Board Feet Chart and Calculator

One board foot of lumber is one square foot that is one inch thick. Board foot is a volume measurement used for lumber, where

• 1 board foot = 144 in³ = 1⁄12 ft³ = 2360 cm³ = 2.360 liters = 0.002360 m³

Board feet can be calculated as

BF = t w_ft L 

    = t w_in L / 12             (1)

where

BF = board feet

w_ft = nominal lumber width (ft)

w_in = nominal lumber width (in)

t = nominal lumber thickness (in)

L = nominal lumber length (ft)

Note the use of inches vs. feet.

Board Feet Calculator

Default values for a piece of lumber with dimensions 2" x 4" x 6'.

t - thickness (in)

w - width (in)

L - length (ft)

price (cost/bf)

• Download Board Feet Chart as pdf-file

Example - Beard Feet

The board feet for lumber 3 inches thick, 2 inches wide and 12 ft long - can be calculated as

BF = (3 in) (2 in) (12 ft) / 12

    = 6 board feet

- as indicated in the table above.

Quick Approximation for Calculating Board Feet

• 1 x 4 - divide linear length (feet) by 3 - (length x 1/3)
• 1 x 6 - divide linear length (feet) by 2  - (length x 1/2)
• 1 x 8 - multiply linear length (feet) by 0.66  - (length x 2/3)
• 1 x 12 - linear length (feet) equals board feet  - (length x 1) 
• 2 x 4 - multiply linear length by 0.66 - (length x 2/3)
• 2 x 6 -  linear length (feet) equals board feet - (length x 1)
• 2 x 8 - multiply linear length by 1.33  - (length x 1 1/3)
• 2 x 12 - multiply linear length by 2  - (length x 2)

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Citation

This page can be cited as

• Engineering ToolBox, (2009). Board Feet Chart and Calculator. [online] Available at: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/board-foot-d_1453.html [Accessed Day Mo. Year].

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