Board Feet Calculator: Your Quick Answer Tool for Lumber Measurements

When you are starting a woodworking project, whether it is making furniture or a wall structure, you need precise measurements. One term I hear a lot is “board foot.” If that’s a new concept to you, don’t sweat it- this article is going to cover everything you need about what the Board Foot Calculator is, how to work with it and why it’s so incredibly useful in planning out your lumber volume needs.

What is a Board Foot?

But before you learn how to use a Board Foot Calculator let’s start with what a board foot is. While square footage is a measure of area, board feet measure volume (of wood). The foot measures the thickness, length and width of three-dimensional objects such as lumber.

One board foot is a 1-foot length of lumber that is 1 inch thick and 1 foot wide. To put that in perspective, a board foot equals 144 cubic inches or 1/12th of a cubic foot. Knowing what the board foot measurement of wood is will translate to approximately how much lumber you need and even about how much it will cost for your project.

How to Use a Calculator for Log Board Feet

A Log Board Foot Calculator is also available at your fingertips on logs and for rough lumber. Because logs are not perfectly round (except for a tiny number of tree species), the diameter must also be considered along with length and form in order to estimate board footage.

To work with a log board foot calculator:

Determine the diameter of your log (in inches).

Measure the log by length (in feet).

Estimate the board feet using Doyle log scale or other appropriate scales, or feed these data to a log calculator.

Example: if you are working with a log that is 10 feet long, and 12 inches diameter a Log Board Foot Calculator will give you an estimate of the board footage for your log which can be used to ascertain the approximate yield in lumber.

How to Figure Board Feet in Your Head or On a Calculator

It’s not uncommon to find it necessary to convert square feet into board feet when buying lumber for a project such as flooring, wall coverings or a ceiling. To make this easier, there are sq ft to board ft calculator that we can use. This conversion is useful when you have to figure out how much volume there will be in lumber based on the area you want to cover.

How to use the Sq ft to board ft calculator?

Enter the number of square feet in your space (e.g., 100 sq ft).

Type in the thickness of the lumber you’ll be using (1 inch, for example).

The calculator will estimate not only the square footage of your coverage area, but also the number of board feet (lumber size) your project will require.

As an example, if you have 100 square feet of flooring and your wood is 1 inch thick, the calculator will tell you instantly how many board feet are necessary to cover that area. It makes it great to order for specific things like flooring.

How to Measure Board Feet for Common Lumber Sizes: How Many Board Feet in a 2x2x12?

One of the first queries which users of a Board Feet Calculator may ask is how many board feet in a certain size of lumber? Like how many board feet in a 2x2x12?

Here’s the calculation:

Length: 12 feet

Width: 2 inches

Thickness: 2 inches

Using the formula:

Board Feet=\dfrac { Length (ft)\times Width (in)\times Thickness (in)}{ 12} Board Feet=\dfrac{12\times 2\times 2}{12}=4 board\quad feet

Thus a 2x2x12 board is 4 board feet.

How Much Board Feet in a 2x4x10 (Get to Know it Using the Board Foot Calculator)

The 2x4x10 is also one of the popular lumber size. If you want to figure out how many board feet are in this size of lumber, you can enter the dimensions in a Board Foot Calculator.

Step-by-Step Example:

Length: 10 feet

Width: 4 inches

Thickness: 2 inches

Plug in to the board foot formula below:

Board Feet=Length (ft)×Width (in)×Thickness (in)12Board Feet=\frac{ Length\, (ft) \times Width\,(in)\times Thickness\, in)}{ 12 } Board Feet=1210×4×212​Board Feet6.67 board feet10 × 4/2 10 =*(1’/20′) #26: Jointer Sweeps FacebookTwitterPinterest Plan to Pare Paste Follow yegsci YEG SCIENCE about a month ago I wrote about Ejnar Mikkelsen and his scores of by: Alex Hindle Not far from here he met Ejnar Isaksen; this man was an excellent boat steals out on the news everywhere.

As a result, an 2x4x10 board has roughly 6.67 board feet of lumber.

Using a Price Per Board Foot Calculator

When you go to buy lumber, it’s typically priced by the linear foot. A Price Per Board Foot Calculator is available that allows you to compare your lumber costs and adjust the total by multiplying the number of board feet by its current cost per board foot.

Here is a simple guide on how to use the Price Per Board Foot Calculator:

Enter the total board footage that you need for your project.

Input the cost per board foot (e.g., $2.50/bf).

The calculator will tell you the total cost of your lumber.

For instance, if you require 40 board feet of oak lumber and the price is $3 per board foot the calculator will produce a tell you that the total material cost will be 40 × 3 = $120.

How Many Feet in a 2x4x8: A Quick Guide

Another size of lumber you will probably see is a 2x4x8. Here’s a simple way to figure out board feet for a 2x4x8:

Length: 8 feet

Width: 4 inches

Thickness: 2 inches

By plugging in the values:

Board Feet=\frac{ Length (ft)\times Width (in) \times Thickness (in)} {12}Board Feet=8\times 4 \times2​=5.33\text{ board feet}}

ergo, if a board is 2x4x8, it has roughly 5.33 bf thereabouts.

Conclusion: The Benefits of a Board Foot Calculator for Your Next Project

A board foot calculator is an important tool to anyone needing to know how much board feet are in a piece of lumber. Either you are a DIY amateur or have some experience with wood work or carpentry, this is the best app on store for accurate estimates and fast calculations.Have you ever spent half an hour working with a computer to discover that computer was not better than yourself making simple math?

Calculating the board feet of wood that you will receive ensures that you order the right amount, no more adding (or multiplying by) 3 before determining how much you need to order, so you do not end up with waste, at a reasonable price. It makes it easy to figure board footage, budget your next project and prevent breaking the bank on lumber.

So, the next time you find yourself buying lumber, whether it be for a log project or trying to determine how much is a 2x4x10 look towards a Board Foot Calculator for precision and ease.

Use the Board Foot Calculator and let us figure out all your board needs, right nowGetting prepared has never been easier.