Linear Feet to Board Feet Converter — Cubic Feet & Meters
A board foot is a volume, not a length: 144 cubic inches. Type thickness, width, and length, and see it join cubic feet and cubic meters instantly.
How it works
Lumberyards sell rough hardwood by the board foot, a volume measure, but you buy and cut boards by their length in linear feet. A board foot is the amount of wood in a piece one foot square and one inch thick — 144 cubic inches. To convert a real board, multiply its nominal thickness in inches by its width in inches by its length in feet, then divide by 12. A 1 in by 6 in board that is 12 ft long is (1 × 6 × 12) ÷ 12 = 6 board feet.
The 12 in the formula reconciles the mixed units: thickness and width are in inches while length is in feet, and dividing by 12 brings length into inches so the result lands in true board feet. Linear feet, by contrast, only count length and ignore how thick or wide the board is — which is why a 1 x 6 and a 2 x 12 of the same length hold very different amounts of wood. The calculator shows the board feet, the equivalent volume in cubic feet and cubic meters, and keeps the linear length beside them so you can order and price in the same breath.
= (1 x 6 x 12) / 12
= 6 board feet (0.5 cu ft, 0.01 cu m)