Board Foot Chart: Common Hardwood and Softwood Sizes
Lumber math · Reference charts · Updated 2026-09-13
This page is the chart. Board feet for the sizes a lumber yard actually stocks, laid out so you can find a row with one thumb while the other hand is holding a board. Every cell was computed from the same formula the trade uses: thickness in inches times width in inches times length in feet, divided by 12.
Start with the 4/4 and 8/4 tables for hardwood sold in quarter thicknesses. Use the quarter reference when you need to know what a board measures after surfacing and which number you are billed on. Use the nominal table for 2x and 1x construction lumber. If your size is not listed anywhere, the per-foot multipliers near the bottom will cover it.
How to read these charts
Pick the table that matches your thickness, find the row for your width, then read across to the column for your length. The number where they cross is board feet for one piece. Multiply by the number of pieces and you have the volume you are buying. No prices appear anywhere on this page, because the price per board foot moves with species, grade and supplier while the volume stays the same. For the derivation and worked examples behind these numbers, see how to calculate board feet.
4/4 and 8/4 hardwood by width and length
| Width | 6 ft | 8 ft | 10 ft | 12 ft | 14 ft | 16 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 in | 2.00 | 2.67 | 3.33 | 4.00 | 4.67 | 5.33 |
| 6 in | 3.00 | 4.00 | 5.00 | 6.00 | 7.00 | 8.00 |
| 8 in | 4.00 | 5.33 | 6.67 | 8.00 | 9.33 | 10.67 |
| 10 in | 5.00 | 6.67 | 8.33 | 10.00 | 11.67 | 13.33 |
| 12 in | 6.00 | 8.00 | 10.00 | 12.00 | 14.00 | 16.00 |
| Width | 6 ft | 8 ft | 10 ft | 12 ft | 14 ft | 16 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 in | 4.00 | 5.33 | 6.67 | 8.00 | 9.33 | 10.67 |
| 6 in | 6.00 | 8.00 | 10.00 | 12.00 | 14.00 | 16.00 |
| 8 in | 8.00 | 10.67 | 13.33 | 16.00 | 18.67 | 21.33 |
| 10 in | 10.00 | 13.33 | 16.67 | 20.00 | 23.33 | 26.67 |
| 12 in | 12.00 | 16.00 | 20.00 | 24.00 | 28.00 | 32.00 |
These two tables scale cleanly to the thicknesses between them, because board feet are directly proportional to thickness. 8/4 is exactly double 4/4 at the same width and length, which is why the second table is the first one doubled. For the rest: multiply a 4/4 value by 1.25 for 5/4, by 1.5 for 6/4, by 2.5 for 10/4, by 3 for 12/4 and by 4 for 16/4. A 6/4 board 8 in wide and 12 ft long is the 4/4 figure of 8.00 bf times 1.5, or 12.00 bf.
Quarter thicknesses: rough, surfaced and what you are billed for
| Quarter | Rough (in) | Surfaced S2S (in) | Billed thickness (in) | One 6 in x 8 ft board (bf) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/4 | 1.0000 | 0.8125 (13/16) | 1.0000 | 4.00 |
| 5/4 | 1.2500 | 1.0625 (1-1/16) | 1.2500 | 5.00 |
| 6/4 | 1.5000 | 1.3125 (1-5/16) | 1.5000 | 6.00 |
| 8/4 | 2.0000 | 1.7500 (1-3/4) | 2.0000 | 8.00 |
| 10/4 | 2.5000 | 2.2500 (2-1/4) | 2.5000 | 10.00 |
| 12/4 | 3.0000 | 2.7500 (2-3/4) | 3.0000 | 12.00 |
| 16/4 | 4.0000 | 3.7500 (3-3/4) | 4.0000 | 16.00 |
The surfaced column is what your tape will read after the yard has run the board through a planer on two faces. The allowance behind it is 3/16 in for stock 1-1/2 in and under, and 1/4 in for stock 1-3/4 in and over. Hardwood is billed on the rough thickness, so an 8/4 board is charged at 2.0000 in and hands you 1.7500 in of usable wood. That is the trade convention rather than a yard rounding in its own favor, and it is the single most expensive thing to misunderstand here. What 4/4 lumber means walks through the notation and the S2S and S4S variants in full.
Nominal softwood: 2x and 1x stock
| Nominal size | 8 ft | 10 ft | 12 ft | 14 ft | 16 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2x4 | 5.33 | 6.67 | 8.00 | 9.33 | 10.67 |
| 2x6 | 8.00 | 10.00 | 12.00 | 14.00 | 16.00 |
| 2x8 | 10.67 | 13.33 | 16.00 | 18.67 | 21.33 |
| 2x10 | 13.33 | 16.67 | 20.00 | 23.33 | 26.67 |
| 2x12 | 16.00 | 20.00 | 24.00 | 28.00 | 32.00 |
| 1x4 | 2.67 | 3.33 | 4.00 | 4.67 | 5.33 |
| 1x6 | 4.00 | 5.00 | 6.00 | 7.00 | 8.00 |
| 1x8 | 5.33 | 6.67 | 8.00 | 9.33 | 10.67 |
| 1x10 | 6.67 | 8.33 | 10.00 | 11.67 | 13.33 |
| 1x12 | 8.00 | 10.00 | 12.00 | 14.00 | 16.00 |
Construction lumber is sold by nominal size, and board-foot math for it is conventionally done on the nominal number even though the board is smaller. A 2x4 really measures 1-1/2 by 3-1/2 in, and an 8 ft 2x4 is still counted as 5.33 bf. Most yards sell dimensional lumber by the piece rather than by volume, so this table earns its keep when you are comparing a per-board-foot quote against a per-piece one, or estimating a whole stack at once. If you are unsure which unit a given product is sold in, board foot vs linear foot sorts that out.
