Board Foot Calculator
Enter a board's thickness, width and length and how many pieces, and get the boards to buy and the total board feet, with the board feet in one piece in the working; the sizes are taken as named, and a waste allowance goes on the total.
Estimates for planning, not professional advice. Read the full notice.
Example: a list of boards
10 2x4 board, 8 ft
- Board feet in one piece 5.33 board feet
- Board feet in all the pieces 53.33 board feet
Estimate for planning, from what you entered and the product data shown. Check product labels and your supplier before you buy.
Your project
Enter a size to see your total.
Each product is rounded up once for the whole project, so the total can be less than the items bought alone added together. A line counted from a cut layout (sheets, boards or tiles laid out piece by piece) is counted for each item and added.
Shopping list
| Item | Size | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Boards | 2x4 board, 8 ft | 10 |
| Board feet, rounded up to a whole board foot | board feet | 54 |
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Worked example: a list of boards
Show the working
- One piece: thickness times width times length, over the cubic inches in a board foot 2 in × 4 in × 8 ft ÷ 144 in³[1] = 5.33 board feet
- All the pieces 5.33 board feet × 10 pieces = 53.33 board feet
- Round up once, to whole boards and a whole board foot 10 pieces = 10 × 2x4 board, 8 ft
Assumptions
The figures behind the example. Sourced figures link to their source below; a default is a starting value to check against your label or supplier.
| Assumption | Value | Details and changes |
|---|---|---|
| Waste allowance | 0% | |
| Default Your own allowance, added once to the total. Check your label or supplier. | ||
Feet and inches, like 12' 6"
Board feet and linear feet, size by size
Board feet in one linear foot of a board, and the linear feet that make one board foot, by size as named
| Size as named | Board feet in one linear foot | Linear feet in one board foot |
|---|---|---|
| 1x4 | 0.33 board feet | 3 linear feet |
| 1x6 | 0.5 board feet | 2 linear feet |
| 1x8 | 0.67 board feet | 1.5 linear feet |
| 2x4 | 0.67 board feet | 1.5 linear feet |
| 2x6 | 1 board feet | 1 linear feet |
| 2x8 | 1.33 board feet | 0.75 linear feet |
| 2x10 | 1.67 board feet | 0.6 linear feet |
| 2x12 | 2 board feet | 0.5 linear feet |
| 4x4 | 1.33 board feet | 0.75 linear feet |
| 6x6 | 3 board feet | 0.33 linear feet |
Both columns use the sizes as named, not the dressed sizes. A board foot is the volume in the definition above; the linear feet are what that volume is for a board of this thickness and width.
Questions
How many board feet are in a 2x4x10?
One 2x4x10 is 6.67 board feet as named: two inches times four inches times ten feet, over the cubic inches in a board foot. The table above gives the board feet in a linear foot of other sizes.
What is the board feet formula?
Thickness in inches times width in inches times length in inches, divided by the cubic inches in a board foot. The worked example shows each step, and the definition is quoted from the Virginia Department of Forestry.
How do I turn board feet into linear feet?
Divide by the board feet in one linear foot of that size, which is the first column of the table. A 2x6 laid out as twelve feet is 12 board feet.
Sources (1)
-
Board Foot (glossary) (opens in new tab), Virginia Department of Forestry, web page, no date shown.
Code or government.
“A standard measure of wood volume. One board foot is 144 cubic inches, equal to a board one inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long.”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 1)
These are summaries of what the sources say, not professional advice. Codes and product data change. Check with your building department and the product label about your own project.
Sources
- [1] Virginia Department of Forestry, Board Foot (glossary). Checked November 12, 2026. https://dof.virginia.gov/glossary/board-foot