By Janet Franklin 
Linear feet and square feet are two important terms to know when you are working on building, flooring, home improvement or landscaping tasks. A lot of people get these terms mixed up, but knowing the difference is important for correctly figuring out project needs, costs, and materials.
To plan, create, and build big housing projects in Pakistan like Capital Smart City and Faisal Hills, people often use both linear feet and square feet as measurements. Understanding these terms is important for both sellers and investors who want to know the exact plot sizes, flooring needs, and finishing details.
How do I find a linear foot?
A linear foot, also written as “linear feet,” is a unit of length that only measures length. In a straight line, one linear foot is just 12 inches.
It doesn’t look at height or width.
Usually used to find out how long something is, like wood, pipes, fences, or countertops.
A piece of timber that is 6 feet long is always 6 linear feet long, no matter how wide or thick it is.
Developers often use linear feet to figure out the lengths of boundary walls, fences, and roads in housing communities like Faisal Hills.
How big is a square foot?
A square foot (or square feet) is a way to measure space in two dimensions. A square foot is the same as a square that is 12 inches on all sides.
It looks at both the length and the width.
Used to find the area of a floor, wall, tiles, rugs, or piece of land. For example, a room that is 10 feet long and 12 feet wide has an area of 120 square feet (10 x 12 = 120).
In projects like Capital Smart City, the sizes of residential and business plots are always given in square feet (or square yards), since the area of a property is what counts when selling it.
The Main Difference Between Linear Feet and Square Feet
Linear feet are only used to measure length.
The size is measured in square feet, which are length times width.
In other words:
You’ll use linear feet when you buy wood, fence, or trim.
You’ll use square feet when you’re shopping for paint, flooring, or tiles.
If you buy a 5 Marla plot in Faisal Hills, for example, the size of the plot is its square feet area. You’ll use linear feet to figure that out, though, if you want to build a wall around it.
How to Figure Out Linear Feet
It’s easy to figure out how many linear feet something is:
How Long Is It in Linear Feet?
Such as:
The length of a tabletop is 8 feet, or 8 linear feet.
There is a fence line that is 50 feet long.
How to Figure Out Square Feet
Here’s how to figure out square feet:
Square Feet = Length x Width
Such as:
The size of the room is 12 feet by 15 feet.
12 times 15 is 180 square feet.
In places like Capital Smart City, a 1 Kanal plot (50 x 90) is equal to 4,500 square feet, which can be found using the same method.
How to Change Between Square Feet and Linear Feet
Before you try to change between linear feet and square feet, you should know that they are not the same thing. You also need to know the width.
Such as:
A carpet roll is 12 feet wide and sold by the linear foot.
The area of 10 linear feet of carpet is 12 square feet, which is 120 square feet.
To get square feet from linear feet, you need to multiply by the width.
To find square feet, multiply linear feet by width.
Examples from Real Life Buying Flooring
You buy 200 square feet of vinyl if the store charges by the square foot and your room is 200 square feet.
To get the number of linear feet you need, you divide the size of your room by 12, which is how many linear feet the store sells by the foot.
Wood and Trim
You will buy 25 linear feet of baseboard trim if you need it, no matter how wide the trim is.
Building projects for homes
In Faisal Hills, linear feet are used to measure the length of roads and border walls.
Square feet are used to measure plot sizes, apartments, and business places in Capital Smart City.
Linear feet vs. square feet: Time to Use Which One
You can use linear feet to:
Wood, fencing, pipes, countertops, trim, and wires.
What to do with square feet:
The floor, walls, ceilings, roof, tiles, and land space.
Last Thoughts
When you buy supplies, knowing the difference between a linear foot and a square feet can help you avoid mistakes that cost a lot of money. Don’t forget:
Linear feet are only used to measure length.
The size is measured in square feet, which are length times width.
You need to know the width to change linear feet to square feet.
These measures are very important for planning how to build big housing projects like Capital Smart City and Faisal Hills. Buyers and investors should always check to see if a number is given in square feet or linear feet. This will help them make the right choice.