Board Foot Calculator
Work out the counts and spacings.
Board feet808 each × 10 pieces
Per piece8 bf2 × 6 in nominal × 8 ft
Linear feet80
Nominal volume6.6667 cu fta board foot is 144 cubic inches
Actual dressed size1 1/2 × 5 1/2 inboard feet are always figured on the nominal size
Actual volume0.12979 m³4.5833 cu ft once dressed
Weight83.06 kg183.12 lb of Southern yellow pine
Volume lost to dressing31.25%you pay for wood the planer removed
The method
board feet = thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft) ÷ 12
You pay for the sawdust
A board foot is 144 cubic inches — a foot square, an inch thick — and by trade convention it is always figured on the nominal size. A 2 × 6 by 8 feet is 8 board feet even though the dressed timber measures 1½ × 5½ inches and contains barely two-thirds of that.
That is not a swindle, just how the trade prices rough sawn volume, but it does mean board feet are a billing unit rather than a measure of the wood you receive. For weight and structural work, use the actual size.
Note that thickness is often quoted in quarters: 4/4 is one inch, 8/4 is two. Hardwood yards use this almost universally.