Board Foot Calculator
Calculate lumber volume in board feet and its cost.
About the Board Foot Calculator
Enter the board's nominal thickness and width in inches, its length in feet, how many pieces and the price per board foot. The calculator gives board feet per piece, the total, the cost and the volume in cubic metres.
A board foot is 144 cubic inches: a board 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 1 foot long. Hardwood is priced by the board foot using nominal (rough) dimensions.
The formula
Board feet = thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft) ÷ 12
Worked example
Ten 1 × 6 boards, 8 ft long, at 5 a board foot
- Each: 1 × 6 × 8 ÷ 12 = 4 bd ft
- Total: 40 bd ft
- Cost: 200; volume 0.094 m³
Things to keep in mind
- Add 15–30% for waste from defects, cuts and planing.
Questions people ask
Do I use actual or nominal size?
Lumberyards normally use nominal rough-sawn thickness (e.g. 4/4 = 1 in).
What is 8/4?
Quarter-inch notation: 8/4 is 2 inches thick.
Is a board foot the same as a linear foot?
No: a linear foot is just length; board feet include thickness and width.