How to Calculate a Linear Foot

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Calculating a linear foot is an important process to learn if you are in the home improvement industry or if you work with wood measurements on a regular basis. The linear foot is used most often to designate measurements of wood; however, the measurement disregards the thickness or width of the wood in question.

While calculating a linear foot may sound like a difficult task, it is actually quite simple with the proper information.

  • Determine the total amount of wood that will be needed to complete your home improvement or carpentry project. It is extremely important to have all of the pieces of wood that are needed on hand or the calculation will not be accurate. Perform a thorough estimate of the project before going to purchase the wood. Always purchase two to three extra pieces of wood for a project in case a piece becomes damaged or is cut incorrectly during the building process.

  • Measure the total length of the wood that will be used for the project. For a wood project, linear feet is equal to the total length of the materials being used. To do this properly, line up all of the pieces of wood needed and use a measuring tape to determine the total length.

  • Record the amount of linear feet needed for the project. Remember, the width or thickness of the wood does not come into play when measuring linear feet. For example, if you have a wooden board measuring 8-by-8-by-12 inches, the board measures 12 linear feet.

    • Things You Will Need

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    • Wood
    • Measuring tape

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