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Board Foot Calculator
Hardwood is sold by the board foot, not the piece. Enter the rough dimensions and how many boards, and this gives you the volume and what it costs at your yard's price.
Your numbers
Result
Board feet
40
bd ft
- Order with waste
- 46bd ft
- Cost with waste
- $299
- Cost, exact
- $260
- Per board
- 4bd ft
- Linear footage
- 80ft
How this is calculated
- Board feet = (thickness in inches × width in inches × length in inches) ÷ 144.
- One board foot is 144 cubic inches — a piece 1 in thick, 12 in wide and 12 in long.
- Total = board feet per board × number of boards, then × (1 + waste).
Before you order
- Board feet are calculated on ROUGH dimensions, before surfacing. A board sold as 4/4 measures nearer 13/16 in once it is planed, and you pay for the inch.
- Quarters are how hardwood thickness is quoted: 4/4 is one inch, 8/4 is two. It refers to quarters of an inch.
- Softwood construction lumber is usually sold by the piece or linear foot instead, so this is mostly a hardwood tool.
- 15-20% waste is normal and can go higher on figured or defect-heavy stock. Buying exactly what the drawing calls for is how you end up short.
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