Lumber Tally field notes
Board Feet per Piece or per Order? Check a Tally
Check a mixed lumber tally by separating board feet per piece, quantity-adjusted line volume and the whole-order total, with a worked example.
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Check a row with more than one identical board. Calculate the board feet for one piece, then multiply by the quantity. Compare both results with the tally: a match to the first suggests a per-piece figure; a match to the second suggests a line volume. Add the line volumes to check the whole-order total. Treat this as an arithmetic check, not proof of the supplier’s billing method.
Check what each number includes
- Read the heading and any notes. Look for wording that identifies one piece, all pieces on a line, or the entire order. If a heading only says “board feet,” do not assume which scope it means.
- Choose a row with quantity greater than one. A quantity-one row cannot distinguish per-piece volume from line volume: those numbers are equal.
- Check the dimensions and units. Use the dimensions behind the supplier’s tally when checking that tally. For physical volume, use the board’s measured dimensions. See rough versus finished lumber for that distinction.
- Apply quantity once, then add. Multiply a per-piece figure by its row quantity. Do not multiply again if the figure already includes that quantity. For mixed sizes, work through each row separately.
Hypothetical mixed-board tally
These invented rows illustrate the arithmetic, not an actual invoice or a universal invoice layout. Each row groups boards with identical dimensions. BF means board feet in this example.
| Row | Thickness × width × length | Quantity (pieces) | BF per piece | Line volume (BF) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 in × 6 in × 8 ft | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| B | 1.5 in × 10 in × 6 ft | 2 | 7.5 | 15 |
| C | 2 in × 6 in × 6 ft | 1 | 6 | 6 |
Whole-order total: 12 + 15 + 6 = 33 board feet across 6 pieces. This total is separate from the table’s line-volume column.
Use row A to identify the column
Parkerville Wood Products asks users to enter length, width and thickness in decimal inches. Its published board-foot formula is length × width × thickness ÷ 144.
For hypothetical row A, convert 8 ft to 96 in. One piece is 96 × 6 × 1 ÷ 144 = 4 BF. All three pieces are 4 × 3 = 12 BF.
- If row A shows 4 BF, that matches the per-piece calculation.
- If row A shows 12 BF, that matches the line volume, with quantity already included.
- Check row B as well: 72 × 10 × 1.5 ÷ 144 = 7.5 BF per piece; multiplied by 2, that is 15 BF for the line.
- Row C is 72 × 6 × 2 ÷ 144 = 6 BF. With only one piece, it does not resolve the ambiguity.
Adding only the per-piece figures gives 4 + 7.5 + 6 = 17.5 BF, which leaves out the extra pieces. Multiplying the line volumes by quantity again gives 12 × 3 + 15 × 2 + 6 × 1 = 72 BF, which counts quantity twice. Neither is the hypothetical order’s 33 BF total.
For other unit combinations, use the existing board-foot formula guide.
If neither calculation matches
Do not label the tally wrong from this check alone. Confirm the piece count, the dimensions used, any rounding, and which lines the stated total includes. If boards differ in size, calculate them separately rather than multiplying one board’s volume by the entire group’s quantity.
Parkerville instructs users to use its calculator with rough lumber dimensions only. That instruction does not establish another supplier’s billing convention, and its formula does not establish an invoice layout.
Ask the supplier: “Does this board-foot figure cover one piece or every piece on this line? Which dimensions and rounding rules produced it, and which lines make up the order total?” Keep the physical-volume calculation separate from the billed tally until those points are clear.
Try your quantities
Enter each different size on a separate row and enter its quantity once. To reproduce the hypothetical example, use the three rows above; the expected geometric total is 33 board feet. No price is needed for this volume check.
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.
Read the calculator methodology for calculation limits. Once the quantities are clear, the separate worked lumber pricing example covers cost calculations.
Sources
Source checked: September 16, 2026, using the supplied source capture.
- Parkerville Wood Products — Board Foot Calculator: dimension-entry units, board-foot formula and its rough-lumber instruction. The numerical rows and scope checks above are hypothetical arithmetic derived from that formula, not externally measured results.