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Lumber is priced and sold by the board foot — a volume measurement, not a simple length — which trips up anyone used to thinking of wood in linear feet alone. This calculator finds the board feet of a piece of lumber from its thickness, width, and length, for a single piece or a full quantity.
How it works
Enter the lumber's thickness and width in inches, its length in feet, and how many pieces you need. The calculator applies the standard board foot formula to find the volume per piece and the total.
- Enter thickness (in).
- Enter width (in).
- Enter length (ft).
- Enter quantity.
- Click Calculate to see your results.
Examples
10 pieces of 1"x6"x8'
Each piece is 4 board feet, so 10 pieces total 40 board feet.
Who should use it
- Estimating the cost of a hardwood lumber order priced per board foot.
- Calculating total lumber volume needed for a woodworking or construction project.
Industry applications
- Woodworking and furniture making
- Lumber sales and construction material estimating
Advantages
- Calculates both per-piece and total board feet for any quantity.
- Uses the exact standard board foot formula.
Limitations
- Uses the dimensions exactly as entered — nominal vs. actual lumber sizing must be accounted for manually.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing board feet with linear feet, which leads to ordering the wrong amount of lumber.
- Using nominal (rough-cut) dimensions instead of actual finished dimensions, which can slightly overstate board footage for dressed lumber.
Best practices
- When buying dressed (finished) lumber, remember its actual dimensions are usually smaller than the nominal size (a "2x4" is actually about 1.5"x3.5") — use actual dimensions for the most accurate board foot count if precision matters.
Tips
- When comparing lumber prices, always compare price per board foot rather than price per piece, since board foot pricing accounts for the actual volume of wood you're buying.