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Board Foot Calculator
You can relate to me that whenever we visit the lumberyards, terms like board foot or board feet are quite common. The lumber masters keep repeating them, and the boards or logs are clearly marked by these measurements. They are used as a unit of calculations as compared to linear foot or square foot.
Being humans, we are intuitively inclined towards thinking, therefore you might have pondered what this board footage calculator is. Simply, it is a unit of measurement used in the lumber or carpentry industry to compute the volume of wood or logs. It is calculated in two ways, either by using the board foot calculator or by applying the board foot formula.
The reason behind using the bd ft calculator, or board foot as a unit of log estimation, is quite simple. It provides a more accurate and holistic measurement of boards compared to other units. The app above can easily compute board feet and convert units automatically. Additionally, it also provides the price per board log.
What is a board foot?
It is a unit of measurement that is used in the carpentry or wood industry to compute the volume of wood or logs. It provides a holistic estimation of wood that is 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long, which equals 144 cubic inches. Understanding board foot or board feet provides an accurate measurement to avoid buying too much or too little wood. Commonly, board foot calculator units are abbreviated as bd ft, BDFT, BF, or FBM (foot, board measure).
Large logs of rough wood, hardwood lumber, softwood, and plywood are usually measured with the board foot calculator. Because length alone is not enough to determine or quantify the volume of the log. Because sometimes logs that are thick and wide contain more wood than the normal ones, so in such case we need to measure all dimensions, not just the length.
It can easily be understood by having two boards of different lengths like 2″ × 6″ × 10′ and 3″ × 4″ × 10′. Both have the same amount of wood if they are calculated by a lumber calculator, whereas if we consider only length as an estimation, it might make the thinner board or log appear larger.
how to calculate board feet?
Luckily, calculating board feet for lumber is quite easy or rather, it’s just a piece of cake. It does not involve clumsy or extensive calculations; rather, it is based on just a few movements of your fingers on our app to calculate board foot. Additionally, you can also calculate by using the following formula.
Board Foot Formula
A (bd ft) measures the volume of lumber by employing this equation:
Board Feet (bd ft) = (Thickness in inches × Width in inches × Length in feet) ÷ 12
By employing the above equation, you can easily estimate or calculate the volume of any board, whether it’s the conversion of square feet to linear feet or just the direct measurement of volume. Instead of bothering yourself with extensive calculations, simply use our accurate and precise board foot calculator for flawless results.
Using Length in Inches
The bd ft app is quite convenient to use, as it provides the privilege of computing the volume of logs in both inches and feet for a flawless estimation. To calculate in inches, you need to multiply the board’s thickness by its width and length (all in inches), and then divide the result by144.
This equation can be used to have an idea in inches . = (Thickness × Width × Length) ÷ 144
Using Length in Feet
Apart from using inches, we can also calculate the board footage if the dimensions are given in feet. In such a scenario, we multiply the board’s thickness by its width (both in inches) and then by its length (in feet). Finally, we divide the result by 12. The equation used for this type of board foot calculation is:
Board Feet = (Thickness in inches × Width in inches × Length in feet) ÷ 12
So the query on how to calculate board feet is settled now. We have two ways to find it either by using the above app or by applying the aforementioned formulas.
How to Calculate the Board Footage of a Log
When it comes to logs, the board foot calculation is slightly different than boards. In this, instead of just thickness, width, and length, you need to consider the diameter and the length of the logs. So, to calculate the board footage of a log, you need to measure its diameter and length as I have mentioned before, then apply a standard log rule or formula. The most widely used are the Doyle Rule, Scribner Rule, and International 1/4-Inch Rule. A simple way to calculate board feet in a log is:
Board Foot = (Diameter in inches – 4)² × Length (in feet) ÷ 16 (Doyle Rule)
Example
If a log has a diameter of 16 inches and a length of 12 feet, the calculation is: (16 – 4)² × 12 ÷ 16 = (12² × 12) ÷ 16 = 144 × 12 ÷ 16 = 108 bd ft . This means the log contains approximately 108 BF of lumber.
Board Feet Charts
Below are the accurate and precise values of 4/4 and 8/4 boards, which you copy in the excel or spreadsheet for your personal or other calculations.
Board Feet per Linear Foot
Here is the chart based on common thicknesses at 12″ width.
| Thickness | 1′ L | 2′ L | 4′ L | 8′ L |
| 4/4 (1″) | 1.0 BF | 2.0 BF | 4.0 BF | 8.0 BF |
| 5/4 (1.25″) | 1.25 BF | 2.5 BF | 5.0 BF | 10.0 BF |
| 8/4 (2″) | 2.0 BF | 4.0 BF | 8.0 BF | 16.0 BF |
4/4 Lumber (1″ Thick)
Here is the chart for Board foot and cubic foot measurements for 4/4′′ thick lumber at various
widths and lengths.
