Measure twice. Buy with confidence.
A better way to
tally your lumber.
Board feet, mixed sizes, one clear total. Add your boards, enter a price if you have one, and take the tally to the lumberyard.
Free board-foot calculator · No account · Calculated in your browser
Your workbench
Lumber tally
Use decimals or fractions: 1.25, 5/4 or 1 1/4. Choose the unit beside each dimension. Price is optional, in USD per board foot.
Which measurements should I enter?
Enter the dimensions you want to measure. We do not change nominal sizes to finished sizes. For a purchase estimate, ask your supplier which thickness, width and length they bill. Their rounding, allowances and tally rules can differ from this geometric calculation.
A row represents identical boards. Add another row for each different size or price. This tool measures rectangular lumber, not standing trees or round logs.
Rough, nominal and finished sizes explained →Lumber tally
Geometric volume from entered dimensions. Currency: USD. No supplier rounding, waste, tax or delivery included. Confirm billing dimensions with your supplier.
The useful bit
What is a board foot?
One board foot is 144 cubic inches of lumber: a board 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 12 inches long. It measures volume, not just length.
See the calculation, step by step →When thickness and width are inches, length is feet
Thickness × width × length ÷ 12
A 2″ × 6″ × 10′ board = 10 board feet.
Multiply by the number of identical boards. Results display up to 4 decimal places; costs use the unrounded volume.
Before the lumberyard
Know what you’re buying.
Board feet or linear feet?
Volume and length tell you different things. Here’s how to compare them.
Read the guide →What does 4/4 mean?
Make sense of quarter-inch lumber labels before choosing a thickness.
Read the guide →Price a mixed lumber tally
Different sizes, quantities and prices, worked through one row at a time.
Read the example →