Board Feet Cost Calculator

About this calculator

A board foot is the standard unit of lumber volume in North American woodworking, defined as a piece of wood 12 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 1 inch thick — equivalent to 144 cubic inches. Because lumber is sold by volume rather than by the piece, the formula board feet = (thickness in inches × width in inches × length in inches) / 144 lets you convert any board's dimensions into the unit lumber yards actually price by, regardless of whether the board is a thin trim strip or a thick structural beam.

Woodworkers, contractors and lumber yards rely on board-foot pricing because it accounts fairly for both the volume and grade of wood — a thick hardwood slab costs more per board foot than construction-grade pine, but pricing by volume rather than by linear length means a 2×4 and a 1×8 of the same length aren't priced the same. Calculating total board feet and multiplying by the price per board foot lets anyone building furniture, framing a structure, or bidding a job estimate material costs accurately before buying.

This calculator takes your board's dimensions, quantity and price per board foot and returns the total board feet and total lumber cost.