Board Feet Lumber Calculator
Estimate the board footage, metric volume, and total price of any lumber order from its dimensions and quantity.
in
in
Length unit
pcs
$/BF
For 10 piece(s)
- 1
Board feet per piece
(1 × 6 × 8) ÷ 12 = 4 - 2
Total board feet
4 × 10 = 40
How does this calculator work?
Board feet equal thickness (in) times width (in) times length (ft) divided by 12, multiplied by quantity; use 144 instead of 12 when the length is in inches. Multiply board feet by 0.002359737 for cubic meters, and by your price per board foot for the total lumber cost.
Formula
How this is calculated
A board foot is the standard volume unit for rough lumber, equal to a piece 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 1 foot long (144 cubic inches). Enter the nominal thickness and width in inches and the length of one piece. When the length is given in feet, board feet per piece = (T × W × L) / 12; when it is given in inches, the denominator becomes 144 because every dimension is now in inches. Multiply by the quantity to get the total board footage for the order.
The metric volume is found by multiplying total board feet by 0.002359737, the number of cubic meters in one board foot. Total cost simply multiplies total board feet by your price per board foot; leave the price blank to skip the cost line. Use nominal sizes the way your supplier quotes them, since lumber is usually priced on nominal rather than actual (dressed) dimensions.
Thickness, width, length, and quantity must all be positive numbers, so the calculator returns no result for zero or negative entries. Price is optional and only affects the cost figure. Because board feet measure volume, the result is independent of whether the wood is hardwood or softwood, but pricing per board foot will differ by species and grade.
Frequently asked questions
A board foot is a volume of lumber equal to 144 cubic inches — for example a board 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 1 foot long. It is the standard unit suppliers use to price rough sawn lumber.
Use the nominal dimensions your supplier quotes (e.g. a "1×6"), because board-foot pricing is almost always based on nominal size rather than the smaller dressed size after planing.
Multiply the total board feet by 0.002359737. One board foot equals 144 cubic inches, which is about 0.00236 cubic meters.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Board Feet Lumber Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/board-feet-lumber-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Board Feet Lumber Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/board-feet-lumber-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Board Feet Lumber Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/board-feet-lumber-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_board_feet_lumber_calculator, title = {Board Feet Lumber Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/board-feet-lumber-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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