One 2×6 at 8 ft
- Input
- Thickness = 2 in, Width = 6 in, Length = 8 ft
- Working
- Board feet = 2 × 6 × 8 ÷ 12 = 96 ÷ 12 = 8.0 board feet.
- Result
- 8.0 board feet
Board Foot Calculator
Calculate board feet from thickness, width and length, total a cut list, and price it — with a table of board feet for common nominal sizes at 8 ft. Runs entirely in your browser — your numbers never leave this device.
Board 1: 8 board feet
Total board feet
8
One board foot = 144 cubic inches of wood.
- Total pieces
- 1
- Cost (set a price per board foot)
- —
Nominal vs actual sizes: a milled "2×4" actually measures 1.5 × 3.5 in. Enter actual dimensions for true volume — rough-sawn lumber is usually sold at its full nominal size.
How it works
Board feet = thickness (in) × width (in) × length (in) ÷ 144 | Equivalently: thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft) ÷ 12
| Nominal size | Board feet in an 8 ft length |
|---|---|
| 1×4 | 2.67 |
| 1×6 | 4.00 |
| 1×12 | 8.00 |
| 2×4 | 5.33 |
| 2×6 | 8.00 |
| 2×8 | 10.67 |
| 2×10 | 13.33 |
| 2×12 | 16.00 |
| 4×4 | 10.67 |
A board foot is a volume unit for lumber: a piece 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 1 foot long — 144 cubic inches. The formula divides a board's actual cubic volume by that unit, and it can be worked with length in inches over 144 or length in feet over 12; both forms are printed above and return the identical figure. Hardwood is sold by the board foot, so this is the unit a lumber bill is written in, and totalling a cut list is a matter of summing the board feet piece by piece.
The trap the method must state is nominal versus actual dimensions. Lumber is named by its rough, pre-drying size: a "2×4" is 1.5 × 3.5 inches in the hand, a "1×6" is 0.75 × 5.5. The table on this page is built on nominal sizes because that is how stock is ordered and how the standard figures are quoted — an 8 ft 2×4 counts 5.33 board feet nominally — but a volume that must be exact, such as yield from a resawn board, has to be calculated with actual measured dimensions entered instead of the name.
Pricing follows the total: board feet times the price per board foot quoted for the species and grade. The third worked example prices ten studs at $8 per board foot to show the chain from dimensions to dollars. Prices vary widely by species, grade and region, so the price is always an input, never a figure this page supplies.
Worked examples
One 1×12 shelf board at 6 ft
- Input
- Thickness = 1 in, Width = 12 in, Length = 6 ft
- Working
- Board feet = 1 × 12 × 6 ÷ 12 = 72 ÷ 12 = 6.0 board feet.
- Result
- 6.0 board feet
Ten 2×4 studs at 8 ft, priced
- Input
- 10 pieces, each 2 × 4 in × 8 ft, Price = $8 per board foot
- Working
- Per stud: 2 × 4 × 8 ÷ 12 = 5.33 board feet. Ten studs: 10 × 5.33 = 53.3 board feet. Cost = 53.3 × $8 = $426.67.
- Result
- 53.3 board feet · $426.67 at $8 per board foot
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is a board foot?
A unit of lumber volume equal to 144 cubic inches — a board 1 in thick by 12 in wide by 1 ft long. Any piece's board feet are its volume in cubic inches divided by 144, which is the formula printed on this page.
Why is a 2×4 not 2 by 4 inches?
The name is the nominal, rough-sawn size before drying and planing. A finished 2×4 measures 1.5 × 3.5 in. Ordering and the standard table use nominal sizes; an exact volume calculation must use the actual dimensions measured on the board.
How is lumber priced from board feet?
Total board feet multiplied by the quoted price per board foot for that species and grade — the third example turns 53.3 board feet into $426.67 at $8. The price itself is the supplier's figure and is entered, never assumed by this page.
Can a whole cut list be totalled?
Yes — board feet add. Calculate each piece or each group of identical pieces, as the stud example does with a multiplication by quantity, and sum the groups. Mixed species priced differently should be totalled as separate groups.
Are dimensions stored?
No. The calculation runs entirely in the browser and nothing entered is uploaded, stored or tracked.
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