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OT: how is board feet calculated?

G

Gun guru

Well-known Member
I should know this seeing that I built my own home, but I am ignorant.
When someone says I have "x" # of board feet of lumber what does that mean, I dont think it means linear foot?
 
Another tip is when you run the numbers. Anytime you have a 12 in your original figures ---just forget it. No sence in multiplying by 12 and then turning right around and dividing by 12.
 
Not to be picky, but a 2 x 6 is actually only and 1-1/2 by 5-1/2 so a one foot piece is slightly less than a board foot. Most dimensional framing members are sold by the piece or lineal foot. At least around my area.

Larry in Michigan
 
That is a new one, and sure not the case in our area. We still pay for the full board ft. It makes no differance probably on the bottom line.

I'm old and can remember the change when they shaved off another 1/8th inch. When we used the cement wall forms we had to add a wood shingle to the brackets thar straightened the wall.
 
Means square foot,Example 2x 10 x16 Multiply 2x10 equal 20 multiply that by 16 = 320.Divide 320 by 12 this equals 26.6 board feet in the piece.Calculator makes it easy,but I have a chart on the wall near my planer to save time.
 
You must be a kid I remember when you got a 2X4 that was a full 2X4 rough cut. then they wanted to be nice and plained them down to 1 3/4 X 3 3/4 then then they cut another 1/8 now they just barely have enough wood to be called a stud. 1 1/2 X 3 1/2
Walt
 
The dressed size is ignored when when buying and selling lumber.Planing adds extra cost to lumber, very few people want rough lumber.Too much variation in lumber right off the sawmill plus drying shrinkage.I have to know the footage that goes into a picnic table to keep up with price changes.
 
It would be hard to build anything with the older standard for dimension lumber with metal brackets in use now.Framing doors and windows would be some fun.
 
A board foot is a nominal square foot surface measuring a nominal 1" thick. It is 144 cubic inches, 1/12 of a cubic foot. Dimensions used in the calculation are the rough nominal dimensions.
 
For board feet of cut lumber, take width in inches x height in inches x length in feet and divide by 12. With mill run (rough lumber) you get the full measure in a board. With dressed lumber you lose whats already been trimmed off. That why most dressed lumber is sold by the piece and most rough lumber by the board foot.

For stumpage, you need a log scale to calculate (estimate). A Biltmore stick is the best tool overall, since it has the scale on one side and can be used to calculate height and diameter also.
 
As said,
nominally
1" thick * 12 inches wide * 1 foot long.

thus

3/4 inch * 8 inches * 8 feet would be 4 board feet
 
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