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Board Feet Calculator
Quickly calculate the volume of hardwood lumber and estimate your total project cost.
Lumber Dimensions
E.g., enter 1.25 for 5/4 lumber.
Width of the board.
Length of the board in feet.
Number of boards this size.
$
Optional. Used to calculate total cost.
Estimated Total
40.00
Total Board Feet
$220.00
Estimated Cost
Board Proportion Visualizer
Lumber Profile
BF Per Piece
4.00 BF
Total Linear Feet
80 LF
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What is a Board Foot?
Unlike dimensional softwoods (like a 2x4) which are sold by the linear foot, hardwoods and rough-sawn lumber are sold by volume. This volume measurement is called a Board Foot (BF).
One board foot equals 144 cubic inches of wood. To visualize this, imagine a piece of wood that is 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches (1 foot) long. Using a board feet calculator helps woodworkers and contractors accurately tally up their lumber lists and estimate costs before heading to the lumber yard.
How to Use the Board Feet Calculator
Follow these simple steps to estimate your lumber volume:
- 1 Enter Thickness: Input the nominal thickness of your board in inches (e.g., 1 for 4/4 wood, 2 for 8/4 wood).
- 2 Enter Width & Length: Input the width in inches and length in feet of the board.
- 3 Add Details: Specify the quantity of boards and an optional price per board foot.
- 4 Review Results: Instantly see your total board feet, estimated cost, and a visual representation of your lumber profile.
How to Measure Hardwoods
3 Easy Steps
From dimensions to final tally.
1
Measure Thickness & Width
Measure the thickness and the width of the board in inches. Remember to use the nominal thickness (like 1" for 4/4 wood) if buying rough lumber.
2
Measure Length
Measure the total length of the board in feet. If measuring in inches, you will need to divide by 144 instead of 12.
3
Apply Cost
Multiply your final board foot calculation by the cost per board foot ($/BF) provided by your local mill to get your total price.
Formulas Used in This Calculator
Math for the Lumber Yard
The formula for board feet changes slightly depending on whether you measured the length of your board in inches or feet. Both yield the exact same volume.
Length in Feet:
(Thickness" × Width" × Length') ÷ 12
(Thickness" × Width" × Length') ÷ 12
Length in Inches:
(Thickness" × Width" × Length") ÷ 144
(Thickness" × Width" × Length") ÷ 144
Total Price: Total BF × Price per BF
Always account for waste! A good rule of thumb is to calculate your total required board feet and add 15% to 20% for knots, checking, and milling waste.
Understanding "Quarter" Sizing
When you shop for hardwood, you won't see tags that say "1 inch thick" or "2 inches thick." Instead, mills use a quarter-inch fraction system based on rough-sawn dimensions.
4/4 (Four-Quarter) = 1 inch thick.
5/4 (Five-Quarter) = 1.25 inches thick.
8/4 (Eight-Quarter) = 2 inches thick.
When entering this into the calculator, simply convert the fraction to a decimal (e.g., enter 1.25 for 5/4 wood).
Related Calculators
Frequently Asked Questions
A board foot is a specialized measurement of volume used for lumber. It is equivalent to 144 cubic inches, most easily visualized as a board that is 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches (1 foot) long.
Linear feet only measures length, ignoring the thickness and width of the wood. Board feet measures volume (length, width, and thickness combined). Construction lumber (like 2x4s) is usually sold by the linear foot, while hardwoods are sold by the board foot.
Lumber yards typically sell hardwood based on its nominal (rough) dimensions before it was surfaced. For example, a board that measures 3/4" actual thickness will be sold as 4/4 (1 inch) nominal thickness.
If you are measuring length in inches instead of feet, simply multiply Thickness × Width × Length and divide the entire result by 144 instead of 12.
Hardwood trees are too valuable to cut into standard uniform sizes. Mills maximize yield by cutting random widths and lengths. Pricing by volume (board feet) allows them to accurately charge for the exact amount of wood in any random piece.
Hardwoods are categorized in quarters of an inch. 8/4 (eight-quarter) simply means the rough lumber is 8 quarters, or 2 inches thick. In the calculator, you would enter "2" for thickness.
Woodworkers generally add 15% to 20% to their final board foot calculation to account for cut-offs, milling away warped edges, and working around knots.
Mathematically yes, but in practice, lumber yards typically treat any board thinner than 1 inch as a full 1 inch thick when calculating and pricing board feet. Always check with your specific lumber dealer.
User Reviews
Mark Thompson
Woodworker
"Perfect for the lumber yard. I pull this up on my phone to check the tally before I pay."
Susan Lewis
Furniture Maker
"Great tool. Added a cost multiplier which is super helpful, but I'd like a way to add multiple different board sizes together in a list."
James Harrison
DIYer
"Exactly what I needed to estimate my rough-sawn walnut purchase for a dining table project."
Brett Carlson
Cabinet Maker
"Works fine, but having to manually enter fractions as decimals (like typing 1.25 for 5/4 boards) is slightly annoying on a phone keyboard."
Alicia Martinez
Hobbyist
"Clean and fast. The visualizer is a nice touch to make sure I typed dimensions in correctly, though mostly I just use the number cruncher."
Daniel Robinson
Contractor
"Takes the guesswork out of buying rough sawn lumber. Very straightforward and highly recommended."
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