Measured runs · length allowance · purchase estimate

Linear Foot Calculator

Add measured lengths and quantities for trim, baseboards, casing, or other linear material. Convert units, add an allowance, and estimate linear-foot cost or a clearly labeled pooled stock lower bound.

Calculate Linear Feet How to Measure

Worked example

Four 10 ft runs + two 6 ft runs52 linear ft

With 10% extra: 57.2 linear ft
Without stock constraints: Length estimate only
Width and thickness: Do not change linear feet

Illustrative example. Measurements, allowances, product details, and prices are not prefilled from this example.

Length and material estimate

Add your measured runs

For baseboard, trim, casing, and other materials measured by length. Enter decimal measurements; 5 ft 6 in = 5.5 ft. Enter only runs that need material, excluding door openings where trim stops.

Measurement units

Run 1

Length of run 1

Quantity of run 1

runs

Waste / extra length allowance

10% is a starting allowance. Adjust for your material, joints, defects, and supplier guidance.

Stock piece length (optional)

Stock length produces a minimum pooled estimate, not a cut plan or guaranteed order quantity.

Price basis

Material price (optional)

$ / ft

Changing the price basis clears the price; enter the new unit price. Price per linear foot always stays in USD/ft when units change. With stock selected, costs use the rounded pooled purchased footage and are a lower-bound budget.

Your linear-foot estimate

Add measured lengths and quantities to see total footage, allowance, and optional material budget. Floor area alone cannot determine room perimeter. Linear feet measure length; board feet measure lumber volume.

Suggest an improvement

Choose and measure

Example: measuring baseboard for a room

A rectangular 12 × 14 ft room has a 52 ft perimeter. If baseboard stops at one 3 ft doorway and there are no other interruptions, the net run is 49 linear ft. Enter two 12 ft runs, one 14 ft run, and one 11 ft run, or enter the known 49 ft total once.

At 10% extra, the planning length is 53.9 ft. This allowance does not prove that every cut fits your stock. Optional stock quantities remain pooled lower bounds; check cut lengths, saw kerf, joins, and offcuts before buying.

For lumber priced by volume, use the Board Foot Calculator. To choose the number and spacing of vertical wall battens, start with the Board and Batten Calculator, then measure any additional trim runs here.

Measure first

Measure the runs that will actually receive material.

Enter one row per measured length and its quantity. Omit doors or other gaps from your measured runs rather than subtracting them again. Feet, inches, meters and centimeters are supported. Do not infer a room’s perimeter from floor area alone.

Measured length

Total linear feet = the sum of each run length × its quantity, converted to feet. Width and thickness are not factors.

Allowance

Planning length = measured length × (1 + extra allowance / 100). The default 10% can be changed to match your material and layout.

Pooled stock lower bound

When stock length is entered, the aggregate minimum is planning length ÷ stock length, rounded up. Purchased length is that minimum stock count × stock length. It is not a feasible cutting plan.

Quoted cost

Without stock constraints, price per linear foot uses planning length. With stock length, the lower-bound budget uses the rounded minimum purchased footage or minimum stock count for a price per stock piece.

From measurement to purchase

Four 10 ft runs and two 6 ft runs total 52 linear ft. At 10% extra, plan 57.2 ft. With 8 ft stock, pooled length gives a lower bound of 8 pieces or 64 ft; at an illustrative $2 per purchased linear foot, the lower-bound budget is $128. Actual cuts can require more stock. For example, three separate unspliced 5 ft cuts need three 8 ft pieces even though 15 ÷ 8 rounds up to only two.

FAQ

Linear Foot planning questions

How do I calculate linear feet?

Measure length, convert to feet, multiply by quantity and add the rows. A 6 ft board is 6 linear ft regardless of its width.

Can I convert square feet to linear feet?

Only when you also know the relevant width and coverage assumptions. A room’s floor area does not uniquely determine its wall perimeter, so this tool uses measured runs.

Is the stock count an exact shopping list?

No. It is a pooled minimum before cutting constraints, kerf, joins, defects, or offcut reuse. Review every cut length against available stock before purchasing. The budget can increase when a real cutting plan needs more pieces.

Does changing units change the price?

Length inputs are converted. A quote entered per linear foot keeps that price basis even when the measurement inputs use meters or inches; it is not silently reinterpreted as a price per meter.

References

Check product specifications before ordering.

Home Depot: installing baseboard

Retailer guidance on measuring baseboard runs and room perimeter.

View reference ↗

Inch Calculator: linear feet

Calculator publisher explanation of linear lengths and costs.