Board Foot Chart

Find board feet without doing math. Read board feet per linear foot for any width and thickness, or look up common lumber sizes by length. Print this page for the shop.

Need a size not listed? Use the calculator.

Board feet per linear foot

Board feet per linear foot equal thickness in inches times width in inches, divided by 12. Find your width in the left column and your thickness across the top. Multiply the number by the length in feet. For example, 8/4 stock 6 inches wide has 1.00 board foot per linear foot.

Board feet per linear foot by width and thickness
Width (in)	4/4	5/4	6/4	8/4	10/4	12/4	16/4
2	0.167	0.208	0.250	0.333	0.417	0.500	0.667
3	0.250	0.313	0.375	0.500	0.625	0.750	1.000
4	0.333	0.417	0.500	0.667	0.833	1.000	1.333
5	0.417	0.521	0.625	0.833	1.042	1.250	1.667
6	0.500	0.625	0.750	1.000	1.250	1.500	2.000
7	0.583	0.729	0.875	1.167	1.458	1.750	2.333
8	0.667	0.833	1.000	1.333	1.667	2.000	2.667
9	0.750	0.938	1.125	1.500	1.875	2.250	3.000
10	0.833	1.042	1.250	1.667	2.083	2.500	3.333
11	0.917	1.146	1.375	1.833	2.292	2.750	3.667
12	1.000	1.250	1.500	2.000	2.500	3.000	4.000

Board feet for common lumber sizes

This chart gives board feet for one piece of common lumber at standard lengths, using nominal size. A 2x4 that is 8 feet long holds 5.33 board feet. A 2x6 that is 12 feet long holds 12 board feet. Multiply by the number of pieces for a full order.

Board feet per piece (nominal size)
Size	8 ft	10 ft	12 ft	14 ft	16 ft
1x4	2.67	3.33	4.00	4.67	5.33
1x6	4.00	5.00	6.00	7.00	8.00
1x8	5.33	6.67	8.00	9.33	10.67
1x10	6.67	8.33	10.00	11.67	13.33
1x12	8.00	10.00	12.00	14.00	16.00
2x4	5.33	6.67	8.00	9.33	10.67
2x6	8.00	10.00	12.00	14.00	16.00
2x8	10.67	13.33	16.00	18.67	21.33
2x10	13.33	16.67	20.00	23.33	26.67
2x12	16.00	20.00	24.00	28.00	32.00
4x4	10.67	13.33	16.00	18.67	21.33
4x6	16.00	20.00	24.00	28.00	32.00
6x6	24.00	30.00	36.00	42.00	48.00

Board feet for 4/4 and 8/4 boards by length

Board feet per piece, hardwood
Board	6 ft	8 ft	10 ft	12 ft
4/4 x 4 in	2.00	2.67	3.33	4.00
4/4 x 6 in	3.00	4.00	5.00	6.00
4/4 x 8 in	4.00	5.33	6.67	8.00
4/4 x 10 in	5.00	6.67	8.33	10.00
8/4 x 4 in	4.00	5.33	6.67	8.00
8/4 x 6 in	6.00	8.00	10.00	12.00
8/4 x 8 in	8.00	10.67	13.33	16.00
8/4 x 10 in	10.00	13.33	16.67	20.00

How to read the chart

All values come from one formula: thickness × width × length ÷ 12, with length in feet. The University of Wisconsin Extension and AHEC give the same formula [1] [2]. Hardwood is sold in random widths, so most yards measure each board and add the results [3]. In that case the per linear foot table is the faster tool.

Sizes like 2x4 are nominal. The Wood Handbook explains that width and thickness are recorded in nominal terms, while actual sizes are a bit smaller [4]. Board feet here follow the nominal size, which is how lumber is tallied.

Questions

How many board feet are in a linear foot of 4/4 lumber?

For 4/4 lumber, board feet per linear foot equal the width in inches divided by 12. A 6 inch wide 4/4 board has 0.5 board feet per foot of length. A 12 inch wide 4/4 board has exactly 1 board foot per foot.

How many board feet are in a 4x4 that is 8 feet long?

A 4x4 that is 8 feet long holds 10.67 board feet on nominal size: 4 × 4 × 8 ÷ 12. Each foot of 4x4 holds 1.33 board feet.

Why does the chart use nominal sizes?

Lumber is tallied and priced on nominal size. A 2x4 is counted as 2 by 4 inches even though a planed one is smaller. Hardwood is counted on its rough quarter thickness. So the chart matches what a seller will charge for.

References

Written and checked by the editors of Board Foot Calculator. Every formula on this page is tested with sample values from the sources above. How we work. Last updated: October 20, 2026.