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Disclaimer

This tool is intended for use by qualified designers. Although every effort has been made to ensure the data and information in this tool are accurate, the Canadian Wood Council does not assume any responsibility for errors or omissions in this tool nor from any engineering designs or plans prepared from it.

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For comments/suggestions please contact the Canadian Wood Council at info@cwc.ca

How do I calculate board feet?

One board foot is the nominal quantity of lumber derived from a piece of rough green lumber 1 inch thick and 1 foot wide by 1 foot long. In other words a board foot is the nominal thickness times the nominal depth in inches divided by 12 time the length in feet. For example a 10 foot 2 x 6 would work out to be 10 board feet.

The formula is as follows: Thickness (in inches) x Depth (in inches) x Length (in feet) / 12

A linear foot is the quantity of lumber derived from the total length of a piece of lumber. For example, a 2"x4"x8' stud contains 8 linear feet.

The calculator below calculates lumber quantities in various units of measure based on dimensions and length entered. Resultant quantities are given in:

• Board feet as described above
• Cubic metres based on exact metric dimensions shown
• The area covered in square feet by laying out the lumber on its wide face (as in a deck with no gaps or siding with no overlap)
• The area covered in square metres as described in item 3
• The amount of cubic metres of lumber in 1000 board feet based on the dimension selected

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