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Board Foot Calculator

Convert lumber dimensions to board feet and price a hardwood order — including quarter-sawn thickness conventions.

Short answer

Board Foot Calculator

56Total board feet

Order value is $392 — $32.67 per board. Hardwood is usually sold rough; expect to lose about 1/8 in of thickness and some width when you mill it flat and square.

How it's calculated: 12 boards at 4.67 BF each. Adjust the inputs below to recalculate for your own numbers.

Disclaimer: Estimates only — not a bid. Real construction costs swing with local labor rates, permits, soil and site conditions, material markets, and design choices. Get at least three written quotes from licensed contractors before budgeting.

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1

4/4 = 1 in, 5/4 = 1.25 in, 8/4 = 2 in.

7
8
12
$7.00
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Formula used

BF = thickness(in) × width(in) × length(ft) ÷ 12

Both forms give the same answer — use the ÷12 version when length is in feet, ÷144 when everything is in inches. One board foot is 144 cubic inches of wood.

BF = T × W × L(ft) ÷ 12 (or T × W × L(in) ÷ 144)
One board foot
144 in³
4/4 thickness
1 in rough
Milling loss
~1/8 in
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Buying hardwood by the board foot

Lumberyards measure rough thickness and often round width to the nearest inch. Random-width, random-length packs cost less per board foot but need more yield planning for a project with specific part sizes.

  • • Buy 20–30% extra for defect cutting and grain matching.
  • • FAS is the top grade; #1 Common is cheaper and fine for small parts.
  • • Surfaced (S2S) lumber costs more per BF but saves milling time.

FAQ

What is a board foot?

A volume unit equal to 144 cubic inches — a board one inch thick, twelve inches wide, and one foot long.

How do you calculate board feet for 4/4 lumber?

4/4 means one inch rough thickness. Multiply 1 × width in inches × length in feet, then divide by 12.

Why is hardwood sold in quarters?

It's a mill convention for rough thickness in quarters of an inch: 4/4 is one inch, 6/4 is 1.5 inches, 8/4 is two inches, all measured before surfacing.

How this calculator is built

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Written by Sam Doshi and the RevenueLab editorial team. We don't sell the data feeds this tool is built on.

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See our editorial policy and disclaimer. Results are estimates, not advice.

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