Board Foot Calculator

An online board foot calculator allows you to get a proper estimate of the volume of a standard hardwood lumber in various units of measurements. Yes, you can measure the dimensions of any lumber piece manually as it is a very easy method. After doing so, give these dimensions to a free online board feet calculator to estimate the volume of the given lumber. For a complete understanding, scroll down!

What Is A Board Foot In Lumber (BF)?

“A wood piece measurement for a lumber that is 1”(25.4mm) thick, 12” wide(305mm) and 1’(305mm) long is called a board foot.”

 

Board Foot Formula:

You can easily determine the volume of either one or a giant of a lumber with the help of this equation:

$$ Board Foot = \frac{T * W * L}{12} $$

{FOR LENGTH IN FEET}

$$ Board Foot = \frac{T * W * L}{144} $$

{FOR LENGTH IN INCHES}

Where;

T = thickness of the wood lumber in inches.

W = width of the wood lumber in inches.

L = length of the wood lumber in feet.

Board Foot Units:

According to the System International:

$$ 1 FBM = 0.002359737 m^{3} $$

In US Customary:

$$ 1 FBM = \frac{1}{12} ft^{3} $$

For instance, take a look of the board foot in various units below:

$$ 1 board foot = 1 ft × 1 ft × 1 in $$

$$ = 12 in × 12 in × 1 in $ $$ = 144 in^{3}$$

$$ = 1/12 ft^{3} $$

$$ = 2,360 cm^{3} $$

$$ = 0.00236 cubic meters $$

Important Thickness:

It should be noted for various board sizes, we have different thickness defined. The standard thickness for a variety of boards is tabulated as below:

Board Size	Thickness
4/4	1
5/4	1.25
6/4	1.5
8/4	2
12/4	3
16/4	4

However, the following table shows the estimated board feet present in 1ft of wood:

Lumber Dimension	Board Foot Measurement
1x4	.334
2x4	.667
1x6	.5
2x6	1
1x8	.667
2x8	1.334
1x10	.834
2x10	1.667
1x12	1
2x12	2
5/4x4	.416
5/4x6	.625

Also, you can use our free online board foot calculator to determine these thickness for double check.

How To Calculate Board Feet?

Most retailers and wholesale suppliers use a free bf calculator to calculate the board feet to run their sawmill businesses. In case you are not being entertained with the facility of the internet, you can have proper board foot calculation manually. Let us solve some examples for the sake of your ease!

Example # 01:

How to figure board feet for a wood lumber having following dimensions:

Width = 35” Length = 2’ Thickness = 13”

Solution:

Calculating board feet:

$$ Board Feet = \frac{T * W * L}{12} $$

$$ Board Feet = \frac{13” * 35” * 2’}{12} $$

$$ Board Feet = \frac{910}{12} $$

$$ Board Feet = 75.833 bd ft $$

Here, our free online lumber calculator estimates the most accurate volume of the wood lumber quickly.

Example # 02:

If the length of a lumber is 5ft, width as 65in, and thickness to be 41in. How to calculate board foot?

Solution:

The board foot formula is given as:

$$ Board Foot = \frac{T * W * L}{12} $$

$$ Board Foot = \frac{41” * 65” * 5’}{12} $$

$$ Board Foot = \frac{13325}{12} $$

$$ Board Foot = 1110.43 bd ft $$

Example # 03:

An 8/4 board is 8in wide and 23ft long. How do you calculate board feet?

Solution:

Using board foot formula:

$$ Board Foot = \frac{T * W * L}{12} $$

Calculating board feet for the given wood piece:

$$ Board Foot = \frac{2” * 8” * 23}{12} $$

$$ Board Foot = 30.666 bd ft $$

You can also use a free online board foot calculator for instant calculation when you have to measure board feet in a huge stock of lumber.

How Board Foot Calculator Works?

You can have a significant clue about the total volume of the wood panels by subjecting to a free online board ft calculator. What you need to do is:

Input:

• Select the number of wood lumber pieces for which you want to calculate board feet.
• After this, enter the thickness of wood pieces and its corresponding unit as well.
• Enter the width of wood lumber along with its selected unit.
• Repeat the same process for length.
• Enter the price for one board foot if you want. This is done so to get a fixed price of board feet against the complete volume.
• Hit the ‘calculate’ button

Output:

Our free lumber board feet calculator estimates:

• Most accurate board feet defined for wood lumber stock available.
• Accurate price for the whole assets.

FAQ’s:

What do you mean by the term “Surface Measure”?

The exact measurement of square feet on the surface of a wood lumber is known as surface measure.

$$ Surface Measure = \frac{W*L}{12} $$

What is meant by nominal measurement?

The measurement of a board before it is dried and planed is known as nominal measurement.

How do you define lineal measurement?

The total length of a log in feet is called lineal measurement.

For example:

A 3ft long board with a width of 45in and thickness to be 2” has a lineal measure of 3ft.

Conclusion:

Board foot has been broad casted on a giant scale in the wood industry. Wholesalers, Retailers and Sawmill workers widely prefer to use a free online free board foot calculator to obtain an estimated volume against the number of logs they contain in their warehouse. This is the best method to obtain quick results for sure.

References:

From the source of wikipedia: Stere, Unit of measurement, Systems of units.

From the source of sciencing: Volume of Wood, Board Feet of a Tree, The Doyle scale​, The Scribner scale​.