How it works
Pieces × length: linear feet = number of pieces × piece length in feet.
Area ÷ board width: linear feet = area in sq ft ÷ (board width in inches ÷ 12). Each linear foot of a board this wide covers that fraction of a square foot.
Pieces to buy = ceil(linear feet ÷ stock length − 1e-9). No waste is added. Lengths in inches, feet, meters or centimeters are converted before the calculation.
Worked example
Pieces: 8 pieces × 10 ft = 80 linear ft (24.38 m).
Area: 100 sq ft ÷ (6 ÷ 12) = 100 ÷ 0.5 = 200 linear ft, or 20 pieces at 10 ft.
Tips and common mistakes
- Use the board's actual covering width in area mode. A nominal width can overstate the coverage.
- Mixed units are fine: enter one length in inches and another in feet.
- Add your own allowance for cuts and defects. This calculator adds none.
- Need board feet instead of linear feet? Use the Board Foot Calculator.
Questions about this calculator
What is a linear foot?
A linear foot is simply one foot of length measured in a straight line, whatever the width or thickness of the material. Ten linear feet of baseboard is 10 ft long.
How do you calculate linear feet?
Add up the lengths in feet, or multiply pieces × length. For example, 8 boards × 10 ft = 80 linear feet. Convert inches to feet by dividing by 12.
What is 200 sq ft in linear feet?
It depends on the width of the material: linear feet = square feet ÷ (width in inches ÷ 12). With 6 in wide boards it is 200 ÷ 0.5 = 400 linear feet; with 12 in boards it is 200 linear feet.
How many linear feet are in 1 ft?
One. A linear foot is a foot of length, so 1 ft = 1 linear foot, and 60 ft = 60 linear feet.
Sources
Values marked with a link come from the linked source, which opens in a new tab. Unit conversions and our own defaults are listed separately. Every value the site uses is in the methodology source register.
Where the numbers come from 1
- Meters per international foot
- 0.3048 m/ft
- NIST, international foot conversion (opens in a new tab)nist.gov
Unit conversions and our defaults7
- Inches per foot
- 12 in/ft
- Unit definition: one foot contains twelve inches
- Square inches per square foot
- 144 sq in/sq ft
- Geometry: 12 × 12 inches
- Centimeters per meter
- 100 cm/m
- Metric prefix definition: centi is one hundredth
- Linear feet starting pieces and length
- 8, 10 pieces, ft
- Owner worked example; editable starting measurements
- Linear feet starting area and board width
- 100, 6 sq ft, in
- Owner worked example; editable starting measurements
- Linear feet starting stock length
- 10 ft
- Build choice: matches the starting piece length; enter the length you will buy
- Count rounding tolerance
- 1e-9 unitless
- Owner specification: ceil(x − 1e-9)