Lumber calculator — board feet
Board feet is the standard unit for pricing dimensional lumber. Enter your lumber sizes and quantities to get the total board feet for your order.
Board feet
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Total pieces
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Lineal feet
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Formula
Board feet = (thickness × width × length × quantity) / 12
where:
thickness = nominal inches (e.g. 2 for a 2×4)
width = nominal inches (e.g. 4 for a 2×4)
length = feet (e.g. 8 for an 8-foot board)
Common sizes
| Nominal | Board feet per 8-ft piece |
|---|---|
| 1×4 | 2.67 |
| 1×6 | 4 |
| 2×4 | 5.33 |
| 2×6 | 8 |
| 2×8 | 10.67 |
| 2×10 | 13.33 |
| 4×4 | 10.67 |
References
- Board foot — lumber volume unit and calculationWikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Lumber — nominal vs. actual dimensional sizesWikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
Frequently asked
What is a board foot?
A board foot is a volume unit: 1 inch thick × 12 inches wide × 1 foot long. Board feet = (thickness × width × length) / 12, where thickness and width are in inches and length is in feet.
How many board feet in a 2×4×8?
2 × 4 × 8 / 12 = 5.33 board feet. A 2×6×8 is 8 board feet and a 2×8×8 is 10.67 board feet.
Are these nominal or actual dimensions?
Use nominal dimensions — the labeled size, not the actual milled size. A nominal 2×4 is actually 1.5×3.5 inches, but the board foot formula uses the nominal 2×4 numbers.
What is a lineal foot?
A lineal (or linear) foot is simply the length of a board. It ignores width and thickness. Lineal feet help estimate project span coverage regardless of board width.
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