Board Foot Calculator
A board foot is 144 cubic inches of lumber — a 1 × 12 one foot long. Hardwood and rough-sawn lumber are priced by the board foot; enter nominal dimensions (a 2×4 is 2 by 4, a 4/4 board is 1″ thick) and the piece count. Add your price per board foot to get the cost.
53.3 board feet — one board foot is 144 cubic inches of nominal lumber; hardwood is priced this way.
- Per piece
- 5.33 bf
- Pieces
- 10
- Linear feet
- 80 lf
- Board feet
- 53.3 bf
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How to calculate board feet by hand
Board feet = Thickness (in) × Width (in) × Length (ft) ÷ 12 × pieces
Worked example
- One 2×4 × 8 ft: 2 × 4 × 8 ÷ 12 = 5.33 board feet.
- Ten of them: 53.3 bf.
- A 4/4 (1″) × 6″ × 10 ft hardwood board: 1 × 6 × 10 ÷ 12 = 5 bf; at $8/bf that is $40.
- Use nominal sizes: a “2×4” is 1½ × 3½″ actual but is sold as 2 × 4.
- 2×4 × 8 ft
- 5.33 bf
- 2×6 × 12 ft
- 12 bf
- 2×10 × 16 ft
- 26.7 bf
- 1×12 × 1 ft
- 1 bf (the definition)
Questions crews ask
How do you calculate board feet?
Multiply nominal thickness and width in inches by the length in feet and divide by 12. A 2×6 that is 10 ft long is 2 × 6 × 10 ÷ 12 = 10 board feet. For length in inches, divide by 144 instead.
How many board feet in a 2x4?
5.33 bf for an 8-footer, 6.67 for 10 ft, 8 for 12 ft, 10.67 for 16 ft. Any 2×4 is ⅔ of a board foot per linear foot.
Do I use nominal or actual size?
Nominal. Lumber is sold on the rough-sawn size before planing: a 2×4 counts as 2 × 4 even though it measures 1½ × 3½″. Hardwood thickness is quoted in quarters — 4/4 is 1″, 5/4 is 1¼″, 8/4 is 2″.
What is a board foot of hardwood worth?
In 2026, roughly $4–$7 per bf for poplar and red oak, $6–$10 for maple, cherry and white oak, $10–$20 for walnut, and $20+ for exotics — from a hardwood dealer, rough-sawn. Big-box S4S hardwood is often double that per board foot.
How many board feet do I need for a project?
Convert each part to board feet from its rough dimensions (add ¼″ to thickness and width and 1–2″ to length for milling), total them, then add 20–30% for defects, grain matching and mistakes. Hardwood comes in random widths and lengths, so buy generously.