Square Foot (ft²) - Unit Information & Conversion
What is a Square Foot?
Definition
The square foot (symbol: ft², sq ft) is an imperial and US customary unit of area. It represents the area of a square with sides that are each one foot long.
History
Derived from the foot, a unit of length with historical roots in various ancient civilizations, the square foot became a standard measure of area in systems using the foot, particularly in the British Empire and subsequently the United States. It remains widely used in these regions, especially in construction and real estate.
Common Uses
- Real Estate & Construction (US/UK): The primary unit for measuring floor space in residential and commercial buildings, room sizes, and smaller land parcels in the US, UK, Canada, and some other countries.
- Home Improvement: Used for calculating materials needed for flooring, tiling, painting walls, etc.
- Gardening & Landscaping (US/UK): Estimating the area for small gardens, lawns, or patios.
- Art & Photography: Sometimes used to specify the dimensions or area of artwork or prints.
Unit FAQs
How big is a square foot?
It's the area of a square measuring 1 foot by 1 foot (or 12 inches by 12 inches).
How many square inches are in a square foot?
There are 144 square inches in one square foot (12 inches x 12 inches).
How many square feet are in a square meter?
One square meter contains approximately 10.764 square feet. Conversely, one square foot is about 0.0929 square meters.
Where is the square foot mainly used?
It is primarily used in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and several other countries influenced by the imperial system, mainly for construction and real estate.
Square Foot Conversion Formulas
To Square Meter:
To Square Kilometer:
To Square Centimeter:
To Square Millimeter:
To Square Inch:
To Square Yard:
To Square Mile:
To Acre:
To Hectare:
Convert Square Foot
Need to convert Square Foot to other area units? Use our conversion tool.