Timber Board Feet Calculator

This calculator converts timber dimensions into board feet, cubic metres and lineal metres, bridging the gap between the imperial board-foot measure still used in woodworking and the metric units New Zealand timber is sold in. A board foot is a volume unit equal to a piece of timber one foot long, one foot wide and one inch thick, and it is the standard way hardwood and rough-sawn timber is measured and priced in much of the world, including in many plans, sawmill price lists and online woodworking communities. New Zealand timber, by contrast, is usually sold by the lineal metre at a stated dressed or sawn size, or by the cubic metre for bulk. If you are following an overseas plan, buying specialty or imported hardwood, or pricing rough-sawn slabs, you need to move between these systems, and that is where this tool helps. You enter the thickness and width of the timber in millimetres, the length of each piece in metres, and the number of pieces, and the calculator returns the total board feet, the board feet per piece, the total volume in cubic metres, and the total lineal metres. This lets you price timber quoted per board foot, convert a cut list from a plan, or check a supplier's quantities. Remember that board feet are usually based on the nominal or rough-sawn size, which is larger than the final dressed size, so confirm which dimension a price refers to. The conversions are exact; the practical accuracy depends on using the right thickness and width for how the timber is being measured and sold.

Board feet are usually based on nominal or rough-sawn size, which is larger than the dressed size. Confirm which size a price refers to. Conversions are exact.