Calculating the area of a rectangular space in square feet is a fundamental task for homeowners, contractors, designers, and many other professionals. Whether you're planning to buy flooring, paint a room, or estimate the size of a property, knowing how to accurately measure and calculate square footage is essential. This calculator helps you do just that, especially when your measurements involve both feet and inches.
The Math Behind the Calculation:
The area of a rectangle is found by multiplying its length by its width. The formula is:
Area = Length × Width
When measurements are given in feet and inches, the first step is to convert all measurements into a single unit, typically feet, to ensure accuracy. An inch is 1/12th of a foot. So, to convert inches to feet, you divide the number of inches by 12.
For example, 6 inches is equal to 6 / 12 = 0.5 feet. A measurement of 10 feet 6 inches would therefore be 10 + 0.5 = 10.5 feet.
How This Calculator Works:
This calculator takes your measurements for length and width, which can include both feet and inches. It performs the following steps internally:
Converts the inch part of the length measurement into feet by dividing by 12.
Adds this decimal value to the feet part of the length measurement to get the total length in feet.
Converts the inch part of the width measurement into feet by dividing by 12.
Adds this decimal value to the feet part of the width measurement to get the total width in feet.
Multiplies the total length in feet by the total width in feet to compute the area in square feet.
Example:
Let's say you want to calculate the area of a room that is 12 feet 9 inches long and 10 feet 3 inches wide.