Baseboard & Trim Calculator
Linear feet of baseboard with miter waste, by room size.
Each doorway subtracts about 3 ft of baseboard.
You need
42 linear ft
Waste for miter cuts included.
- 16 ft pieces
- 3 pieces
- 8 ft pieces
- 6 pieces
- Wall length to trim
- 38 linear ft
Estimates only. Verify quantities before ordering.
How this is calculated
Perimeter = 2 x (length + width). Net trim = perimeter minus 3 ft per doorway, plus your waste percentage. Piece counts divide the total by 8 ft or 16 ft stock lengths and round up.
Enter the room's dimensions and the number of doorways, and this calculator returns the linear feet of baseboard to buy plus how that translates into standard 8 ft and 16 ft lengths. Doorways subtract about 3 feet each, which covers the typical cased opening.
The waste factor covers miters. Every inside and outside corner consumes a few inches, upside-down cuts happen to everyone, and short offcuts under 2 feet are rarely reusable. 10% is right for a simple rectangular room; bump it up for rooms with many corners, or when running a pattern-matched profile that constrains which ends can join.
Baseboard for common room sizes
Rows assume two doorways and 10% miter waste.
| Room size | Linear ft | 16 ft pieces |
|---|---|---|
| 10 x 10 ft | 38 linear ft | 3 pieces |
| 12 x 10 ft | 42 linear ft | 3 pieces |
| 12 x 12 ft | 47 linear ft | 3 pieces |
| 15 x 12 ft | 53 linear ft | 4 pieces |
| 20 x 15 ft | 68 linear ft | 5 pieces |
Common questions
Should I buy 8 ft or 16 ft baseboard?
Longer stock means fewer joints. If a wall is under 16 feet, a single 16 ft piece trims it with no seam. Use 8 ft pieces for short walls and closets where they cut efficiently. Where two pieces must meet mid-wall, join them with an angled scarf joint over a stud, not a butt joint.
How do I measure a room for baseboard?
Measure each wall at floor level and add them up, subtracting door openings. For a quick estimate, the room's perimeter minus 3 feet per doorway is close enough, which is exactly what this calculator does. Always round wall measurements up to the next half foot.
Do inside corners get mitered or coped?
Coping beats mitering for inside corners: one piece runs square into the corner and the other is cut to fit its profile. Coped joints stay tight when the wood shrinks and the walls are out of square, which they always are. Outside corners are mitered.
MDF or wood baseboard?
Primed MDF is cheaper, straight, and paints beautifully, which makes it the default for painted trim in dry rooms. Use real wood or PVC in bathrooms and anywhere moisture is possible, since MDF swells permanently when it gets wet, and use wood when you want a stained finish.