Board foot calculator
This board foot calculator finds the lumber volume of boards, beams and logs: ten 2×4 boards of 8 ft are 53.3 board feet. It also gives cubic metres, weight and cost, in imperial or metric units.
Example: Shape: Beams and boards · Units: Metres and centimetres · Length 4 · Width or diameter 12 · Thickness 6 · Number of pieces 10 → Lumber volume: 0.288 m³ of lumber, which is 122.0 board feet. Source: Wikipedia – Board foot (1 bf = 144 in³ = 2.359737216 l; nominal and actual dimensions). Updated: .
How it is calculated
The volume of a beam or board is length times width times thickness. A 4 m × 12 cm × 6 cm beam is 0.0288 m³, ten of them 0.288 m³. That equals 288 litres.
Logs and board feet
For round logs Huber’s formula uses the diameter at mid-length: volume = π/4 times diameter squared times length. A 5 m log of 30 cm diameter holds a good 0.35 m³. In the US and Canada lumber is sold by the board foot. One board foot is a board 1 foot long, 1 foot wide and 1 inch thick, that is 144 cubic inches or 2.36 litres.
Weight, price and dimensions
With the density of the wood, which varies a lot with species and moisture, the calculator works out the weight, and with the price per m³ or board foot the cost. For planed wood watch the difference between nominal and actual size.
- Stacked cubic metres and solid cubic metres differ; firewood can be converted with the firewood converter.
- Count and dimensions apply to all pieces equally; calculate different sizes separately and add them up.
- The calculator assumes no waste. Allow 5 to 15 percent extra depending on the project.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the volume of a beam?
Length times width times thickness, all in metres. For 4 m × 0.12 m × 0.06 m that is 0.0288 m³.
How many board feet are in a cubic metre?
About 423.8: one board foot is 0.002359737 m³. A 2×4 board of 8 ft has 5.33 board feet nominally.
How do I calculate the volume of a log?
By Huber: π/4 times the mid-length diameter squared times the length. Choose “Round log” and enter the diameter at the middle.
Sources and legal basis
- Wikipedia – Board foot (1 bf = 144 in³ = 2.359737216 l; nominal and actual dimensions)
- Wikipedia – Festmeter (solid cubic meter: volume measure for roundwood and sawn timber)
- Wikipedia – Raummeter (stacked measure and conversion to solid cubic meters)
As of: · Editorial policy
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