Calculate the square footage of a room or area, with instant conversions to square yards and square meters.
area = length × width
Square footage is simply length times width in feet. For odd shapes, split into rectangles and add them up.
One square yard is 9 square feet; one square meter is about 10.76 square feet.
For a simple rectangle, square footage is just length times width — a 12 x 10 ft room is 120 square feet. For an L-shaped or irregular room, split it into rectangles, calculate each, and add them up.
Say an L-shaped room is a 12 x 10 ft section plus a 6 x 8 ft section: that's 120 + 48 = 168 square feet. This split-and-add method handles almost any floor plan. For triangles, use half the base times the height; for circles, π times the radius squared.
Pure geometry — no estimation. Use this to feed area into the flooring, tile, paint, and other calculators.
Most real spaces are not a single rectangle. The reliable method for any rectilinear shape is to divide it into non-overlapping rectangles, calculate each, and add them — an L-shape is two rectangles, a bay or bump-out is the main area plus the addition. Draw the split lines on a sketch so you do not double-count the overlap.
Angled and curved areas need their own formulas: a triangle is half the base times the height, a circle is pi times the radius squared. Then watch the unit conversions, since you square the linear factor: one square yard is nine square feet, and one square meter is about 10.76 square feet. Mixing inches and feet is the most common error.
Multiply length by width in feet. A 12×10 room is 120 square feet.
Split the L into two non-overlapping rectangles, calculate the area of each (length times width), and add them. Sketch the split line so you do not double-count the overlap.
One square yard is nine square feet (three feet by three feet). To convert square feet to square yards, divide by nine.
It depends on the material. Subtract large openings for paint and wallpaper, but leave small ones in for flooring, drywall, and siding, where offcuts cannot be reused.