Board Foot Calculator
Calculate lumber volume in board feet, cubic feet, and total lineal feet from thickness, width, length, and quantity.
Results
What is it?
A board foot (BF) is the standard unit of volume for lumber. One board foot equals a piece that is 1 inch thick × 12 inches wide × 12 inches long (144 cubic inches). Lumber is priced per board foot at sawmills and hardwood dealers, while softwood at home centers is often sold by lineal foot.
How to use
1. Enter the thickness, width (both in inches), and length (in feet). 2. Enter the quantity of identical boards. 3. Board feet is the primary output for ordering hardwood lumber.
Example scenario
You need 10 pieces of 1 × 6 × 8 ft oak: BF = 1 × 6 × 8 / 12 × 10 = 40 board feet. At $5/BF you would pay $200.
Pro tip
Rough-sawn lumber is sold by the stated nominal dimensions, but dressed (S4S) lumber is smaller — a nominal 2×4 is actually 1½ × 3½ inches. For pricing, always calculate board feet from the rough/nominal size, not the actual size.