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Board foot measurement calculations use width in inches, thickness in inches, and length in feet, then divide by 12 to determine your lumber volume.
Your project requirements determine how many board feet you need, with a birdhouse requiring about 2 board feet while a 10-by-10 deck needs around 120.
You multiply the three dimensions together and divide by 12, so a board measuring 6 inches wide by 2 inches thick by 1 foot long equals 1 board foot.
Hiring a local woodworking professional helps determine the exact amount of wood your project requires and recommends the best wood types for your specific build.
If you’re building a deck, bookshelf, wall, or birdhouse, you may need to understand how to calculate board feet. This unit of measurement is a precise calculation of the volume of the lumber you’ll need. Use the formula below to calculate board feet, but remember that not all projects require this unit of measurement.
You can work backward from your lumber requirements to determine how many board feet you need for your project. Working with a pro helps, as certain projects are more difficult to measure compared to others. Use the table below as a rough guide to how many board feet are needed for individual projects.
| Project | Board Foot Requirements |
|---|---|
| Birdhouse | 2 board ft. |
| Planter box | 10 board ft. |
| Small bookshelf | 15 board ft. |
| Garden bench | 25 board ft. |
| 100 sq. ft. of wooden flooring | 100 board ft. |
| 10-ft. x 10-ft. deck | 120 board ft. |
| 8-ft. x 10-ft. shed | 350 board ft. |
The formula below shows you how to arrive at your final board foot requirements. Remember that a board foot can have multiple lengths, thicknesses, and widths, as long as when you plug in the numbers below, you arrive at 1 board foot.
Board Feet = Width (in inches) x Thickness (in inches) x Length (in feet) / 12
Using the formula above, assume a piece of wood has a length of 12 inches, a width of 6 inches, and a thickness of 2 inches. You would input the numbers as 6 x 2 x 1, and then divide by 12, resulting in an answer of 1 board foot.
If you’re undertaking a project where you need to know board foot requirements, talk to a local woodworking pro. They will help determine the amount of wood required for the project and which are the best types of wood to use.
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