Square Feet to Linear Feet Converter — Area, Length & Sq Yd
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Square Feet to Linear Feet Converter
Turn an area into a length, a length into an area, or change sq ft, sq yd and m² — using the width of your board or trim. Free, no sign-up.
- Step 1 — Measure the width: measure one board, plank or baseboard from edge to edge, in inches.
- Step 2 — Choose a direction: do you know the area and need the length, or do you know the length and need the area?
- Step 3 — Read the answer: type your numbers and the plain sentence at the top of the result box is your answer.
No account, no payment, no technical knowledge needed. If you get stuck, press "Fill in an example" below and change the numbers to yours.
What do you want to convert?
Example: a 12 ft by 15 ft room is 180 sq ft. If you only know the room size, multiply length by width first.
Measure one board or baseboard from edge to edge, in inches. This width is required: without it, an area cannot become a length, because the same area gives a different length for every width.
Not sure where to start? Press the example button, see the answer, then change the numbers to your own project.
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Your result
Enter your numbers to see your result.
Displayed values are rounded to 2 decimal places.
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Why the width is required — in plain words
Square feet tell you how much surface you have. Linear feet tell you how long a strip is. You cannot turn one into the other without knowing how wide the strip is. The same 180 sq ft becomes 180.00 linear feet if the board is 12 inches wide, 240.00 linear feet if it is 6 inches wide, and 308.57 linear feet if it is 7 inches wide. If anyone offers you a converter that asks only for square feet, its answer is a guess — it has silently assumed a width, and that width is probably not yours.
How the calculation works
First, turn the width in inches into feet by dividing by 12. A 7 inch board is 7 divided by 12, which is 0.5833 feet wide. Then: linear feet = area in sq ft divided by width in feet; area in sq ft = length in linear feet multiplied by width in feet. For unit changes only: 1 sq yd = 9 sq ft, and 1 m² = 10.7639 sq ft. So sq yd = sq ft divided by 9, sq ft = sq yd multiplied by 9, sq ft = m² multiplied by 10.7639, and m² = sq ft divided by 10.7639.
Worked examples — check these by hand first
Before you trust the converter with your own project, check it against numbers you can verify with a pocket calculator. Every example below is also a test case in the spec.
| What you enter | Answer | How it was worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Area 180 sq ft, width 7 in | 308.57 linear ft | 180 ÷ (7 ÷ 12) = 180 ÷ 0.5833 |
| Area 120 sq ft, width 6 in | 240.00 linear ft | 120 ÷ (6 ÷ 12) = 120 ÷ 0.5 |
| Length 200 linear ft, width 6 in | 100.00 sq ft | 200 × (6 ÷ 12) = 200 × 0.5 |
| 180 sq ft to sq yd | 20.00 sq yd | 180 ÷ 9 |
| 22 sq yd to sq ft | 198.00 sq ft | 22 × 9 |
| 10 m² to sq ft | 107.64 sq ft | 10 × 10.7639 |
| 107.64 sq ft to m² | 10.00 m² | 107.64 ÷ 10.7639 |
When to use each mode
Area to length: you know the floor area and your strip width, and you need the strip length — for example, you know an area is 180 sq ft and your plank is 7 inches wide, so you need 308.57 linear feet of plank. Length to area: you measured along the walls (for example, 200 linear feet of trim) and need to know how many square feet of material that covers. Quick unit change: a supplier quotes in sq yd or m² and your plan is in sq ft, or the other way round — no width is needed here, because you are only renaming the same area.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the width blank, or typing the room width instead of the board width — the width box always means one board, plank, or baseboard.
- Typing the width in feet (for example, 0.5) when the box asks for inches — multiply feet by 12 first, so 0.5 feet becomes 6 inches.
- Using square feet as if they were linear feet — they are only equal when the material is exactly 12 inches wide.
- Dividing by 3 instead of 9 for square yards — a square yard is 3 feet by 3 feet, so it holds 9 square feet, not 3.
What this converter does not do
It does not count how many boxes of flooring to buy, add waste for cuts, or price a project. Those jobs need a room size, a box coverage, and a waste percentage, which this page deliberately does not ask for. It also does not measure round, curved, or irregular shapes — measure those as rectangles where possible, or split them into rectangles first. Keeping this page to one job — area, length, and units — is what makes its answer easy to check.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I convert square feet to linear feet without a width?
Because square feet measure an area and linear feet measure a length. The same 180 sq ft is 180 linear feet if the board is 12 inches wide, but 308.57 linear feet if the board is 7 inches wide. Without the width, there is no single answer.
How do I measure the width for this converter?
Measure the face width of one board, plank, baseboard, or trim piece in inches, from one edge to the other. Do not use the length of the board, and do not use the room width.
What width do I use for a baseboard?
Use the height of the baseboard as installed, measured in inches — for example, a 5 inch baseboard uses width 5. The converter then turns your wall area or length into the matching length or area.
Is a linear foot the same as a square foot?
No. A linear foot is a straight length of 12 inches. A square foot is an area of 12 inches by 12 inches. They are only equal when the material is exactly 12 inches wide.
How do I convert square feet to square yards?
Divide square feet by 9. For example, 180 sq ft divided by 9 is 20 sq yd.
How do I convert square feet to square metres?
Divide square feet by 10.7639. For example, 107.64 sq ft divided by 10.7639 is 10 m².
Can I use this converter for decking boards or trim?
Yes, for any long, straight material where you know the face width in inches — planks, baseboards, trim, and decking boards all work the same way. It does not work for round or irregular shapes.
What if my width is in feet, not inches?
Multiply feet by 12 to get inches first. For example, 0.5 feet is 6 inches. Enter 6 in the width box.
Last updated: 26 October 2026. Conversions use 1 sq yd = 9 sq ft and 1 m² = 10.7639 sq ft.