Lumber Cost Calculator

Price a lumber order by the board foot or by the piece — enter sizes, counts, and unit prices and get the running total, with board feet shown for rough stock.

Inputs
in
in
ft
boards
$
Results update as you type — no submit
ResultsLIVE
Order total
$720.00
unit prices you entered
Board feet
160 bd ft
≈ 13.33 cu ft
Board feet160 bd ft
Board feet per board13.33 bd ft
Order volume13.33 cu ft (0.38 m³)
Cost per board$60.00
Formula
board feet = (2 × 8 × 10) ÷ 12 × 12 = 160 bd ft
cost = 160 × $4.50 = $720.00
How it works

Lumber is priced two ways, and this calculator handles both. Rough and hardwood stock is sold by the board foot — a volume measure equal to `144` cubic inches, or a piece a foot square and an inch thick. Dimensional framing lumber from a home centre is usually sold by the piece: a `2×4×8` is one price whether you buy one or forty. Pick the mode that matches your quote and the total follows.

In board-foot mode, the tool finds the board feet in one piece by multiplying nominal thickness in inches by width in inches by length in feet and dividing by `12`, multiplies by the quantity, then multiplies by your price per board foot. In per-piece mode it simply multiplies the number of pieces by the price each. Either way you get a single order total plus a breakdown, so you can sanity-check a supplier's number or compare two quotes on the same basis.

Prices are yours to enter, because lumber moves with the market and varies by region, grade, and species. Treat the result as a planning figure: yards round board feet up per piece, add charges for extra-wide or extra-long boards, and may price surfaced stock differently from rough. The math is exact; the invoice will have its own rounding.

Worked example
Board-foot mode · 12 boards · 2 in × 8 in × 10 ft · $4.50 per board foot
per board = (2 × 8 × 10) ÷ 12 = 13.33 board feet
total = 13.33 × 12 = 160 board feet → 160 × $4.50 = $720.00
Questions about lumber cost
Match the mode to how the yard quotes. Rough-sawn hardwood and thick softwood are sold by the board foot, so use board-foot mode. Dimensional framing lumber — 2×4, 2×6, and the like — is sold by the stick, so use per-piece mode and enter the count and the each price.
SOURCES — Board foot = 144 in³ (US customary lumber measure); unit prices are user-supplied and vary by region, grade, and species
Estimates for planning only — verify before purchase
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