| Width (in) | 4′ L | 6′ L | 8′ L | 10′ L | 12′ L | 14′ L |
| 4″ W | 1.33 BF / 0.11 CF | 2.0 BF / 0.17 CF | 2.67 BF / 0.22 CF | 3.33 BF / 0.28 CF | 4.0 BF / 0.33 CF | 4.67 BF / 0.39 CF |
| 6″ W | 2.0 BF / 0.17 CF | 3.0 BF / 0.25 CF | 4.0 BF / 0.33 CF | 5.0 BF / 0.42 CF | 6.0 BF / 0.50 CF | 7.0 BF / 0.58 CF |
| 8″ W | 2.67 BF / 0.22 CF | 4.0 BF / 0.33 CF | 5.33 BF / 0.44 CF | 6.67 BF / 0.56 CF | 8.0 BF / 0.67 CF | 9.33 BF / 0.78 CF |
| 10″ W | 3.33 BF / 0.28 CF | 5.0 BF / 0.42 CF | 6.67 BF / 0.56 CF | 8.33 BF / 0.69 CF | 10.0 BF / 0.83 CF | 11.67 BF / 0.97 CF |
| 12″ W | 4.0 BF / 0.33 CF | 6.0 BF / 0.50 CF | 8.0 BF / 0.67 CF | 10.0 BF / 0.83 CF | 12.0 BF / 1.0 CF | 14.0 BF / 1.17 CF |
8/4 Lumber (2″ Thick)
Here is the chart for Board feet and cubic foot measurements for 8/4″ thick lumber at various widths and lengths. To avoid the too short or too wide scenarios.
| Width (in) | 4′ L | 6′ L | 8′ L | 10′ L | 12′ L | 14′ L |
| 4″ W | 2.67 BF / 0.22 CF | 4.0 BF / 0.33 CF | 5.33 BF / 0.44 CF | 6.67 BF / 0.56 CF | 8.0 BF / 0.67 CF | 9.33 BF / 0.78 CF |
| 6″ W | 4.0 BF / 0.33 CF | 6.0 BF / 0.50 CF | 8.0 BF / 0.67 CF | 10.0 BF / 0.83 CF | 12.0 BF / 1.0 CF | 14.0 BF / 1.17 CF |
| 8″ W | 5.33 BF / 0.44 CF | 8.0 BF / 0.67 CF | 10.67 BF / 0.89 CF | 13.33 BF / 1.11 CF | 16.0 BF / 1.33 CF | 18.67 BF / 1.56 CF |
| 10″ W | 6.67 BF / 0.56 CF | 10.0 BF / 0.83 CF | 13.33 BF / 1.11 CF | 16.67 BF / 1.39 CF | 20.0 BF / 1.67 CF | 23.33 BF / 1.94 CF |
| 12″ W | 8.0 BF / 0.67 CF | 12.0 BF / 1.0 CF | 16.0 BF / 1.33 CF | 20.0 BF / 1.67 CF | 24.0 BF / 2.0 CF | 28.0 BF / 2.33 CF |
How to Calculate Board Foot Cost and Price per Board Foot
To calculate the price per board foot is quite simple, just like the other calculations. Once you have an idea about the board foot measurement and the total price of your lumber, you can use the following formula for easy, precise, and accurate estimations of board foot:
Price per Board Foot = Total Price of Lumber ÷ Total Board Feet
Step by step price calculation
- In the very first step, calculate the board foot by using the board foot calculator.
- Next, find out the total cost of the board or timber log.
- In the third and final step, divide the total price of the lumber by the total board feet, and you will get the price per board foot.
Example
Consider the hard board having estimated measurements of 2″ × 6″ × 10′. The board feet measure of this data is = (2 × 6 × 10) ÷ 12 = 10 BF. And let suppose that if the costs of board is 60 $ then: price per board foot = 60/10= 6$ per BF This method is quite effective whether you are calculating manually or just using tools like a board feet calculator. By knowing the cost per board foot you can do the contrastive analysis or comparison between different lumbers, woods or logs.
Using the lumber calculator: A consideration
Let’s, for a second, assume that you are in need of estimating the board foot. To have an idea of log measurements for your projects so that it can be done smoothly. Without the stress of logs being too long or too short, you can follow the following steps to operate smoothly without errors.
- At first, you have to decide how many logs or boards you want to buy. Let’s consider 5 boards.
- Now, choose the dimensions of the wooden boards. Let’s consider a piece of hardwood that is 10 feet long, 8 inches wide, and 2.25 inches thick.
- Simply put all these numbers into the lumber or board foot calculator to calculate per board:
- B F = (Length (ft) × Width (in) × Thickness (in)) ÷ 12
- B F = (10 × 8 × 2.25) ÷ 12 = 180 ÷ 12 = 15 BF (per board)
- Just, multiply this result by the total number of pieces to obtain the total board footage of your material: 15 × 5 = 75 BF (total).
- Finally, multiply this value by the price per board foot to get an idea of the total cost. If the price is $5, then the total cost will be: 75 × 5 = $375.
Note, in case you don’t want to put yourself in this theoretical work then we will recommend you to use our board feet calculator for effortless and best results.
Final Thoughts
In a nutshell board foot calculator is a remarkable tool as it provides the hustle-free measurement of the logs , along with the price per board feet, unit conversion and downloading of data in CSV. Do use this lumber calculator or bd ft calculator and do not forget to refer it for error-free results.