Board foot calculator
Enter the thickness, width, length and quantity of each piece. The calculator adds up the volume in board feet, cubic feet and cubic meters.
See your design as an AI render — freeNominal sizes in inches (a 2×4 is 2 and 4), length in feet. Empty rows are ignored.
- m³
- 0.2391
- cu ft
- 8.44
- Pieces
- 14
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How to calculate board feet
A board foot is 1 in × 12 in × 1 ft of lumber, or 144 cubic inches.
- 1
Use nominal sizes
A 2×4 counts as 2 in × 4 in, even though it actually measures 1½ × 3½ in.
- 2
Multiply and divide by 12
Board feet = thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft) ÷ 12. A 2×4 that is 8 ft long is 2 × 4 × 8 ÷ 12 = 5.33 board feet; ten of them are 53.33.
- 3
Add up the sizes
Four more 2×6s at 12 ft (48 board feet) bring the total to 101.33 board feet.
- 4
Convert to cubic meters
1 board foot is 0.00236 m³, and 12 board feet make 1 cubic foot. 101.33 board feet is 0.2391 m³.
Board feet of common pieces
Volume of one piece and of a bundle of 10.
| Piece | board feet per piece | 10 pieces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × 6 × 8 ft | 4 | 40 |
| 2 × 4 × 8 ft | 5.33 | 53.33 |
| 2 × 6 × 10 ft | 10 | 100 |
| 2 × 8 × 12 ft | 16 | 160 |
| 2 × 10 × 12 ft | 20 | 200 |
| 4 × 4 × 8 ft | 10.67 | 106.67 |
Frequently asked questions
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