What is how to calculate board feet?

Here's information on calculating board feet in Markdown format:

Understanding Board Feet

What is a Board Foot?

A board foot is a unit of measurement for lumber. It represents a volume of wood that is 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long. It's a common way to purchase lumber, especially hardwoods. You can check out more about volume and measurement units here.

The Formula

The basic formula to calculate board feet is:

(Thickness in inches x Width in inches x Length in inches) / 144 = Board Feet

Where:

• Thickness: The thickness of the board in inches.
• Width: The width of the board in inches.
• Length: The length of the board in inches.

Example

Let's say you have a board that is 1 inch thick, 6 inches wide, and 48 inches long. The calculation would be:

(1 x 6 x 48) / 144 = 2 board feet

Important Considerations and Conversions

• Thickness: Lumber is often sold in "nominal" sizes. A "2x4" is not actually 2 inches by 4 inches. When calculating, you need to use the actual dimensions after the lumber has been planed smooth. A nominal 2x4 is actually 1.5 x 3.5 inches. It is crucial to use actual measurement when purchasing lumber. For more information about nominal and actual size of lumber you can check out this page.

• Length in Feet: If the length is given in feet, you can convert it to inches by multiplying by 12. For example, a board that is 8 feet long is 8 x 12 = 96 inches long. Then use the inches in the formula. For some examples of this kind of conversions you can check this page.

• Multiple Boards: If you need to calculate the total board feet for multiple boards of the same size, calculate the board feet for one board and then multiply by the number of boards.

• Rounding: Lumber dealers typically round up to the nearest board foot.