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Contractors & trades / Board Foot Calculator

Board Foot Calculator

Board feet for any stack of lumber, the cost at your price per board foot, and a project price once you add shop time and markup.
Board size

Enter a number from 0 to 48

Enter a number from 0 to 120

Enter a number from 0 to 100

Whole number, 0–100000

%

Enter a number from 0 to 100%

Allow for knots, checks, snipe and offcuts. 10–20% is common for hardwood projects.

$

Enter a number from 0 to 500

From your lumber yard's price list for the species and grade.

On: the answer is the price to quote. Off: the material list only.

Board feet to buy
88 BF
8 BFper board
$396.00lumber cost
Board feet per board · 2 in × 6 in × 8 ft ÷ 128
Total board feet · × 10 boards80
With waste · +10%88 BF
Lumber cost · 88 BF × $4.50$396.00
Linear feet80 ft
Cubic feet6.67 cu ft
Materials total$396.00

Hardwood is sold by board feet of rough thickness: 4/4 is 1 in, 8/4 is 2 in, even after it is planed thinner.

Turn this into a quote

A one-page PDF for your customer, filled in from the numbers above. Your markup isn't shown.

Quote total
Job done? Make an invoice from this →
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How the board foot calculation works

  1. One board foot is 144 cubic inches

    That is a piece 1 in thick, 12 in wide and 12 in long, or any shape with the same volume.

  2. Multiply thickness × width × length, then divide by 12

    With thickness and width in inches and length in feet, divide by 12. A 2 × 6 in board 8 ft long is 2 × 6 × 8 ÷ 12 = 8 board feet.

  3. Multiply by the number of boards and add waste

    Ten of those boards is 80 board feet. Add 10% for defects and offcuts and you buy 88.

  4. Price the lumber, then the job

    88 board feet at $4.50 is $396. Turn on labor and markup to add shop hours and profit for a quote.

Worked example. Ten boards of 2 × 6 in × 8 ft are 8 board feet each, 80 in total. With 10% waste you buy 88 board feet, which at $4.50 per board foot costs $396. With 6 shop hours at $55 ($330) and a 25% markup ($181.50), the project price is $907.50.

Board Foot FAQ

What is a board foot?

A unit of lumber volume: 144 cubic inches, the same as a board 1 in thick, 12 in wide and 1 ft long. Hardwood and rough lumber are priced per board foot, so it lets you compare boards of different sizes.

How do you calculate board feet?

Multiply thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft) and divide by 12. If all three are in inches, divide by 144 instead.

How many board feet are in a 2 × 4 × 8?

2 × 4 × 8 ÷ 12 = 5.33 board feet, using the nominal size. The actual planed size is smaller, but softwood framing lumber is counted at nominal size.

How do I work out the price per board foot?

Divide the price of a board by its board feet. A $24 board that measures 8 board feet costs $3 per board foot.

Do I use nominal or actual dimensions?

Use the size the yard sells by. Rough hardwood is sold by rough thickness (4/4, 5/4, 8/4) and measured width; framing lumber uses nominal sizes such as 2 × 4.

What is the difference between board feet and linear feet?

Linear feet measure length only. Board feet measure volume, so a 1 × 12 in board 1 ft long and a 2 × 6 in board 1 ft long are both 1 board foot but very different shapes.

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