What is Board Feet Calculator?

A board feet calculator for estimating lumber volume. Enter the dimensions and quantity of your lumber pieces to calculate total board feet — the standard unit used by sawmills and lumber yards for pricing.

One board foot equals a piece 12 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 1 inch thick — 144 cubic inches of lumber. The calculator handles mixed-unit inputs (inches, feet, centimetres, metres) and lets you stack multiple pieces in a single estimate. Plug in a price per board foot to see total cost as you tweak species or thickness.

How to use

1. Enter the thickness, width, and length of your lumber piece in inches (or feet for length).
2. Set the quantity of identical pieces and optionally add multiple different lumber sizes to your list.
3. View the total board feet and estimated cost if you enter a price per board foot.

When to use

• Estimating cost before buying rough lumber for a furniture project.
• Building a cut list for a hardwood floor and comparing species pricing.
• Quoting a custom built-in or cabinet job to a client.

Result

A woodworker buying walnut for a dining table enters 4 pieces of 8/4 × 6" × 96" lumber. The calculator shows 32 board feet total, and at $12/bf the estimated cost is $384.

FAQ

What's the difference between a board foot and a linear foot?

A linear foot only measures length. A board foot measures volume — length times width times thickness, divided by 144. A 1×12 that's 8 feet long is 8 linear feet but also 8 board feet, while a 2×4 that's 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet.

Do I use rough or finished dimensions when entering thickness?

Always use the rough/nominal thickness the mill bills you for. An '8/4' (eight-quarter) board is sold as 2 inches even though it's planed down to about 1.75. Pricing is by rough volume, not finished.

Why is hardwood lumber sold by board foot instead of linear foot?

Hardwood comes in random widths and lengths, so a single linear-foot price wouldn't work. Board feet normalise the volume across every piece — a wide plank costs more per linear foot but the same per board foot as a narrow one.

Should I add waste to my board-foot estimate?

For furniture, plan on 20–30% extra for trimming defects, planing, and cut layout. Flooring runs 5–10% over. Enter your finished requirement, then multiply by 1.25 or so before ordering.

Can I use this for metric lumber sold by the cubic metre?

The calculator accepts metric inputs (cm and m) and still reports board feet as the output. One cubic metre is about 423.78 board feet. Set thickness and width in cm, length in m, and the math comes out right.

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