Walk into a hardwood lumber yard and prices are listed per board foot, not per piece. This calculator converts your project's lumber dimensions into board feet so you know what the wood will actually cost.
Board Dimensions
in
in
ft
Quantity
Scenario: You're building a dining table top from 6 cherry boards, each 1.5 inches thick, 8 inches wide, and 6 feet long.
Result: One board = (1.5 x 8 x 72) / 144 = 6 board feet. For 6 boards: 6 x 6 = 36 board feet. At $7 per board foot for cherry, that's $252 in lumber.
A board foot is a volume measurement for lumber: 1 inch thick x 12 inches wide x 12 inches long (144 cubic inches). It's the standard unit for pricing hardwood lumber. The formula is: (thickness x width x length in inches) / 144.
Multiply thickness (inches) x width (inches) x length (inches), then divide by 144. Or use thickness (inches) x width (inches) x length (feet) / 12. A 1x6x8-ft board is (1 x 6 x 8) / 12 = 4 board feet.
Nominal is the name (like 1 inch), actual is the real dimension after milling (like 3/4 inch). Hardwood lumber is sold by nominal thickness. A "4/4" (four-quarter) board is nominally 1 inch thick but actually about 3/4 inch after surfacing.
Using nominal dimensions: (2 x 4 x 8) / 12 = 5.33 board feet. However, 2x4s and other dimensional lumber are usually sold by the linear foot, not board foot. Board foot pricing is mainly used for hardwood lumber.
Want to learn more before you start your project?
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