Linear Feet to Square Feet Calculator
Enter linear feet and the material width to calculate the total square footage of material. If you want to calculate linear feet, enter the square footage and the material width.
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How to Convert Linear Feet to Square Feet
When ordering or installing many types of material, you may find that some are sold by the linear foot and some by the square foot. And some of these materials may even be designed to be used together.
Before doing any calculations, it’s important to understand what linear feet and square feet are. Linear footage is a measure of length or distance, while square footage is a measure of area.
Because these are different types of measure, some additional information will be needed to convert between the two. For the calculator above, the material width is used in conjunction with the length to calculate the area.
To convert linear footage to square footage, use the following area formula:
area = length × width
To use the formula, insert the linear feet measurement for length and material width for the width. If you’re stuck on how to find this, learn more about how to find linear feet.
For example, let’s find how many square feet of a flooring border you’ll need for a 6″ wide border measuring 12 linear feet.
Start by converting the width measurement to feet so we have common units of measure.
width = 6″ / 12 = 0.5′
Now use the area formula to convert to square feet.
area = 12′ × 0.5′
area = 6 sq ft
So, if you wanted to subtract the square footage of the border from the rest of the flooring, you would subtract 6 square feet from the total area.
How to Convert Square Feet to Linear Feet
To find the length of a material in linear feet needed to cover a space with a measurement in square footage, you need to reverse the area formula above to solve for length. Start by converting the material width to feet if it’s in inches. Then, use this formula to convert to linear feet.
To convert linear footage to square footage, use the following area to length formula:
length = area ÷ width
For example, if you were using 3 x 6 tiles as a border, and there are 8 square feet in a box, 8 square feet divided by the width of the material (6″) gives us 16 linear feet of 3 x 6 tile in one box.
If you’re unsure how to find the area of a space, try using our square footage calculator.
For example, let’s find how many linear feet of hardwood flooring will be needed to cover a 120 sq. ft. room if the boards are 3″ wide.
Convert the width measurement to feet.
width = 3″ / 12 = 0.25′
Now convert to linear feet.
length = 120 sq. ft. ÷ 0.25′
length = 480 linear feet
Frequently Asked Questions
How many square feet are in a linear foot?
Square feet are a measurement of area (length x width), while linear feet are a measurement of length alone. To determine the square footage, you would need the width of the area you are measuring in linear feet as well as the length.
How do you calculate linear feet for flooring?
Linear footage in regard to flooring generally refers to things like borders or baseboards. Most flooring is sold and installed by the square foot, but borders are sold by the linear foot, or the length of the border in 12-inch increments.
What is the difference between linear feet and regular feet?
A linear foot is a 12-inch measurement of length; other types of feet may include square feet (area) and board feet (lumber measurements). Think of a baseboard running along the wall – its length is measured in linear feet.
Are linear feet the same as board feet?
No, linear feet only refers to the length of something, such as a border or a piece of trim. Board feet refers only to the area measurement for lumber, and it’s the measurement of a board that is 12″ long by 12″ wide and 1″ thick, or 144 cubic inches.