Bd Ft Calculator
Compute board feet for any lumber size — the abbreviated way.
What is bd ft calculator?
Lumber pricing lives in board feet. One board foot is a unit of volume: nominal thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft) / 12. Yards quote rough stock by the board foot, so converting your dimensional cut list into board feet is the first step in pricing any framing, decking, or cabinetry job.
This calculator handles the bd ft math for any common lumber size — from 1×4 trim to 6×6 posts — plus quarter-system thicknesses like 5/4 (1.25 in) used for premium decking. Punch in a price per board foot and it returns the total project cost.
The math uses nominal dimensions throughout: a 2×4 counts as 2 × 4, not its actual planed size of 1.5 × 3.5. That’s the convention every lumber yard uses, so the totals here will match a yard’s quote line by line.
When to use a bd ft calculator
- Pricing a rough lumber order — Convert linear inventory (e.g., twenty 2×6×10) into board feet so you can compare bulk yard quotes priced in bd ft.
- Comparing 1× and 2× yields — Quickly see how many bd ft a 1×8 board yields versus a 2×8 of the same length for paneling or framing choices.
- Sizing a small mill or planer run — Estimate raw stock needed for a furniture or cabinetry project that quotes in bd ft.
How to use the Bd Ft Calculator
- Pick a preset or enter custom dimensions — Choose a common lumber size from the dropdown to auto-fill thickness and width, or pick Custom to type your own.
- Enter the length and quantity — Length is in feet. Quantity is the number of identical boards.
- (Optional) enter a price per board foot — If your lumber yard quotes in bd ft, type the rate to get a total cost.
Worked examples
Ten 2×6 × 8 ft
Input: Thickness=2, Width=6, Length=8, Qty=10
Output: 8 bd ft per piece, 80 bd ft totalSingle 5/4 × 6 × 10 ft (decking)
Input: Thickness=1.25, Width=6, Length=10, Qty=1
Output: 6.25 bd ft totalFifty 1×4 × 12 ft with $3.20/bd ft pricing
Input: Thickness=1, Width=4, Length=12, Qty=50, $3.20/bf
Output: 4 bd ft per piece, 200 bd ft total, $640.00 total