Contractor Job Estimator
Price remodels and GC work, then send a quote with no internal numbers.
Excel or Google Sheets. Best on a computer.
$29.00
BuyBoard Feet vs Linear Feet
When lumber yards price which way — and how to convert without wrecking the PO
Board feet measure volume. Linear feet measure length of a known size. A yard can sell the same 2x4 both ways, but not on the same line of an invoice. Knowing which unit you were quoted is worth more than memorizing the formula.
Volume tool: Board Foot Calculator. What BF means: guide. When the takeoff and the ticket disagree: troubleshooting.
Need BF from a stick count?Enter T, W, L, and quantity. Leave price blank if the rack is sold each.
Open Calculator →Jump to what you need
When Yards Price Board Feet vs Linear Feet
Board feet show up on hardwood, some cedar and redwood, timber, and random-width stock. The pile is not a grid of identical sticks, so volume is the fair unit. Quotes look like “$6.80/BF, FAS cherry, 4/4.”
Linear feet or each show up on studs, common framing 2x, treated deck boards sold as 8/10/12/16, and trim sold as 16-foot sticks. The SKU is fixed. Quotes look like “2x4-8 SPF @ $3.45 ea” or “1x6-16 pine @ $1.10/LF.”
Pressure-treated is mixed: some yards sell 2x8 PT by the piece, some by LF, a few still by BF. Read the unit on the quote. Do not assume last year's yard is this year's unit. Layout still happens after the buy: deck stairs and rafters do not care how you were billed, only how long the stick is.
Never add BF and LF into one total. 80 BF + 80 LF is not 160 of anything. Convert first, then add.
How to Convert Between Them
BF = LF × (T × W) ÷ 12
LF = BF × 12 ÷ (T × W)
pieces = total LF ÷ length of one stick
LF = BF × 12 ÷ (T × W)
pieces = total LF ÷ length of one stick
T and W are still nominal inches. LF is the total length of that SKU, not a mix of 8s and 12s until you split the line. If you have 10 pieces of 2x6x8, that is 80 LF of 2x6, or 80 × (2×6)/12 = 80 BF. Same as running quantity 10 at 8 ft in the calculator.
Hardwood quote → stick count you can pickYou need 40 BF of 5/4 × 6. LF = 40 × 12 ÷ (1.25 × 6) = 64 LF. In 8-foot boards that is 8 pieces (64 ÷ 8). Add waste after, not inside the conversion.
Stud package → BF (only if you must)80 pieces of 2x4x8 = 640 LF. BF = 640 × (2×4)/12 = 426.67 BF. Useful for comparing a $/BF timber quote to a stud package. Useless as the unit on the stud PO if the yard sells each.
Same Board, Two Units (Sanity Table)
These are identities, not a substitute for the calculator. Odd lengths, 5/4, and custom thickness belong in the tool.
| SKU | One piece BF | BF per LF | LF per BF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1x4 | 8 ft = 2.667 BF | 0.333 | 3.00 |
| 1x6 | 8 ft = 4.000 BF | 0.500 | 2.00 |
| 1x8 | 8 ft = 5.333 BF | 0.667 | 1.50 |
| 2x4 | 8 ft = 5.333 BF | 0.667 | 1.50 |
| 2x6 | 8 ft = 8.000 BF | 1.000 | 1.00 |
| 2x8 | 8 ft = 10.667 BF | 1.333 | 0.75 |
| 2x10 | 12 ft = 20.000 BF | 1.667 | 0.60 |
| 2x12 | 12 ft = 24.000 BF | 2.000 | 0.50 |
| 4x4 | 8 ft = 10.667 BF | 1.333 | 0.75 |
Notice 1x8x8 and 2x4x8 are the same 5.333 BF. Volume does not care that one is a 1-by and one is a 2-by. Price will care a lot. That is why you never shop “cheapest BF” across species and grades without reading the quote.
How to Write the Order So the Yard Cannot Misread It
- One SKU per line: size, length, quantity, and the unit you want billed.
- Hardwood: “40 BF 4/4 cherry, FAS, S2S, random width.”
- Framing: “80 pcs 2x4x8 SPF Stud, each.”
- If you converted, show both: “64 LF 5/4x6 cedar (= 40 BF) @ yard's BF rate.”
- Waste on its own line, labeled waste, not hidden in width.
If a line would look right in both units, it is written wrong. The calculator is for the BF column. The stick count is still your job. After the wood is on site, layout is a different calculator: stairs, deck stairs, rafters.
Convert, then orderBF, LF, or each — pick one unit per line.
Open Board Foot Calculator →FAQ
Is linear foot the same as lineal foot?
Yes. Same unit, two spellings. Still not a board foot.
Can I compare $3.45 each to $4.50/BF?
Only after converting. A 2x4x8 at $3.45 each is $3.45 ÷ 5.333 BF ≈ $0.65/BF — framing, not hardwood. Different product.
Do I convert plywood the same way?
You can (4x8x0.75" = 24 BF) but yards sell sheets. Keep sheet goods on a sheet-count line.
Where does waste go?
After conversion, as a percent of the unit you will order. See troubleshooting.
Any trade
Checkout opens in a new tab.
Lumber Takeoff Gear
Write the volume first. Then confirm the bunk with a square and a tape before you treat every sticker as usable stock.
16×24 Framing Square
Check the end of the board against the nominal size on the ticket. Same square you will use on stringers and rafters from that lumber.
View on Amazon →
Swanson Speed Square
Fast 90 on a stickered 2x when you are sorting the pile. The calculator still wants the nominal numbers, not the dressed face.
View on Amazon →
7-1/4" Circular Saw
Rips and cutoffs are waste the board-foot number does not include. Buy extra, then cut.
View on Amazon →
Johnson Stair Gauges
When the same 2x12 becomes a stringer, lock the square. Volume and layout are different jobs.
View on Amazon →
48" Box Beam Level
Sight crown and twist before you count a board as billed BF. Rejects still left the yard as volume.
View on Amazon →
Get the Volume First
Nominal T × W × L, quantity, optional $/BF. Cost stays blank if you leave price empty.
Open Board Foot Calculator →As an Amazon Associate, TestTalkHQ earns from qualifying purchases.