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Board Foot Calculator
Find total board footage and pricing for any lumber size or species. Perfect for estimating rough stock purchases, milling loss, and project cost accuracy.
Quick guidance
- Use rough sizes for buying, finished sizes for design.
- Add waste for knots, checks, milling, and defects.
- If you need color match, buy extra from the same batch.
Shop reality: A “perfect” yield estimate rarely survives grain, sapwood, and surprise warp. Add margin.
Board Foot & Wood Price Calculator
Board Feet: 0.00
Price Range: $22.00 – $25.00 / bdft
Estimated Total: $0.00
Formula
Board Feet
Board Feet = (Thickness[in] × Width[in] × Length[in]) / 1441 board foot = 1" × 12" × 12" (144 cubic inches).
How to use
- Choose a species (optional) to reference price per board foot.
- Enter thickness, width, and length in inches.
- Set quantity for multiple boards.
- Add a waste factor for milling, defects, and offcuts.
Pro tips
- • Price with rough sizes plus waste. Order extra to avoid shortages.
- • Common rough thicknesses: 4/4 (~1"), 5/4, 6/4, 8/4.
- • Plan for end checks, knots, sapwood, and surfacing loss.
FAQs
Why divide by 144?
There are 144 in² in 1 ft². The formula converts cubic inches to board feet since 1 BF equals 1" × 12" × 12".
Rough vs finished size?
Use rough sizes for ordering and pricing. Use finished sizes for your final design dimensions. Milling can remove significant thickness and width.