🪵 Lumber Calculator
Calculate board feet, linear feet & quantity for any lumber project
| Nominal Size | Actual Inches | Actual mm | Board Ft / Lineal Ft | Weight / 8-ft Board (lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x2 | 0.75" x 1.5" | 19 x 38 mm | 0.17 BF | ~1.5 lbs |
| 1x4 | 0.75" x 3.5" | 19 x 89 mm | 0.33 BF | ~3.0 lbs |
| 1x6 | 0.75" x 5.5" | 19 x 140 mm | 0.50 BF | ~5.0 lbs |
| 1x8 | 0.75" x 7.25" | 19 x 184 mm | 0.67 BF | ~6.5 lbs |
| 1x12 | 0.75" x 11.25" | 19 x 286 mm | 1.00 BF | ~10.0 lbs |
| 2x4 | 1.5" x 3.5" | 38 x 89 mm | 0.67 BF | ~10 lbs |
| 2x6 | 1.5" x 5.5" | 38 x 140 mm | 1.00 BF | ~15 lbs |
| 2x8 | 1.5" x 7.25" | 38 x 184 mm | 1.33 BF | ~20 lbs |
| 2x10 | 1.5" x 9.25" | 38 x 235 mm | 1.67 BF | ~26 lbs |
| 2x12 | 1.5" x 11.25" | 38 x 286 mm | 2.00 BF | ~32 lbs |
| 4x4 | 3.5" x 3.5" | 89 x 89 mm | 1.33 BF | ~20 lbs |
| 4x6 | 3.5" x 5.5" | 89 x 140 mm | 2.00 BF | ~32 lbs |
| Lumber Size | BF per 8-ft Board | BF per 10-ft Board | BF per 12-ft Board | Linear Ft per 100 BF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x4 | 2.67 | 3.33 | 4.00 | 300 lf |
| 1x6 | 4.00 | 5.00 | 6.00 | 200 lf |
| 1x8 | 5.33 | 6.67 | 8.00 | 150 lf |
| 1x12 | 8.00 | 10.00 | 12.00 | 100 lf |
| 2x4 | 5.33 | 6.67 | 8.00 | 150 lf |
| 2x6 | 8.00 | 10.00 | 12.00 | 100 lf |
| 2x8 | 10.67 | 13.33 | 16.00 | 75 lf |
| 2x10 | 13.33 | 16.67 | 20.00 | 60 lf |
| 2x12 | 16.00 | 20.00 | 24.00 | 50 lf |
| 4x4 | 10.67 | 13.33 | 16.00 | 75 lf |
| Project | Typical Size | Common Lumber | Est. Board Feet | Est. Boards (8 ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Deck | 12x16 ft | 2x6 decking | ~384 BF | ~48 boards |
| 6-ft Privacy Fence (50 ft) | 50 lf run | 1x6 fence boards | ~150 BF | ~100 boards |
| 10x12 Shed Walls | 4 walls, 8 ft tall | 2x4 studs | ~240 BF | ~60 studs |
| Raised Garden Bed | 4x8 ft | 2x8 cedar | ~43 BF | ~6 boards |
| Bookshelf (5 shelves) | 36" wide | 1x12 pine | ~15 BF | ~5 boards |
| Pergola | 12x12 ft | 4x4 & 2x6 | ~200 BF | ~25 boards |
| Staircase (14 steps) | Standard rise | 2x12 treads | ~112 BF | ~14 boards |
| Workbench Top | 6x2.5 ft | 2x6 pine | ~22 BF | ~5 boards |
lumber prices swung badly during the last few hard years. From February 2026 the price of lumber stands at 599,56 American dollars per thousand board feet. It grew by around 3,55 % compared to the prior month and by 2,75 % more than in the same period of the past year.
The historical daily prices of lumber date from 1972, and they always show in American dollars per thousand board feet. There also exists a Producer Price Index for lumber and wooden products, that follows data all the way backwards until January 1926.
Big Changes in Lumber Prices and How They Affected People
The Index of lumber of CME reached a bit around 1 420 dollars per thousand baord feet. That a lot passed the normal average of around 350 until 450 dollars. Shipping costs also rose in that period, even so shipping alone does not explain why lumber became this expensive.
Big mills lowered their costs of production, while they tripled the price of their sellable products. They this way created false shortage. Those huge companies, backed by billions of dollars, could last closure during sum months.
Smaller mills even so did not fit that. Many of them left the market and got bought by bigger companies. Although prices of lumber jumped highly, the costs of rough cut wood, adjusting for inflation, reached their lowest level in more than 50 years.
Other times, the prices of lumber, changed according to inflation, fell by 20 % until 30 % under the actual production cost.
Those price swings hit average folks strongly. One 1x4x8 piece cost 8,45 dollars in December 2020. In April 2022, the same piece arrived to 21,22 dollars.
Later it dropped to 9,47 dollars and stayed fairly stable, although still higher than before the pandemic. Standard pine 2×4 sold at 8 dollars each in Seattle a bit later. Some, that built wooden ship planned at around 3 000 dollars, in the end spent more than 5 000 dollars.
Two sheets of 5/8-inch plywood and box of screws cost 170 Canadian dollars.
Prices for different species differ a lot. Common pine can cost around 2 dollars per board foot, while Hawaiian Koa reach almost 50 dollars for the same amount. Common pine run between 2 and 6 dollars per board foot, but final grade of pine can be from 6 until 15 dollars or even more.
Four-quarter board of maple cost around 5,60 dollars per board foot, and same of walnut go at roughly 9,60 dollars.
Broad boards come mostly from old growth of trees, that were cut down long ago. The remaining old growth is protected well, what makes broad lumber rare and expensive. Prices also affect the cause.
When importers pay tariffs, that cost passes to the customer. In European Union, prices together with margins of lumber yards can cause until 30-percent increase of costs. One project jumped from 20 000 to 33 000 dollarsonly for wood inside some months.
