Board Foot Calculator






How to use the Board Foot Calculator

The board foot calculator allows you to calculate the total board feet and cost for lumber. Here’s how to use it:

  1. Enter the number of pieces of lumber you want to calculate in the “Number of Pieces” field.
  2. Select the units for thickness, width, and length using the drop down menus. You can choose feet/inches or meters/cm.
  3. Enter the thickness, width, and length dimensions of each piece of lumber in the appropriate fields.
  4. Click the “Calculate” button. This will calculate and display the total board feet for all pieces entered based on the dimensions.
  5. Enter the price per square board foot of lumber in the “Price per Sq. Board” field. As you enter the price, it will automatically calculate and display the total cost below.
  6. Click the “Reset” button to clear all fields to start a new calculation.

Things to note:

  • Make sure to enter valid numbers for all fields. The calculator will alert you if any invalid values are entered.
  • The total board feet are rounded to 2 decimal places.
  • The total cost is formatted for US dollar currency.

What is a Board Foot?

A board foot is a unit of volume measurement for lumber in the United States and Canada. It represents the volume of a one-foot length of a board that is one foot wide and one inch thick.

More specifically, one board foot equals:

  • 1 inch thick
  • 1 foot wide
  • 1 foot long

So, a board foot consists of a theoretical board with dimensions of 1″ x 12″ x 12″.

To visualize this, a board foot would be a typical 1″ thick wooden board that is 12 inches wide and 12 inches long (1 foot long).

Why Use Board Feet?

Board feet are useful for measuring and pricing lumber because lumber is produced in many dimensions but is often priced by the board foot.

Reasons board feet are commonly used:

  • It allows pricing lumber by a standard unit volume rather than Dimensions. For example, a retailer may price Cherry wood at $5 per board Foot instead of complex Dimensional prices.
  • It simplifies estimating materials. For example, a woodworker can calculate the total board Feet needed for a project rather than adding up many complex component Dimensions.
  • Lumber mills and distributors track inventory by board feet harvested So the metric ties directly to inventory and production.
  • It better matches the typical length of lumber produced. Rather than Cubic dimensions, board feet use linear feet, reflecting how Lumber is most often produced and sold.

The board feet provide an easy, standardized volumetric Measure for pricing and tracking lumber in the wood products industry. The use has stuck in the US and Canada for its convenience.

The Board Foot Formula

T” x W” x L” ÷ 144 = Bd. Ft.

This formula calculates board feet by:

  • T” = Thickness in inches
  • W” = Width in inches
  • L” = Length in inches
  • Dividing by 144 to convert to board feet

3 Methods Same Result

There are 3 formulas that give the same result for board feet:

T” x W” x L” ÷ 144 = Bd. Ft.

T” x W” x L’ ÷ 12 = Bd. Ft.

T” x Sq. Ft. = Bd. Ft.

All 3 formulas factor in thickness, width, and length to get the rectangular volume. They handle the length unit conversion to board feet differently. But all yield the same result.

How To Calculate Board Feet

To calculate board feet, use one of the following formulas:

T” x W” x L” ÷ 144 = Bd. Ft.

  • T” = Thickness in inches
  • W” = Width in inches
  • L” = Length in inches

For example: 1″ x 6″ x 12″ = 72 / 144 = 0.5 board feet

Or

T” x W” x L’ ÷ 12 = Bd. Ft.

  • T” = Thickness in inches
  • W” = Width in inches
  • L’ = Length in feet

For example: 1″ x 6″ x 1′ = 6 / 12 = 0.5 board feet

Or

T” x Sq.Ft. = Bd. Ft.

  • T” = Thickness in inches
  • Ft. = The area in square feet

Using the Board Foot Calculator: An example

    1. Enter the number of pieces: 5
    2. Select thickness units: Inches
    3. Enter thickness: 1″
    4. Select width units: Inches
    5. Enter width: 6″
    6. Select length units: Feet
    7. Enter length: 12′
    8. Click Calculate

Result = 5 * (1″ * 6″ * 12′) / 12 = 5 * (1″ * 6″ * 1′)
= 5 * 6  board feet = 30 board feet

So, for 5 boards with dimensions 1″ x 6″ x 12′, the total board feet are 30

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