Linear Feet Calculator
Add up several runs — walls, pipe, trim, lumber — into total linear feet and meters, then into the number of stock-length pieces to buy.
Linear feet: the unit of anything sold by the run
Trim, pipe, lumber, edging, cable — a whole family of materials is priced and sold by length alone, regardless of width. This calculator totals up to four separate runs into one linear figure, then turns it into the count of stock-length pieces to buy, with the waste allowance for cuts and joints shown on the result.
Total linear feet = run 1 + run 2 + run 3 + run 4 · Pieces = total (with allowance) ÷ stock length, rounded up
Example: runs of 12, 10, 8 and 6 ft total 36 linear ft; with a 10% cutting allowance that is 39.6 ft to have on hand — 5 pieces of 8 ft stock.
Linear is not square, and not board
Three 'feet' circulate in a lumberyard and they are not interchangeable. A linear foot is 12 inches of length, full stop — a 10 ft board is 10 linear feet whatever its width. A square foot is length × width — an area. A board foot is a volume: 144 cubic inches of wood. The same 10 ft 2×6 is 10 linear feet, 5 square feet of face, and 10 board feet. Yards quote one, projects measure another — the board foot converter on this site translates between the volume and the length.
Longer stock wastes less on runs with long unbroken stretches — fewer joints, fewer offcuts too short to use — but it must fit in the vehicle and through the door. Match the stock length to the longest runs first, and let the short runs come out of the offcuts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between linear feet and square feet?
Linear feet measure length only — a run along a wall. Square feet measure area — length × width. Baseboard for a 12 × 15 ft room is about 54 linear feet (the perimeter); the floor is 180 square feet. Confusing the two under-orders trim by the room's whole width.
How many pieces should I buy for 100 linear feet?
Divide by the stock length and round up, then add the allowance for cuts: 100 ft in 8 ft pieces is 12.5, so 13 pieces before allowance, 14–15 with a typical 10% in. The calculator does the rounding honestly — pieces cannot be bought in fractions.
Do I count doors and windows in a trim run?
For baseboard, the run passes in front of door openings on casing, not board — the trim and baseboard calculator deducts about 3 ft per opening. For a plain total of run length, this calculator's raw sum is the right number.
Can offcuts be used, or is the waste real?
Offcuts above a couple of feet are stock, not waste — they become the short runs, the returns and the closet pieces. The allowance is for the cuts that truly vanish: mitered corners, damaged ends and the last piece that comes up an inch short.
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