Board Foot Calculator
Calculate board feet for one or more lumber sizes, add quantities and estimate the material cost using your price per board foot.
Plan Your Lumber CutsBoard Foot Calculator
Calculate total board feet and cost for your lumber.
Board foot formula
One board foot is a volume of 144 cubic inches. When thickness and width are entered in inches and length is entered in feet, use this formula:
Board feet = thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft) ÷ 12
Multiply the result by the quantity to calculate the total board feet for that row. The calculator adds all rows together and can estimate cost when you enter a price per board foot.
Worked board foot examples
- One nominal 2×4×8: 2 × 4 × 8 ÷ 12 = 5.33 board feet.
- Ten nominal 2×4×8 boards: 5.33 × 10 = 53.33 board feet.
- One 1×6×10 board: 1 × 6 × 10 ÷ 12 = 5 board feet.
Be consistent about dimensions. North American dimensional lumber is commonly priced by nominal size even though the finished board is smaller; rough hardwood may be measured using its rough dimensions. Use the dimensions relevant to your supplier's quote.
Board feet vs linear feet
Board feet measure lumber volume. Linear feet measure length only, so they do not account for a board's thickness or width. If you already know the required cut lengths and want to group them across stock boards while reducing offcuts, use the linear cutting optimizer or the 2×4 calculator.
Frequently asked questions
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