Home › Glossary › Linear footLinear foot Twelve inches of length, whatever the width or thickness. Trim, molding, rope and some lumber are sold by the linear foot.
Also called: lineal foot, running foot, LF, lin ft
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Narrow trim
1 ft
1 ft
1 ft
1 ft
Wide board
1 ft
1 ft
1 ft
1 ft
Both are 4 linear feet.
Only the length counts.
Linear feet count length only. Width and thickness don't change the number. Length only
A linear foot is simply a foot of length measured along the piece. A 10 foot length of molding is 10 linear feet whether it’s 1 inch wide or 5 inches wide. “Lineal foot” means the same thing, and you may see it shortened to LF or lin ft.
Compared with square and board feet
Unit
Measures
Example
Linear foot
Length
An 8 ft board = 8 linear feet
Square foot
Area
A 1 × 1 ft panel = 1 sq ft
Board foot
Volume of wood
12 × 12 × 1 in = 1 board foot
A nominal 1 × 6 board 8 feet long is 8 linear feet but only 4 board feet . That’s why a price per linear foot and a price per board foot can’t be compared directly.
Add up the lengths you need. For baseboard around a 12 × 14 foot room, that’s 2 × (12 + 14) = 52 linear feet before you take off door openings. Then add some extra for cuts and mistakes.
When the material comes in fixed lengths, such as 8 or 16 ft, plan which cuts come from which piece so that the offcuts are still useful.
Everyday Measure · everydaymeasure.com/glossary/linear-foot/