Enter the thickness, width, length and quantity for each size of lumber and get the total board feet, the volume in cubic feet or cubic metres, and the cost at your price per board foot. Add a row for every size on your cut list, in inches and feet or in millimetres and metres.
5.3 ea53.3 bd ft
A board foot is a fixed volume - the wood in a 1 in × 12 in × 1 ft piece, or 144 cubic inches. Add a row for each size, enter how many of each, and the total board feet, the volume and - if you set a price - the cost all add up below. Lumber is figured at its nominal size, so enter a 2×4 as 2 by 4. Leave the price at 0 to skip the cost.
Volume (cu ft)
4.4 cu ft
Pieces
10
53.3 bd ft ≈ 4.4 cu ft.
A board foot is a measure of lumber volume: the amount of wood in a piece 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 1 foot long, which is 144 cubic inches. Because it is a volume, it captures thickness, width and length all at once - the way sawmills and lumber yards price rough and hardwood stock. The classic shop formula works in inches and feet:
board feet (one piece) = thickness_in × width_in × length_ft ÷ 12
row total = board feet per piece × quantity
total = sum of every row
to order = total × (1 + waste %)
cost = board feet to order × price per board foot
1 board foot = 144 cubic inches = 0.00236 m³ 1 m³ ≈ 423.8 board feet
1 cubic foot = 12 board feet
Enter the nominal size you buy - a 2×4 is figured as 2 by 4, even though its actual size is 1½ × 3½ in - and add a row for each different size on your cut list. The calculator totals the board feet, shows the volume in cubic feet or cubic metres, and, if you give it a price per board foot, the cost. For the formula behind it, see how to calculate board feet.
This example follows the unit system you pick in the calculator above.
Ten 2×4s at 8 ft, plus four 1×6 shelves at 10 ft, at $3 per board foot:
The board feet in one piece depends only on its thickness, width and length. This table lists the figure for common sizes, so you can multiply by your quantity in your head or check the calculator:
| Nominal size | Length | Board feet (each) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × 4 | 8 ft | 2.67 |
| 1 × 6 | 8 ft | 4.00 |
| 1 × 8 | 8 ft | 5.33 |
| 2 × 4 | 8 ft | 5.33 |
| 2 × 4 | 10 ft | 6.67 |
| 2 × 6 | 8 ft | 8.00 |
| 2 × 8 | 8 ft | 10.67 |
| 2 × 10 | 10 ft | 16.67 |
| 4 × 4 | 8 ft | 10.67 |
Hardwood is often sold in quarter thicknesses: 4/4 is one inch, 8/4 is two inches. Enter the thickness in inches (4/4 = 1, 5/4 = 1.25, 8/4 = 2) and the calculator handles the rest - see what 4/4, 5/4 and 8/4 mean for the full system.
In the United States, lumber is sold and priced by the board foot - the volume of a 1 in × 12 in × 1 ft piece, or 144 cubic inches - with framing also sold per piece. Whichever way it is priced, the board feet and the cubic-metre volume the calculator gives are the same physical amount of wood - 1 m³ is about 423.8 board feet - so you can take the figure to a yard that quotes either way.
One thing to watch is size: board-foot volumes use the nominal size, so a "2 × 4" is figured as 2 by 4 even though it dresses to 1½ × 3½ in. Enter the size you order at the yard in the calculator above so the volume matches what you actually buy. For the detail, see the American Softwood Lumber Standard (PS 20).
These three measure different things, and mixing them up is the usual source of an under-order:
For the plain-English version, see what is a board foot.
A board foot is the volume of a piece 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 1 foot long - 144 cubic inches. The shop formula is thickness in inches × width in inches × length in feet ÷ 12, then multiply by how many pieces of that size. A 2×4×8 is 2 × 4 × 8 ÷ 12 = 5.33 board feet, so ten of them are 53.3 board feet. The calculator adds up every size on your list and also shows the volume in cubic feet or cubic metres.
A board foot is a unit of lumber volume, not length or area. It equals 144 cubic inches - a one-inch-thick board, a foot wide and a foot long, or any piece with the same volume. It is the way North American sawmills and yards price hardwood and rough lumber. One cubic foot holds 12 board feet, and one cubic metre is about 423.8 board feet.
Use the nominal size - the size the lumber is sold as. A "2×4" is figured as 2 by 4 even though it actually measures about 1½ × 3½ inches after drying and planing, and board-foot pricing follows that convention. The calculator just multiplies the dimensions you enter, so type the nominal size you order at the yard. For rough-sawn or hardwood quoted in quarters (4/4, 8/4), enter the quarter thickness in inches (4/4 = 1 in).
Divide board feet by 423.776, or multiply by 0.00236. So 100 board feet is about 0.236 m³, and 1 m³ is about 423.8 board feet. The calculator shows both at once: enter your sizes once and read the board feet for a North American supplier or the cubic-metre volume for a yard that sells timber by the m³.
It depends entirely on the species and grade - construction softwood is at the low end, while figured hardwoods cost many times more. Rather than guess a figure, put your own price per board foot into the calculator and it multiplies it by the board feet to order (waste included) for a total. Leave the price at zero if you only want the quantity.
Add a row for each different size. Enter the thickness, width, length and how many of that size, and the calculator works out the board feet for the row and adds every row into a total. A waste allowance bumps the figure so you order a little extra for offcuts and defects, and the volume and cost update with it.
No. A linear (or running) foot is just length - one foot of a board, whatever its size. A board foot is a volume that takes thickness and width into account too. A foot of 1×12 is one board foot, but a foot of 1×6 is only half a board foot. Use linear feet when a board is sold by length and board feet when it is sold by volume.
The actual size of a 2x4, 2x6, 2x8 and more - full chart in inches and mm.
Read guide→The board-foot formula, a worked example and the board feet in common boards.
Read guide→A board foot is 144 cubic inches of wood - and how it differs from other feet.
Read guide→The hardwood quarter system: 4/4 = 1 in, 5/4 = 1¼, 8/4 = 2, rough vs surfaced.
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