How to Use the Lumber Board Feet Calculator
Lumber yards and contractors in the U.S. typically price wood by the board foot rather than by the piece, which can make it hard to compare orders of different sizes at a glance. Enter your board's thickness, width, length, and quantity, and this calculator instantly returns the total board footage.
A board foot is the standard U.S. unit for lumber volume, equal to a piece measuring 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long. The formula is straightforward: thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft), divided by 12. Multiply the per-piece result by your quantity to get the total for an entire order.
For example, a 2in × 6in board that's 8ft long works out to 8 board feet per piece. Order 10 of them and you'd need 80 board feet total. Since lumber yards often quote price per board foot, calculating this ahead of time makes it much easier to sanity-check a quote or compare prices between suppliers.
Frequently Asked Questions
A board foot is the standard U.S. unit for lumber volume — the equivalent of a piece 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long.
Board feet = thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft) ÷ 12. Multiply by quantity to get the total for an entire order.