Board foot calculator
Board feet for a stack of boards, and the total cost when you add the price per board foot.
How it's calculated
Hardwood and rough lumber are usually priced by the board foot. One board foot is the volume of a board 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 1 foot long (144 cubic inches).
board feet = thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft) ÷ 12 × boards
cost = board feet × price per board foot
Worked example
Ten 2 in × 6 in boards, 8 ft long: 2 × 6 × 8 ÷ 12 = 8 board feet each, 80 board feet in total. At $4.25 per board foot, that is $340.
Rough hardwood is usually measured at its nominal (rough) thickness, for example 4/4 = 1 in or 8/4 = 2 in. Ask your lumber yard which size they bill.
Sources
- Board foot definition (1 ft × 1 ft × 1 in): USDA Forest Service, FIA Glossary of Standard Terminology.