Build your lumber tally like you're standing at the yard: add each board, pick a 4/4–16/4 thickness or type inches, and get total board feet plus estimated cost. The board foot formula is BF = thickness″ × width″ × length′ ÷ 12, figured on nominal dimensions.
| Thickness | Width ″ | Length ′ | Qty | Species / $ per bf | bd ft |
|---|
A board foot is the standard volume unit for hardwood lumber in North America: one board foot is a piece 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 12 inches long — 144 cubic inches of wood. Sawmills, hardwood dealers and lumber yards all price rough lumber by the board foot, so knowing your project's total is the difference between a confident order and an awkward second trip.
The formula this calculator uses is the same one the yard uses: thickness (inches) × width (inches) × length (feet) ÷ 12. If your length is in inches too, divide by 144 instead. Two conventions matter:
Enter each board on its own line — the tally slip on the right adds everything up, applies your $/bf prices, and prints as a clean cut list you can take to the yard. Your boards stay in your browser (nothing is uploaded), so the list is still here when you come back.
Say a coffee-table build needs two 8/4 walnut boards 7″ × 8′, and eight 4/4 maple boards 6″ × 10′. The walnut is 2 × 7 × 8 ÷ 12 × 2 = 18.67 bf; the maple is 1 × 6 × 10 ÷ 12 × 8 = 40 bf. At $11.50/bf and $7.25/bf you're looking at 58.67 bf and roughly $505 — before waste. Most woodworkers add 15–30% for defects, grain matching and mistakes; buy the extra board now and thank yourself later.
Multiply thickness in inches × width in inches × length in feet, then divide by 12. Example: a 2×6 that's 10′ long = 2 × 6 × 10 ÷ 12 = 10 board feet exactly.
A linear (lineal) foot only measures length along the board; a board foot measures volume. Convert between them with the BF ↔ LF converter — you need the board's width and thickness to do it.
No — sheet goods are sold by the sheet or square foot. Board feet are for solid lumber. For coverage math at a given thickness see BF ↔ square feet.
15% for straightforward paint-grade work; 25–30% for furniture where you'll cut around knots and match grain. Rough lumber surprises you — always in the wrong direction.
Doyle, Scribner & International ¼″ — all three rules from one small-end diameter.
Scale a log →Every common size from 1×4 to 8×8, six lengths, one clean page for the shop wall.
Print the chart →How heavy is the stack? 24 species from the USDA Wood Handbook, green or dry.
Weigh it →Reference $/bf ranges by species, and how to read a hardwood price list.
See prices →