A linear foot is simply one foot of length, measured in a straight line. The confusion is never about the unit itself — it is about knowing when a material is priced by length rather than by area, and how to convert your measurements into that unit.
New to the concept? Start with What Is a Linear Foot, or see Linear Feet vs Square Feet.
About pricing on this page
This calculator is intentionally price-light. Absolute dollar figures are deliberately omitted because they vary too widely by region, brand, and installer to be useful as planning estimates. The relative-comparison tables below show how options stack up against each other — which is the durable, actionable information. For a real budget, get two or three written quotes from local suppliers and contractors after they have seen the job.
Linear Foot Converter
Enter a measurement in any unit and convert it to linear feet, plus see the cost at your price per foot.
What a Linear Foot Actually Is
A linear foot — sometimes written lineal foot — is one foot of length along a straight line. It is exactly the same distance as a regular foot. The word "linear" is there only to signal that you are measuring in one dimension, not two, and therefore that width and thickness do not enter the calculation.
1 linear foot = 1 foot = 12 inches = 0.3048 meters = 1/3 yard
This is why a 12-foot length of 2 × 4 and a 12-foot length of 2 × 12 are both 12 linear feet. The boards contain very different volumes of wood, but the linear measurement only tracks how far they run.
Why suppliers use it: Materials with a fixed cross-section — trim, pipe, fencing, gutters, countertops, cable — vary only in length. Pricing by the foot of run is the simplest way to quote them, and it means you only need one measurement to get a price.
Linear Feet Conversions
Every conversion in and out of linear feet in one table.
| From | To Linear Feet | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inches | ÷ 12 | 144 inches | 12 LF |
| Feet | × 1 (same) | 12 feet | 12 LF |
| Yards | × 3 | 10 yards | 30 LF |
| Meters | × 3.28084 | 10 meters | 32.81 LF |
| Centimeters | ÷ 30.48 | 500 cm | 16.40 LF |
| Miles | × 5,280 | 0.5 miles | 2,640 LF |
| Linear feet → inches | × 12 | 12 LF | 144 in |
| Linear feet → yards | ÷ 3 | 12 LF | 4 LY |
| Linear feet → meters | × 0.3048 | 12 LF | 3.66 m |
Materials Priced by the Linear Foot
If a material has a fixed profile and only varies in length, it is almost certainly sold this way.
| Material | Typical Price per LF | How to Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Baseboard trim | Reference only | Room perimeter minus doorways |
| Crown molding | Reference only | Full room perimeter at ceiling |
| Fencing (installed) | Reference only | Property boundary minus gates |
| Gutters | Reference only | Eave runs only, not full perimeter |
| Countertops | Reference only | Front edge run of each section |
| Kitchen cabinets | Reference only | Wall run holding the cabinets |
| Pipe and conduit | Reference only | Total run length of the system |
| Deck railing | Reference only | Perimeter of open deck edges |
| Retaining wall | Reference only | Length of the wall face |
| Landscape edging | Reference only | Perimeter of each bed |
| Freight (LTL) | Reference only | Trailer floor length occupied |
Linear Feet Questions People Actually Ask
Is a Linear Foot Different From a Regular Foot?
No — they are the identical distance. A linear foot is twelve inches, exactly like any foot. The adjective exists purely to clarify that the measurement is one-dimensional, distinguishing it from a square foot which measures area and a cubic foot which measures volume. If someone quotes you 50 linear feet of fence, they mean the fence runs 50 feet.
What Is the Difference Between Linear and Lineal?
Nothing meaningful. Both terms are used interchangeably in the building trades for the same measurement. Lineal foot is somewhat more common in lumber and millwork, while linear foot dominates in general construction and freight. Suppliers use whichever term their industry favors, and both abbreviate to LF.
How Do I Convert Square Feet to Linear Feet?
You cannot without knowing the material width, because square feet contains two dimensions and linear feet contains one. Divide the square footage by the material width in feet. For 200 square feet of 6-inch-wide flooring: 6 inches is 0.5 feet, so 200 ÷ 0.5 = 400 linear feet. Without the width, the conversion is undefined.
How Many Linear Feet Are in a Square Foot?
This question has no single answer, and that is the whole point of the distinction. It depends entirely on the width of the material. One square foot of 12-inch-wide material is 1 linear foot. One square foot of 6-inch-wide material is 2 linear feet. One square foot of 3-inch material is 4 linear feet.