Board Foot Calculator with Visual Guide
Calculate lumber volume and cost with mixed units, accompanied by a visual guide showing how to measure board feet.
Total Board Feet
Total Price
Total Volume
Board Feet = (Length × Width × Thickness) ÷ 144 × Quantity
Total Price = Board Feet × Price per Board Foot
All measurements are automatically converted to inches for calculation.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the length, width, and thickness of your lumber
- Select the appropriate unit for each dimension (can be different for each)
- Enter the quantity of pieces (default is 1)
- Optionally enter the price per board foot and select currency
- Click “Calculate Board Feet & Price” to see results
About Board Feet
A board foot is a unit of volume for lumber equal to 144 cubic inches (12″ × 12″ × 1″). This calculator automatically converts all measurements to inches before performing the calculation, allowing you to mix different units for each dimension.
Measurement Conversion Factors
- 1 foot = 12 inches
- 1 centimeter ≈ 0.393701 inches
- 1 meter ≈ 39.3701 inches
How to Measure Board Feet
Board feet are calculated by multiplying the length (in feet) by the width (in inches) by the thickness (in inches), then dividing by 12. The visual guide on the right shows how these measurements apply to a board.
Example Calculations
Example 1: Standard Board
A 2×4 that’s 8 feet long:
- Length: 8 (feet)
- Width: 4 (inches)
- Thickness: 2 (inches)
- Quantity: 1
- Result: 5.33 board feet
Example 2: Mixed Units
A plank that’s 2 meters long, 30cm wide, and 2 inches thick:
- Length: 2 (meters)
- Width: 30 (centimeters)
- Thickness: 2 (inches)
- Quantity: 1
- Result: 32.81 board feet
Example 3: With Pricing
Five 1×6 boards that are 10 feet long at $3.50/bf:
- Length: 10 (feet)
- Width: 6 (inches)
- Thickness: 1 (inches)
- Quantity: 5
- Price: 3.50
- Result: 25 board feet, $87.50 total
Board Measurement Visual Guide
See how your measurements apply to an actual board:
How to measure:
- Length: Measure end-to-end along the longest dimension
- Width: Measure across the face of the board
- Thickness: Measure the narrowest dimension
Change the values in the calculator to see the visualization update.