The chart, with the working shown. Board Foot Calculator₊ covers every cell on this page and every size between them, with the formula on screen and a unit label on every number it gives back. Quarter thickness is a picker with a rough and surfaced toggle, so the thickness you are billed on is never a guess at the rack. Learn more about Board Foot Calculator₊.
A size that is not on the chart
Hardwood comes in random widths, so the board in your hands will often fall between the columns above. The fix is a multiplier: work out the board feet in a single foot of length, then multiply by however many feet you have. That one number covers any length, including odd ones.
| Thickness | 4 in wide | 6 in wide | 8 in wide | 10 in wide | 12 in wide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/4 (1.0000 in) | 0.333 | 0.500 | 0.667 | 0.833 | 1.000 |
| 5/4 (1.2500 in) | 0.417 | 0.625 | 0.833 | 1.042 | 1.250 |
| 6/4 (1.5000 in) | 0.500 | 0.750 | 1.000 | 1.250 | 1.500 |
| 8/4 (2.0000 in) | 0.667 | 1.000 | 1.333 | 1.667 | 2.000 |
| 10/4 (2.5000 in) | 0.833 | 1.250 | 1.667 | 2.083 | 2.500 |
| 12/4 (3.0000 in) | 1.000 | 1.500 | 2.000 | 2.500 | 3.000 |
- Read the multiplier: Find your thickness row and your width column. That value is board feet for each foot of length.
- Multiply by the length in feet: A 6/4 board 10 in wide comes to 1.250 bf per foot. At 11 ft that is 13.75 bf.
- For a width that is not a column: Multiply thickness in inches by width in inches and divide by 12. A 4/4 board 7 in wide is 1 x 7 divided by 12, or 0.583 bf per foot of length.
- For a length given in inches: Divide by 144 instead of 12, keeping all three dimensions in inches. A 4/4 board 7 in wide and 42 in long is 1 x 7 x 42 divided by 144, or 2.04 bf.
- Check how your yard measures width: Random-width hardwood is commonly measured and billed in whole inches. Ask what happens to the fraction before you add up a stack of boards, because the answer changes your total, not just one row.
Adding the rows up for a project
- Write every distinct part as its own row: thickness, width, length and piece count.
- Look up one piece in the chart, then multiply by the count. Four 4/4 boards 6 in wide and 10 ft long are 5.00 bf each, so 20.00 bf.
- Add the rows together for net board feet, which is the volume the finished parts need.
- Add a waste allowance on top for gross board feet, which is what you actually buy. Gross equals net times one plus the waste percent divided by 100, so 20.00 bf net with a 20 percent allowance is 24.00 bf gross. Lumber waste factor covers how much to add and when.
- Keep each hardwood thickness in its own subtotal if your yard prices by thickness, since the rate per board foot usually steps up as the quarter goes up.
Frequently asked questions
How many board feet are in a 1x6x8?
A nominal 1x6 that is 8 ft long is 4.00 board feet. The math is 1 x 6 x 8 divided by 12, using the nominal 1 in by 6 in size rather than the 3/4 by 5-1/2 in the board actually measures. Board-foot math for softwood is conventionally done on nominal size, which is what the softwood table above uses.
How many board feet are in a 2x4x8?
5.33 board feet. Two inches times 4 in times 8 ft divided by 12 gives 5.333, which rounds to 5.33 bf. Every 2x4 is 0.667 bf per foot of length, so a 16 ft stick is 10.67 bf and a 12 ft stick is 8.00 bf.
Does a board foot chart use rough or surfaced thickness?
Rough. Hardwood is billed on the rough quarter thickness, so a 4/4 chart uses 1.0000 in even though the surfaced board measures 0.8125 in. Use the surfaced number only when you are checking whether a finished part will fit, never when you are checking a bill.
How do I find board feet for a size that is not on the chart?
Multiply thickness in inches by width in inches, divide by 12, and you have board feet for one foot of length. Multiply that by your length in feet to get the board. The multiplier table on this page has the common thickness and width combinations already worked out.
Is the board foot chart different for hardwood and softwood?
The formula is identical, but the numbers you feed it are not. Hardwood uses the rough quarter thickness and the real measured width, which is usually a random width. Softwood uses nominal size, so a 2x6 is figured as 2 in by 6 in even though it measures 1-1/2 by 5-1/2 in.
How many board feet are in a 4/4 board 8 in wide and 10 ft long?
6.67 board feet. One inch times 8 in times 10 ft divided by 12 is 6.667, which the chart shows as 6.67 bf. The same board in 8/4 is exactly double at 13.33 bf, because board feet scale directly with thickness.
How do I total a cut list from the chart?
Look up each part once, multiply by its piece count, and add the results for net board feet. Then add your waste allowance to get the gross figure you order against. Keep the thicknesses in separate subtotals if your supplier prices by thickness.