Category: Calculators
Board Foot Calculator
Work out board feet and lumber cost from board dimensions
Enter a board's thickness, width and length to calculate board feet, and optionally the total cost.
Thickness and width are in inches and length is in feet, the standard sizing for board feet; one board foot is a board 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 12 inches long.
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What this tool does
The calculator multiplies thickness by width by length and divides by 12 to get the board feet for one board, using the standard convention of inches for thickness and width and feet for length. Multiplying by the number of boards gives the total, and an optional price per board foot gives the estimated cost.
How to use it
- Enter the board's thickness and width in inches.
- Enter the board's length in feet.
- Enter the number of boards.
- Optionally enter a price per board foot to see the estimated cost.
Privacy
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your input is never uploaded, stored or shared — closing the tab removes it.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a board foot?
- A unit of lumber volume equal to a board 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 12 inches long, or 144 cubic inches; it is the standard unit lumber is priced in.
- Why is length in feet but thickness and width in inches?
- That mixed convention is standard in the lumber trade; the formula divides by 12 to bring the units into agreement, so entering length in feet and the other two in inches gives the correct board foot count.
- How do I convert a length given in inches?
- Divide it by 12 to get feet before entering it, for example a 30 inch board is 2.5 feet.