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Difference Between Linear Foot and Square Foot

Linear Foot vs Square Foot

We all know that foot is a unit of measurement of length we use it commonly in our daily lives. If we buy poles for fencing our garden, we ask the vendor for the length in feet of poles we require. There are also square feet, a unit of area, and there are many who find it very confusing to differentiate between a linear foot and square foot. The word linear means length, and so linear foot merely describes one foot long object. If I say, my friend is a six footer, I merely mean to describe his height in feet. But if I am talking in terms of area of my garden, I have to talk in terms of square feet and not foot.

Suppose my garden is square as it has equal length and breadth, its area would be calculated by multiplying the length with the breadth (if l= b=20, the area would be described as 20 foot squared, or 20×20= 400 square feet. It would be wrong to talk about this garden in terms of linear foot. If you know the area of a room which is rectangular in shape, you can describe the area in square foot but you cannot find out either the length or breadth in linear feet unless you know either of the length or the breadth. Area of the room in square foot divided by its length in linear foot gives the breadth of the room in linear foot.

In brief:

Linear Foot vs Square Foot

• So the basic difference between a linear foot and a square foot is that while a linear foot is a unit of measurement of length, a square foot is a unit of measurement of area.

• If you know the area of a room in square foot, you cannot convert it into linear foot unless you know either the length or the breadth of the room.

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Difference Between Foot and Feet