Board Foot CALCULATOR

What is a board foot actually?

A board foot is a standard unit for measuring the volume of wood in the lumber and woodworking industries. A board foot utilizes the thickness, width, and length of lumber and gives a true representation of the wood's volume. One board foot equals a piece of wood measuring 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long. When you calculate the board foot in inches, its formula is (Thickness (inches) × Width (inches) × Length (inches)) ÷ 144. If you prefer to calculate in feet, the formula changes to: (Thickness × Width × Length in feet) ÷ 12. Luckily, thanks to our board foot calculator, you do not need to mess around with mathematics. Simply navigate to the top of the page to use our calculator.

Board Foot Calculation Examples

Let’s go deeper into the functioning of the board foot even more for those who wish to understand the calculation. Let’s remember what the formula for calculating board foot was in inches

Board Foot = (Thickness × Width × Length) ÷ 144

Let’s say you have a board that is 2 inches thick, 8 inches wide, and 12 feet long. Then the calculation becomes: Board Feet = (2 × 8 × 12) ÷ 12 = 16

That was pretty simple, right? Actually yes, but in the digital age, people want to use calculators, such as the board foot calculator or board feet calculator, for even simple stuff, and it makes sense. Now imagine handling larger dimensions or calculating multiple boards—it quickly becomes time-consuming without a calculator.

Lumber Price and Estimated Cost Calculation

Our board foot calculator does not just measure wood volume—it also estimates total cost in dollars for your project. To do that, you may enter the Quantity information, which represents how many lumber pieces you need in the measurements you specified. Then, enter the cost per lumber, which means the cost of one lumber in the measurements you specified.

This feature is ideal for contractors, woodworkers, and DIYers who want a fast, accurate way to plan project budgets. Instead of dealing with double math, you can get both the board foot measurement and the total cost in seconds.

For example, if you need ten pieces of lumber, each measuring 2 board feet and each costing $5, the total cost will be calculated as $50. This makes planning, budgeting, and comparing prices at lumberyards much easier and more accurate.

Calculate Multiple Boards at Once

If your project uses boards of different sizes, you don’t need to calculate each one separately in the board feet calculator. Simply click the “Add Board” button to enter multiple boards with different dimensions. The calculator will automatically sum up the total board feet and, if a lumber price is provided, the estimated cost for all boards combined as well as figures for each individual board. This feature saves time and ensures accurate results for projects with varying lumber sizes

How to Use Our Board Foot Calculator

If you’re unsure how to use the Board Foot Calculator, here’s a quick step-by-step guide. The use of the calculator is pretty simple. After you navigate to the top of the page to the calculator section, you will see ‘Thickness’ as the first field. As its name suggests, type the thickness of the lumber in either inch, feet, yards, centimeters, or meters. You can choose the measurement type right next to the field, which is inch by default. ‘Width’ and ‘Length’ fields follow ‘Thickness’ fields. The same logic applies here too: enter the measurement and choose the measurement type.

The ‘Lumber Price’ field, which is optional, is the next. This field is very useful for those who need more lumber than one and want to see their total costs. Here you will type the cost in dollars per lumber. Right below the ‘Lumber Price’ field, there is the ‘Quantity Field.’ This is especially important if you filled the ‘Lumber Price’ field. Here specify how much lumber you need in the measurements you specified. The total cost will be calculated based on this.

You successfully filled all the fields in the board feet calculator. What you need to do now is to click on the ‘Calculate’ button. However, if you need more lumber in different sizes, then you can also click ‘Add Board’ before calculating. This will enable you to include boards in different sizes at the same time. After pressing the ‘Calculate’ button. The results will appear on the same page.

Board Foot vs Linear Foot vs Cubic Foot

Board foot, linear foot, and cubic foot are often confused because all three are common in lumber and construction. A board foot measures the volume of a piece of wood, taking into account its thickness, width, and length. A linear foot, on the other hand, measures only length. It does not consider the width or thickness of the material. For instance, if you have a plank that is 10 feet long, regardless of whether it’s 2 inches wide or 12 inches wide, it is still considered 10 linear feet. This measurement is often used for trim, pipes, or other materials sold by length.

A cubic foot represents the entire volume in three dimensions (length × width × height). This measurement is often used for bulk materials, such as concrete, soil, or large timber, where the total volume matters. You can check our other calculators along with the Board Foot Calculator to also measure linear foot and cubic foot!

Why Use the Board Foot Calculator?

The board foot calculator is a valuable tool for anyone involved in woodworking, construction, or lumber procurement. Calculating board feet manually is time-consuming and error-prone, especially when working with multiple boards of different sizes. In the digital world, now we have more efficient and handier tools.

Using a board foot calculator ensures accurate measurements. It allows you to have efficient project planning and material management. When a lumber price is provided, the tool can also generate an estimated cost, which enables budgeting and procurement decisions.

When dealing with multiple boards, it becomes even more challenging. The board feet calculator can process multiple boards simultaneously, summing both total board feet and estimated costs automatically. This functionality minimizes errors, prevents material shortages, and supports precise planning for both small- and large-scale projects.

Advanced Tips for Professionals

Using the Board Foot Calculator is helpful, but some other factors—like waste, moisture, and grading—also affect cost and planning. For professionals in woodworking, construction, or lumber procurement, there are several advanced considerations that are important when calculating board feet.

First, it is important to account for waste and cutting losses. Calculated board feet do not include offcuts or errors, so we recommend you add a small buffer to material estimates. Second, the type and moisture content of the wood are critical factors. Kiln-dried and green lumber vary in size and weight, which can affect both volume and cost. Adjusting for these differences ensures more accurate planning. Third, grading and quality differences are significant. Higher-grade hardwoods are often more expensive per board foot, so including lumber quality in cost estimates might be important for accurate budgeting.

Finally, when multiple boards of different sizes are used, a board foot calculator with multi-board input is highly beneficial, such as our calculator. It automatically aggregates totals, reduces errors, and saves time on large projects. We believe that these advanced practices are essential for maintaining precision, controlling costs, and optimizing material usage in complex woodworking and construction projects.

Conclusion

On this page, we wanted to provide you with a handy board foot calculator to facilitate your job. Our calculator is designed to be simple, accurate, and user-friendly. Below, we also wanted to provide you with the related terms to the board foot calculation and frequently asked questions, thinking that you might want to take a look. In addition, you can always contact us for more questions or advice by visiting the contact page!