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Square Footage Calculator

Find the area of a room in square feet and square meters from its length and width.

How to use square footage calculator

  1. Measure the length and width of the room along two perpendicular walls.
  2. Type the measurements into the length and width fields and select the unit you measured in — feet, inches, yards, meters or centimeters.
  3. Read the area in the result: square feet alongside square meters in parentheses, updating as you type.
  4. For L-shaped rooms, run each rectangle separately and add the areas.

Examples

A 12 × 10 ft bedroom

A typical bedroom works out to 120 sq ft — about 11.1 m².

A 4 × 3 m living room measured in meters

Measuring in meters: 4 by 3 meters is about 129.2 sq ft, i.e. 12 m².

A 5 × 4 yard patio

Five by four yards works out to 180 sq ft — the same as a 15 × 12 ft rectangle.

What is Square Footage?

Square footage is simply the area of a space measured in feet: length multiplied by width. It is the number real estate listings lead with, the figure flooring and paint are priced by, and the first thing to know before ordering boxes of plank flooring, buying a rug or estimating how many gallons of paint a room needs. This calculator multiplies your two measurements and shows the area in both square feet and square meters, using whatever unit your tape measure is marked in.

Measure the longest wall for length and the perpendicular wall for width, then pick the matching unit from the dropdown. One foot is 12 inches and one yard is 3 feet, while a meter is about 3.28 feet; choosing the unit you actually measured in avoids the most common measuring mistake. If the room is L-shaped or has alcoves, split it into rectangles, calculate each area and add them together — the FAQ walks through it.

For flooring, divide the square footage by the coverage printed on each box of plank or tile (typically 18–25 sq ft) and round up — professionals add about 10% extra for cutting waste. For paint, a US gallon covers roughly 350–400 sq ft per coat. For real estate, agents measure the exterior footprint of heated, finished living space. This tool is the area step in all of those jobs, it runs entirely in your browser, and it updates as you type.

Frequently asked questions

How do I measure a room for square footage?

Use a tape measure along the longest wall for the length and the perpendicular wall for the width, measuring at floor level and rounding to the nearest inch or centimeter. Multiply the two numbers — or just enter them here. For real estate listings, agents measure the exterior outline of all heated, finished, above-grade living space.

How do I calculate the area of an L-shaped room?

Split the room into two rectangles, calculate each rectangle's area separately, and add them together. An L-shape that is 10 × 6 ft plus 4 × 5 ft is 60 + 20 = 80 sq ft. Subtract any alcoves or closets that are not part of the floor area you are covering.

How do I convert square feet to square meters?

One square foot equals about 0.0929 square meters, and one square meter is about 10.76 square feet. This calculator shows both at once: enter your measurements and read the sq ft figure alongside the m² figure in parentheses.

How many boxes of flooring do I need?

Divide your square footage by the coverage per box printed on the packaging (commonly 18–25 sq ft for plank or tile) and round up. Add roughly 10% for cutting waste around edges, doors and corners — your flooring retailer can confirm the right overage for the installation pattern.

How much paint does a room need?

A US gallon of paint covers roughly 350–400 sq ft per coat. Add up the area of every wall (each wall is its own length × height, and the ceiling is usually the room's square footage again), divide by the coverage, then multiply by the number of coats you plan to apply.