How to Find the Surface Area of a Square

A square has four equal sides.

Determining the surface area of a square allows you to find the amount of material needed to cover the shape or the amount of squares required to cover a wall or floor when performing a home improvement task. The formula for finding a square's area uses the length of one side. Using one length simplifies the equation over finding the area of a rectangle, triangle or circle.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Calculator

Instructions

1. Measure the length of one side of a square with a tape measure.

2. Enter length into a calculator.

3. Multiply the length times itself to determine the area of the square. For example, a square with an edge length of 5 inches would have a surface area of 25 square-inches.

Tips & Warnings

• Multiply the square area by six to determine the square area of a cube.

References

• Math2.org: Areas, Volumes and Surface Areas