The Hardwood Store of North Carolina

How to Calculate Board Footage

We sell most of our lumber by the board foot. A board foot is actually a measure of volume. By definition a board foot is one square foot one inch thick.

To calculate board footage use the following formulas:

Board Footage =
	width in inches x length in feet x thickness in inches
	12
	- or -
	width in inches x length in inches x thickness in inches
	144

Try the New Board/Foot Calculator!

Thickness of Wood:
Width: (inches)	Length: (Feet) -or- (Inches)
Total:

The most common mistake made in calculating board footage is forgetting to multiply by the thickness.

4/4 multiply by 1, 5/4 multiply by 1.25, 6/4 multiply by 1.5
8/4 multiply by 2, 12/4 multiply by 3, 16/4 multiply by 4

Example 1: A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long has 5.33 bd.ft.

8in x 8ft x 1in	= 5.33 bd.ft.	- or -	8in x 96in x 1in	= 5.33 bd.ft.
12			144

Example 2: An 8/4 board 7 inches wide and 10 feet long has 11.67 bd.ft.

7 x 10 x 2	= 11.67 bd.ft.	- or -	7 x 120 x 2	= 11.67 bd.ft.
12			144