Lumber Cost Calculator
Calculate total lumber cost for a project from board dimensions, quantity, and your price per board foot.
How the total is worked out
Board footage first, then the money:
board feet per board = (thickness in × width in × length in) / 144
total cost = board feet per board × number of boards × price per board footOn the defaults, 1" × 6" × 96" is 576 cubic inches, so 576 / 144 = 4.00 bf a board, ten boards are 40.00 bf, and at $3.50 the total is $140.00. Length is in inches, not feet - a 10 ft board is 120. Zero prices are rejected along with negative dimensions, and a board count under 1 becomes 1.
Getting a real price per board foot
The figure you type has to match how the wood is sold, and yards do not agree on that:
- Hardwood dealers quote per board foot at rough thickness. 4/4 stock is billed as 1" even when surfacing has taken it to 13/16", so enter 1 to check an invoice and 0.8125 to cost the finished part.
- Big-box softwood is priced per piece. Divide by that piece's nominal board feet to compare: a $8.50 nominal 2 × 4 × 8 carries 5.33 bf, which is $1.59 per bf.
- Wide or long boards carry a premium, so a rate taken from a 6" board understates a 12" one.
Frequently asked questions
Is lumber priced by the board foot or the linear foot?
Both, depending on the seller. Hardwood is nearly always per board foot; construction softwood is sold per piece or per linear foot, at a price that already assumes one fixed thickness and width.
How do I convert a price per piece into a price per board foot?
Divide the shelf price by that piece's board feet. A 1 × 6 × 8 ft at $14 is 4.00 nominal bf, so $3.50 per bf - the default rate here.
Why is my actual bill higher than the total here?
Usually because you bought more sticks than the cut list needs. This prices the wood that ends up in the project; the yard charges for whole boards.