Calculate the total board feet of lumber and estimate your material costs.
Measurement System
in
in
ft
$ / bd ft
Board Feet (Per Piece)
Total Estimated Cost
Unlike standard construction lumber which is sold by the linear foot, hardwood lumber used in fine woodworking and furniture making is sold by volume, specifically by the Board Foot (BF). A board foot is a specialized unit of measurement representing a piece of wood that is 12 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 1 inch thick (144 cubic inches). Our board foot calculator takes the frustration out of purchasing rough-sawn lumber. Simply input the thickness (in quarters, like 4/4 or 8/4), the width in inches, and the length in feet, and our tool instantly calculates the exact volumetric board footage.
If you are new to buying hardwood, the thickness fraction can be confusing. Hardwood mills measure thickness in quarters of an inch. Therefore, 4/4 (four-quarters) means the rough board is 1 inch thick. 5/4 means 1.25 inches thick, and 8/4 means 2 inches thick. It is crucial to remember that board footage is based on the rough, un-surfaced thickness of the board before it is milled smooth. Even if you plan your finished table top to be 3/4" thick, you must purchase and calculate the cost based on 4/4 lumber. Our calculator features an intuitive dropdown that natively supports these standard mill fractions.
Hardwood is expensive, often ranging from $5 to $20+ per board foot depending on the species (like Walnut or Cherry). Our calculator includes a built-in cost estimator so you can accurately budget your woodworking projects before heading to the lumber yard. Furthermore, buying rough lumber requires factoring in material waste from jointing, planing, and ripping. Industry standard dictates adding at least 20% waste for most projects, and up to 30% if you are matching grain patterns. Use our tool to calculate your exact project requirements, then safely multiply your total by 1.2 to ensure you bring home enough wood.