 3 by 6 inches and honed to a matte face, shown here behind a dark sink and faucet; forty tiles cover 5 square feet. All of our stone subway tiles are in marble subway tile, and the wider marble range is in our stone backsplash ideas.

5. Glass subway

Glass subway tile has a depth that glaze does not, since light passes into the surface before it comes back out. This Sky Blue glass is 3 by 12 inches with a matte face, which softens the shine while keeping the color clear, shown here behind a counter; twenty tiles cover 5 square feet. Glass subway in white, gray, blue and mirror finishes is in glass subway tile backsplash, and every glass shape is in our glass tile backsplash ideas.

6. Zellige subway

Zellige is cut and glazed by hand in Morocco, so each small subway tile has its own shade and an irregular edge. Blanc Fes, on the left, is a glossy white zellige, 2 by 6 inches and 5/8 inch thick, made in Fez; 74 tiles cover 6.17 square feet. Bare Canvas, on the right, is the same size in a natural beige. In a running bond the color shifts from tile to tile across the wall. More on real zellige and zellige-look tile is in our zellige backsplash ideas.

7. Layouts: offset, stacked, vertical and herringbone

Subway tile has four main layouts. An offset, or running bond, staggers each row by half a tile. A stacked layout lines up every joint in a grid. Turned vertical, either one makes the wall look taller. Herringbone sets the tiles at right angles in a zigzag. Here a Stone Blue glass, 3 by 6 inches and matte, is stacked vertically behind a pot filler. Each layout is shown in our subway tile patterns, and ready-made herringbone sheets are in herringbone subway tile backsplash.

8. Light or dark grout

Grout decides how much of the pattern you see. White grout on white tile makes the wall look like one surface, gray grout shows the layout softly, and black or charcoal grout outlines every tile. This white 4 by 12 inch polished ceramic is shown on a bathroom wall because the photo shows dark grout clearly: each tile is outlined, and the plain rectangle turns into a pattern. Thirty-four tiles cover 10.4 square feet. More white tile with dark grout is in our white tile with black grout ideas.

9. White, gray and colored subway

Foam, on the left, is a white glass subway, 3 by 9 by 3/8 inches, with a glossy face, shown behind a range and pot filler; forty tiles cover 7.5 square feet. Gris Fonce, on the right, is a dark gray matte ceramic, 4 by 12 inches, shown on a full kitchen wall behind a cooktop and open shelves; 33 tiles cover 10.76 square feet. White tiles are gathered in white subway tile backsplash and grays in gray subway tile backsplash. Green, blue, black and pink are in blue subway tile, black subway tile and our colored subway tile ideas.

Beyond the backsplash

For a full wall behind the range, see our backsplash behind the stove ideas; with white cabinets, see our backsplash ideas for white cabinets. In the bathroom, subway tiles for shower walls are in subway tile for showers and our subway tile shower ideas. For every other backsplash material and pattern, start with our kitchen backsplash tile ideas.

Subway Tile Backsplash FAQ

How many subway tiles cover a square foot?

Divide 144 by the area of one tile in square inches. A 3 by 6 tile is 18 square inches, so eight cover a square foot; a 3 by 12 is 36 square inches, so four; a 4 by 12 is 48, so three. Joints make the real count slightly lower.

How much subway tile does a backsplash need?

A standard backsplash between a 36 inch counter and upper cabinets at 54 inches is 18 inches tall, so each foot of counter is 1.5 square feet of wall. A 10 foot run is 15 square feet: three boxes of a 5 square foot 3 by 6 marble, or two boxes of a 10.76 square foot 4 by 12, before cuts and waste.

Which subway tile size suits a small kitchen?

A long tile such as 2 by 16 or 4 by 12 has fewer joints, so a short wall looks calmer and wider in a horizontal layout. A 3 by 6 or 2 by 6 gives more joints and a finer pattern, which suits a wall broken up by windows and outlets.

Is marble subway tile polished or honed?

Both are available. Polished marble has a glossy face that shows the veining sharply, like the Calacatta Gold 3 by 6. Honed marble is matte and smooth, like Eastern Black, so the stone looks softer.

What is a white subway tile backsplash made of?

It can be ceramic, marble or glass. A white ceramic subway has a glaze that can be flat or wavy, a white marble such as Calacatta or Carrara adds gray or gold veining, and a white glass such as Foam has a deeper shine than glaze.