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Lumber Linear Footage Calculator

Enter the number of boards and their length to get total linear feet.

Result

144.0 ft
18
8.0 ft

How it is calculated

Linear footage is one multiplication: total_ft = boards × length. boards is how many pieces you need and length is the length of each piece in feet; width and thickness play no part. Both inputs must be greater than zero. The product is shown to one decimal. The tool assumes every board is the same length. For a mix of lengths, run each length separately and add the totals, and for partial pieces enter the decimal feet (6 inches is 0.5 ft, 9 inches is 0.75 ft). The board count and board length labels in the result are rounded for display (count to a whole number, length to one decimal), but the total uses the numbers you typed. There is no waste allowance: add your own margin for cuts and defects.

Worked example

You are fencing a run with 18 boards, each 8 feet long. Step 1: length of each board is 8 ft. Step 2: multiply 18 × 8 = 144. Step 3: the tool reports 144.0 ft of linear footage, with 18 boards at 8.0 ft each. If the supplier quotes 1.25 per linear foot, the material cost would be 144 × 1.25 = 180. If you want a 10 percent waste allowance, order about 158.4 ft in total.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Confusing linear feet with board feet. Linear footage ignores width and thickness, so it cannot be used for lumber priced per board foot.
  • Entering inches for the length. The field is in feet; a 96-inch board is 8, not 96.
  • Entering a length like 7.6 for 7 feet 6 inches. Inches are not decimal parts of a foot: 7 ft 6 in is 7.5.
  • Forgetting waste. Cuts, knots and mistakes mean you should order more than the exact total, and board lengths are sold in fixed sizes.
  • Mixing different board lengths in one calculation, for example average length times count, which hides how many full-length pieces you must actually buy.

About this calculator

Linear footage (or lineal footage) is simply the total end-to-end length of boards, measured in feet, regardless of their width or thickness — it is found by multiplying the number of boards by the length of each one and adding any partial lengths.

This differs from board footage (the standard unit for pricing rough lumber, defined as 1 inch thick × 12 inches wide × 12 inches long), which accounts for volume rather than length. Linear footage is the relevant unit whenever material is sold or measured by run length instead — trim, molding, baseboard, fencing, and dimensional lumber like 2x4s at a fixed width.

Contractors and DIY builders use linear footage totals to estimate material quantities and costs for framing, trim work, and fencing projects where price is quoted per linear foot rather than per board foot.

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Comments (1)

  • Editorial team

    To compare a supplier's per-piece price with a per-linear-foot price, divide the piece price by its length in feet: a 10 ft board priced at 7.50 works out to 0.75 per linear foot. Then check the stock lengths on offer, since an 8 ft run cut from 10 ft boards leaves offcuts you still pay for. What are you building, a fence, trim or framing? Tell us if a waste allowance would help.

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