Lumber Cost
Price dimension lumber from board feet and per-foot rates.
About Lumber Cost
Board feet multiply the pieces by their nominal dimensions and volume, then multiply by the per-board-foot price. Lumber is priced by volume rather than length, so converting a cut list to board feet matches what the yard charges.
Formula
Lumber Cost
Board feet = pieces x length x width x thickness / 12
- board foot
- 1 ft x 1 in x 1 in of lumber volume
Worked example
With the default values below, Lumber Cost returns Total Board Feet of 40.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Piecesminimum 1
- 10
- Lengthminimum 0.5 ft
- 8 ft
- Widthminimum 0.5 in
- 6 in
- Thicknessminimum 0.5 in
- 1 in
- Price per board footminimum 0
- 3.5
Results
- Total Board Feet
- 40.00
- Linear Length
- 80.0 ft
- Total Cost
- $140.00
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Lumber Cost
- 3Total Board Feet= 40.00
- 4Linear Length= 80.0 ft
- 5Total Cost= 140.00
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Lumber Cost calculated?
Board feet = pieces x length x width x thickness / 12 Board feet multiply the pieces by their nominal dimensions and volume, then multiply by the per-board-foot price.
Why does Lumber Cost matter?
Lumber is priced by volume rather than length, so converting a cut list to board feet matches what the yard charges.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Pieces, Length, Width, Thickness, Price per board foot. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.