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Board Foot Calculator

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Calculators

Calculate rectangular lumber volume from thickness and width in inches and length in feet. Include whole-board quantity and an optional price per board foot.

Tool workspace

BF = thickness in inches × width in inches × length in feet ÷ 12. Enter the dimensions you intend to measure. Nominal and actual lumber sizes differ; no automatic size conversion or allowance for waste is applied. Price uses your currency; tax is excluded.

Example: 2 × 6 × 8 ÷ 12 = 8 BF per board; five boards = 40 BF. At 3.50 per BF, cost is 140. This measures rectangular lumber, not log-scale yield or standing timber.

Results use decimal floating-point arithmetic and display up to six decimal places; confirm supplier billing and measurements.

Enable JavaScript to activate these controls and process your input in the browser.

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How to Use Board Foot Calculator

Use the controls above, then check the example and limitations below.

1

Enter dimensions

Use decimal inches for thickness and width, and decimal feet for length. Do not type unit suffixes.

2

Set quantity and price

Enter a positive whole-board count and optionally a price per BF.

3

Review volume and cost

Check the per-board and total volumes; copy or download the estimate.

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What is Board Foot Calculator & How Does It Work?

A board foot is a volume of 144 cubic inches. For rectangular lumber, enter thickness and width in inches and length in feet, then divide their product by 12. One board measuring 2 × 6 inches and 8 feet long contains 8 board feet; five such boards contain 40.

Choose the dimensions that match your measurement or supplier convention. A nominal 2 × 6 can have smaller actual measurements; the calculator does not infer a lumber grade or convert nominal sizes. Cost is a simple volume-times-price estimate in your chosen currency, excluding waste, tax and delivery.

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Rectangular lumber board feet

Formula Equation:BF = thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft) ÷ 12

Multiply per-board volume by whole-board quantity. Log-scale estimates use different methods.

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Further Reading

Background documentation for the concepts used by this tool. These links do not imply certification, regulatory approval or endorsement.

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Key Features & Benefits

✓

Visible units

Inches and feet are labeled beside their inputs.

✓

Bounded estimates

Invalid dimensions, fractional quantities and unsafe totals are rejected.

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Common Use Cases

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Lumber order

Five 2 × 6 × 8 boards total 40 BF; at 3.50 per BF, the estimate is 140.

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Actual measurements

A 1.5 × 5.5 inch board 8 feet long measures 5.5 BF.

Frequently asked questions

The result uses exactly the numbers entered. Nominal lumber names can differ from measured sizes; choose dimensions appropriate to your measurement or supplier billing convention. No conversion is applied automatically.

No. The formula measures rectangular sawn lumber. Log scaling and standing timber estimates require different measurements, rules and allowances.

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