Board Foot Calculator

Here’s how you calculate the board footage of a board:

Here’s the quick way to figure board footage (BF):

Formula:
BF = (Thickness in inches × Width in inches × Length in feet) ÷ 12
(If length is in inches, divide by 144 instead.)

Steps:

1. Use actual sizes (e.g., 1.5″ × 5.5″ for a “2×6”).
2. Convert length to feet.
3. Plug into the formula and sum for all boards.

Example: A 2×6×10′ (actual 1.5″ × 5.5″ × 10′)
BF = (1.5 × 5.5 × 10) ÷ 12 = 6.875 BF (≈ 6.88)

Tips: For hardwoods, thickness is often in quarters (4/4 = 1″, 5/4 = 1.25″). Add 10–15% for waste when buying.

Or you can use this handy board foot calculator to figure out the board footage of a board.