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The Locolory toolkit / Carpentry & Woodworking

Board Foot Lumber & Cost Calculator

Calculate board feet volume and total lumber cost for rough-cut timber, hardwoods, and dimensioned lumber. Supports multi-board tally lists.

What is a board foot in lumber? A board foot (BF) is a specialized unit of volume for timber equal to a 1-inch-thick piece of wood that is 12 inches wide and 12 inches long, or 144 cubic inches.

  • Key formula: Board Feet = (Thickness in inches × Width in inches × Length in feet) ÷ 12, or divide by 144 when length is entered in inches.

Computes multi-board tallies locally in browser memory.

● Calculated 100% locally in browser

Multi-board lumber tally

Piece / tagThicknessWidthLengthUnitQty$/BFBoard feet
16.00
26.67
17.50
Thickness presets:

Board feet

60.17

With waste

69.19

Lineal feet

76.00

Project cost

$673.13

Average $/BF

$9.73

Lumber Takeoff Sheet

Total: 69.19 BF including 15% waste · Estimated cost: $673.13

PieceDimensionsQtyBF
4/4 Walnut1 × 6 × 8 ft416.00
8/4 White Oak2 × 8 × 10 ft226.67
5/4 Maple1.25 × 7 × 96 in317.50

Standard Hardwood Board Footage Quick Chart

Thickness6″ × 8′8″ × 8′10″ × 10′
1″4.00 BF5.33 BF8.33 BF
1.5″6.00 BF8.00 BF12.50 BF
2″8.00 BF10.67 BF16.67 BF

How to Calculate Board Feet for Rough vs Surfaced Lumber

Lumberyards typically calculate board footage from rough dimensions before surfacing. The quarter system expresses nominal thickness: 4/4 is 1 inch, 6/4 is 1.5 inches, and 8/4 is 2 inches.

A surfaced 4/4 board may finish near 3/4 inch, but it may still be sold from its rough 4/4 tally. Confirm whether your supplier measures before or after surfacing.

For lumberyard math, multiply thickness in inches × width in inches × length in feet, divide by 12, then multiply by quantity.

Planning hardwood yield and cost

Board feet is volume; lineal feet is length. This hardwood board footage calculator tracks both so trim length and material volume remain distinct.

The waste factor increases board footage and cost estimates to cover defects, milling, grain selection, and offcuts. It does not alter the physical tally entered.

Prices are applied per board foot to each row before the selected project waste factor is added.

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Good questions. Clear answers.

How do you calculate board feet if length is in inches instead of feet?

Multiply thickness in inches by width in inches by length in inches, then divide by 144. Multiply that result by the quantity of identical boards.

What does 4/4 and 8/4 lumber mean at a lumberyard?

The quarter system describes nominal rough thickness in quarter-inch increments. 4/4 means four quarters, or 1 inch rough; 8/4 means eight quarters, or 2 inches rough. Surfacing and drying reduce the finished thickness.

What is the difference between lineal feet and board feet?

Lineal feet measures length only. Board feet measures volume, incorporating thickness, width, and length. Two boards with the same length can have very different board footage.

Why should I add a 15% waste factor to my hardwood order?

Extra material covers defects, checks, sapwood, grain matching, milling loss, cutting mistakes, and layout choices. Fifteen percent is a useful planning default, but highly figured or defect-prone stock may require more.