No Products in Your Cart
To all the woodworkers, DIY-ers, and soon-to-be lumber buyers out there…
If you’ve ever stared at the price tag on wood wondering why it’s priced “per board foot” instead of pricing it like a regular product... you’re not alone. Board footage confuses everyone at first. The worst part? If something is priced at "$10/bf", we both found out really quickly that hardwood isn't sold for $10 bucks a stick... That being said, once you get the hang of the math it’s like unlocking the cheat code to shopping for wood the smart way.
Let’s break it down.
A board foot is a unit of measurement commonly used in the lumber industry for volume. It's not weight. Not area. Volume. Think of a board foot as:
One square foot of wood, one inch thick.
In other words:
1 board foot = 12” × 12” × 1” = 144 cubic inches
Why is it used? Because lumber doesn’t come in tidy little boxes. It comes in random lengths, widths, and thicknesses — so we need a way to measure and price the volume of wood you’re actually buying.
If you’re buying rough lumber, dressed boards, or ordering a custom cut, your cost is usually calculated by the board foot. Knowing how to calculate it yourself means:
· You’ll spot a great deal (or a ripoff) a mile away.
You can budget accurately for your next project.
You won’t get that “I have no idea if I’m being overcharged” feeling.
Plus, if you're shopping with us at The Knotty Lumber Co., we make it easy — but it's still good to know what you're looking at.
Here’s the formula:
Board Feet = (Length in feet × Width in inches × Thickness in inches) ÷ 12
OR
Board Feet = (Length in inches × Width in inches × Thickness in inches) ÷ 144
Or just use our calculator. But in case you’re a pen-and-paper kinda person, here’s an example:
✏️ Example:
Let’s say you want 12 boards. Each board is:
8 feet long
10 inches wide
1.25 inches thick
Plug it in:
Board Feet per board = 8’ × 10” × 1.25” ÷ 12 = 8.33 board feet
Total for 15 boards = 15 × 8.33 = 125 board feet
Now, if your wood costs $7.50 per board foot:
Total cost =125 × $7.50 = $937.50
Boom. Just like that, you’re ahead of the game next time you hit the lumber yard
Understanding board feet is the first step to buying smart, budgeting better, and the best part? It helped me sound like I knew what I was doing when I first walked into a lumber yard. And hey — even if you forget the formula, we’ve got a calculator ready for you at The Knotty Lumber Co.!
Keep stacking those board feet, and don’t forget: when in doubt, buy a little extra. It’s better than coming up short mid-glue-up!
