Board feet and lumber
Board feet and cubic metres, nominal versus actual sizes for dimensional lumber and hardwood sold in quarters, prices per board foot, linear foot, piece, or m³, a lumber list with waste factor and totals, and approximate weight.
Added
Works with
- Wood species Woodworkinghardness, density and properties to choose the species before pricing it
- Wood turning Woodworkingboard feet and cost for the segment strips in its cut list
How to use it
Board feet = thickness × width × length in inches ÷ 144 — one board foot is a 1" × 12" × 12"
board. Thickness can be in quarters (8/4 = 2"), lengths in feet (8'). Metric volumes are in m³;
1 m³ = 423.8 board feet.
-
Hardwood is sold on its rough (green-sawn) thickness: 8/4 counts as 2" though it planes to about 1-3/4". The quarters table lists typical surfaced-two-sides (S2S) thicknesses.
-
Dimensional lumber (softwood S4S) is counted on its nominal size: a 2x4 is 1-1/2" × 3-1/2" but counts as 2 × 4. Pick a nominal size in the list and the thickness and width fill in with the actual dressed sizes (US ALSC/PS 20 sizes).
-
Lumber list — each row is priced per board foot, linear foot, or piece (per m³, metre, or piece in metric). The waste factor (15–30% is usual for rough lumber; less for sheet goods) inflates what to buy and its cost.
-
Weight uses Wood Handbook densities at 12% moisture content and the actual size; real boards vary ±15% or more, and green wood is much heavier.
Sharing
Share link copies a URL that opens this tool exactly as you have it set up. It carries the lumber list, prices and quick calculation. Opening a link replaces your own saved settings for the tool; a Restore my settings button brings them back. To write a link by hand, use species, units — for example /tools/lumber/?species=Walnut.
Feedback is a gift. Something to improve, a feature to add, or a bug? Tell me.
Runs entirely in your browser; nothing you type leaves this page.