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The quantity of timber in board feet.
A board foot is 144 cubic inches — nominally one foot square by one inch thick. It is a volume measure, so it applies to any combination of dimensions totalling that volume.
Timber volume
8.333 ft³
1 board foot = 144 in³ = 1/12 ft³ exactly. Board footage uses nominal sizes — a 2x4 is billed as 2x4 and delivered at about 1½ x 3½.
- Conversion factor applied
- 0.08 ft³ per bd ft
They open the calculator with your figures already in it
Board Feet to Cubic Feet Calculator: 8.33 ft³ — shown in imperial, US market. The link sets both, so the result they see is the one on your screen.
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How this was calculated
Formula source(s)
- 1 board foot = 144 cubic inches = 1/12 cubic foot
- Board footage is calculated on NOMINAL dimensions, not the actual dressed size
Inputs used
- Timber quantity (bd ft)
- 100
Intermediate steps
- Conversion factor applied
- 0.08 ft³ per bd ft
Confidence note: 1 board foot = 144 in³ = 1/12 ft³ exactly. Board footage uses nominal sizes — a 2x4 is billed as 2x4 and delivered at about 1½ x 3½.
What this calculation does not cover
- A board foot is a NOMINAL measure. It is computed from nominal thickness and width — a 2x4 is counted as 2 in by 4 in — while the timber that arrives is 1.5 in by 3.5 in dressed, about 34% less wood. This converts the nominal figure, not the volume of the stick.
- Rough-sawn and dressed timber of the same nominal size are different volumes, and hardwood is often sold by the board foot at its actual rough dimension while softwood is sold by nominal size. Which convention applies decides whether this figure is close or a third out.
- No allowance for defect, cupping or the length you cannot use. Timber is bought in stock lengths and the volume that reaches the structure is less than the volume delivered.
Estimated cost — your price
This site holds no price list for this material — local prices vary too much to publish honestly. Enter your supplier's price and the result is costed with it.
Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.
Sources checked 2026-08-26 · in the site-wide review of 2026-09-06 · v1.0.0
Regulatory standards & verification citations2
- 1 board foot = 144 cubic inches = 1/12 cubic foot
- Board footage is calculated on NOMINAL dimensions, not the actual dressed size
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Board footage is the timber trade's volume unit, and converting it to cubic feet is a straightforward division by twelve. What matters far more than the arithmetic is what the measure counts. Board footage is calculated on nominal dimensions, so a two-by-four is priced as two inches by four even though the dressed piece is nearer one and a half by three and a half. That gap is not an error but a long-standing convention, and it means the volume you pay for exceeds the timber you receive by roughly a quarter. Comparing an imperial board-foot quantity against metric timber quoted at actual size therefore flatters the imperial figure considerably.