How to Calculate Square Footage in Feet and Inches

Square footage is length times width, but tape measures give feet and inches. Turn the inches into part of a foot first, then multiply. The Square Footage Calculator accepts lengths like 12′ 6″ directly and adds up several rooms at once.

Steps

1. Measure the length and width of the room, wall to wall.
2. Divide the inches by 12 and add them to the feet. 6 inches is 0.5 feet, so 12′ 6″ is 12.5 feet.
3. Multiply length by width to get square feet.
4. For an L-shaped room, split it into two rectangles and add the two areas.

Example

A 12′ 6″ by 10′ room is 12.5 × 10 = 125 sq ft. An 8′ by 6′ 3″ hallway is 8 × 6.25 = 50 sq ft. Together they are 175 sq ft.

Buying flooring

Flooring is sold by coverage per box, and installers usually add extra for cuts. Adding 10% to 175 sq ft gives 192.5 sq ft to buy. Check the product’s box for the extra it recommends.