Lumber Calculator

Calculate board feet for lumber purchases. Enter dimensions and quantity to get total board footage and estimated cost.

Board footage is a volume measure: Board Feet per Piece is Thickness multiplied by Width multiplied by Length, divided by 12 (the standard board-foot formula, since a board foot is one square foot at one inch thick). Total Board Feet multiplies that per-piece figure by Quantity, so all four of Thickness, Width, Length, and Quantity enter the calculation as equal multiplying factors -- raising any single one of the four by 10% raises Total Board Feet by that same 10%, with no single dimension outweighing the others structurally. Total Estimated Cost carries the chain one step further by multiplying Total Board Feet by Price per Board Foot, so that fifth input moves the final cost by the same proportional share as the four physical dimensions do. Total Linear Feet is a separate, simpler figure -- just Length times Quantity -- useful for estimating how much lumber you need by running length rather than by volume, such as for baseboard or trim. This calculator uses nominal input dimensions directly rather than dressed (actual) lumber sizes, and it doesn't add a cut-off or waste allowance -- add your own buffer for miscuts and defects.