How To Figure Out Square Feet
To find the square footage of something is the equivalent of asking the area of a two-dimensional shape or surface. Area is a measure of how much space something takes up in two dimensions. Generally, to determine area, you need two measurements: length and width. People use square footage for several reasons including estimating how much carpet or paint to buy or gauging how large their house is.
Rectangle or Square
Step 1
Measure one side of the rectangle. As an example, one side measures 4 feet.
Step 2
Measure the adjacent side (not the opposite side) of the rectangle or square. In the example, the adjacent side measures 5 feet.
Step 3
Multiply one measurement by the other to determine the square footage of the shape. In the example, 4 feet times 5 feet equals 20 feet squared, aka square feet.
Triangle
Step 1
Measure the base of the triangle. For example, say the base of a triangle measures 3 feet.
Step 2
Measure the height of the triangle, which is the distance from the base to the top point. In our example, the height of the triangle is 5 feet.
Step 3
Multiply the base by the height and divide by two to determine the square footage of the triangle. In our example, 5 feet times 3 feet equals 15 square feet, which divided by two equals 7.5 square feet.
Circle
Step 1
Measure the diameter of the circle from one side of the circle to the opposite side of the circle. For example, a circle has a diameter of 10 feet.
Step 2
Divide the diameter by two to determine the radius. In our example, 10 feet divided by two equals a radius of 5 feet.
Step 3
Square the radius. In our example, 5 feet squared equals 25 square feet.
Step 4
Multiply the radius squared by pi. In our example, 25 square feet times 3.14 equals 78.5 square feet.
Things Needed
- Tape measure
- Calculator (optional)
Cite This Article
MLA
McBride, Carter. "How To Figure Out Square Feet" sciencing.com, https://www.sciencing.com/figure-square-feet-6529806/. 24 April 2017.
APA
McBride, Carter. (2017, April 24). How To Figure Out Square Feet. sciencing.com. Retrieved from https://www.sciencing.com/figure-square-feet-6529806/
Chicago
McBride, Carter. How To Figure Out Square Feet last modified March 24, 2022. https://www.sciencing.com/figure-square-feet-6529806/