Lumber Calculator

Required Inputs
Thickness (in):	See note 2.
Width (in):	Ex: 8 1/4 or 8.25
Length (in):	Ex: 8 ft. = 96 in.
Quantity

Results
Board Feet:
Total Board Feet:

Thinking of embarking on a complete renovation of your deck?

Or maybe, your idea is to install the deck yourself after buying your new home. But you are not sure. After all, this home decoration work is tricky. So is calculating the amount of lumber that will go into it.

Worry not! A reliable lumber calculator will help you skip the guesswork and start procuring and installing in no time.

What Can the Lumber Calculator Do for You?

The lumber calculator calculates the number of lumber feet you want for your wood project. If you know the cost per linear foot of your chosen lumber, this calculator will also tell you the wood-related cost of your project.

Although it’s a straightforward calculation, it can get tricky for DIYers or beginners. The measurement you get in your selected lumber can differ from what a standard board foot will uphold. Complications start when the measure of height and width of the linear foot differs from the board foot. For your reference, a board foot is always one foot wide and one inch high. Simultaneously, a linear foot equals twelve inches in length of the lumber. If you have a linear feet measure, you would also know the lumber dimensions (thickness to width). In most cases, this thickness should equal your project needs.

Read more: Best Wood Lathes

When you buy lumber which is wider or narrower than one foot and has a different height than one inch, you can rely on this lumber calculator to know how many lineal feet will make up for a single board foot.

How Does This Tool Work?

This lumber calculator asks for the measurement of lumber you need. You have to first convert lumber dimensions in inches (for thickness) and feet (for width and length). Note that the dimension often listed with lumber are nominal dimensions and deviate from the actual dimensions. For example, if you are using a 2 x 4 calculator, this stated value is of the rough piece sawn from the log. After drying and planing, it will reduce to 1-and-a-half by 3-and-a-half lumber.

When you know the dimensions and number of pieces, you can inject these values in the lumber board foot calculator and it will tell you the number of linear feet your lumber will take. Or you can use the length of the project to get an idea of linear feet you need and the cost associated with these.

Who Can Use This Tool?

This wood calculator works great for beginner woodworkers and DIY-enthusiasts. It helps them determine their project’s needs with ease as well as accuracy.

Smoothen your rough-cut lumber with our guide to wood planers.

How to Estimate the Cost?

The wood measurement calculator we have linked not only calculates the lumber needed for a project but also tells the cost associated with this lumber. But you need the cost of lumber per linear foot.

If you know the cost per foot, you can inject this value in the lumber cost calculator along with this per unit cost to get the total cost of the wood.

You can also multiply this per foot cost by the total board feet needed to get the total value.

The same wood material calculator allows you to find the cost of the project by multiplying the cost per linear foot with the number of linear feet needed in this project.

Give your lumber surfaces the right finish with this guide to wood sanders.

Lumber Calculation Formula

There are two different formulae to calculate the lumber needs of a project. A reliable wood calculator or lumber estimator will take you through both routes. If we start with a per linear foot cost of lumber, we can find the total cost of the project by finding the total linear feet needed for this project. We can calculate lumber needed for a project using this formula:

Linear feet = Length of project x Number of pieces

Cost of project = Cost per linear foot x total linear feet

In case, we know the cost per board feet, the lumber package calculator will take per unit cost together with the total board feet needed. Following formulae will be needed:

Board Feet = Thickness (inches) x Width (inches) x Length (inches) /12

Total board feet = board feet x number of planks

Cost = Price per board feet x total board feet

Example Calculations

Suppose I need 7 planks of wood having a length of 9 feet, a width of 4 inches, and a thickness of 1 inch. Every linear foot of this plank costs $10. If we are not using a timber calculator, we can use this information to find total landscaping costs as follows:

Linear feet = Length of project x Number of pieces

= 9 ft x 7

= 63 ft

Cost of project = Cost per linear foot x total linear feet

= $10 x 63 ft

= $630

How Many 2x4s Do I Need?

The number of linear feet with 2×4 dimensions will vary according to the size of your project. However, you can calculate the total linear feet using this formula:

Linear feet = Length of project x Number of pieces

Or you can use the lumber board feet calculator to know the board feet you need.

2×4 calculator will use one-and-a-half inches in thickness and three-and-a-half inches in width.

How Much Lumber Do I Need?

Similar to the above answer, the lumber you would need for your project depends on the size of your project. You can use either the lumber calculator or formula mentioned above.

How Much Wood Do I Need for My Project?

The wood you need for your home project can be measured using a simple-to-use lumber estimator. All you need is to include the length, width, and height you need for your finished deck.

Conclusion

Starting a decking or flooring project at your home can be a tricky task. You have to do all the planning work and then some more. The cost of the raw material makes one big cost factor. Among the expenses that go into raw material, the wood cost is the most prominent.

You can use a lumber calculator to know the board feet and linear feet that are needed for your project. This wood project calculator will also tell you the cost you have to incur to procure the desired wood by multiplying the given per foot cost with the required feet.