Pick by what you are holding. Can you put a tape on it — a sawn board with a thickness, a width and a length? That is the Board Foot Calculator, and the answer is exact. Is it still a round log? That is the Log Board Foot Calculator, and the answer is an estimate of what it will yield once sawn.
Available calculators
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Known board
Board Foot Calculator
Board feet from thickness × width × length, for one board or a whole cut list. Fractions, actual or nominal sizes, live dimensioned diagram, CSV export and a cubic-metre equivalent.
Measure lumber -
Round log
Log Board Foot Calculator
Estimated board feet in a log from its small-end diameter and nominal length, with Doyle, Scribner (approximation) and International 1/4-inch shown side by side.
Estimate a log
This list is complete: it shows every calculator that exists on the site today.
How do I choose between them?
| Board Foot | Log Board Foot | |
|---|---|---|
| Use it when | The wood is already sawn | The wood is still a log |
| You measure | Thickness, width, length | Small-end diameter, length |
| You get | An exact volume | An estimated yield |
| Method | Divide by 144 | Three published log rules |
If you are pricing a stack of boards, the first one is what you want. If you are deciding what a standing tree or a delivered log is worth, the second gives you a range rather than a single confident number — which is the honest answer for a log.
What do the two have in common?
- Both report board feet, the US lumber volume unit of 144 cubic inches.
- Both accept several rows, so you can total a cut list or a truckload in one go.
- Both refuse to show a partial total: if any row is wrong, the totals show dashes and export is disabled.
- Both print, and both export CSV with full precision.