Board footage for every common nominal size at a glance — tape it to the shop wall. Figured on nominal dimensions with BF = T″ × W″ × L′ ÷ 12, same as the yard's tally book.
| Nominal size | 6′ | 8′ | 10′ | 12′ | 14′ | 16′ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-by · 4/4 | ||||||
| 1×2 | 1 | 1.33 | 1.67 | 2 | 2.33 | 2.67 |
| 1×4 | 2 | 2.67 | 3.33 | 4 | 4.67 | 5.33 |
| 1×6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 1×8 | 4 | 5.33 | 6.67 | 8 | 9.33 | 10.67 |
| 1×10 | 5 | 6.67 | 8.33 | 10 | 11.67 | 13.33 |
| 1×12 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 |
| Two-by · 8/4 | ||||||
| 2×2 | 2 | 2.67 | 3.33 | 4 | 4.67 | 5.33 |
| 2×4 | 4 | 5.33 | 6.67 | 8 | 9.33 | 10.67 |
| 2×6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 |
| 2×8 | 8 | 10.67 | 13.33 | 16 | 18.67 | 21.33 |
| 2×10 | 10 | 13.33 | 16.67 | 20 | 23.33 | 26.67 |
| 2×12 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 |
| Timbers | ||||||
| 4×4 | 8 | 10.67 | 13.33 | 16 | 18.67 | 21.33 |
| 4×6 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 |
| 6×6 | 18 | 24 | 30 | 36 | 42 | 48 |
| 8×8 | 32 | 42.67 | 53.33 | 64 | 74.67 | 85.33 |
BF = thickness″ × width″ × length′ ÷ 12 (nominal) · calculateboardfeet.com
Find your board's nominal size in the left column, run across to its length, and read the board feet. A 2×6 that's 12 feet long is 12 bf — conveniently, a 2×6's board footage equals its length. Handy patterns worth memorizing:
The chart uses nominal sizes, the way lumber is tallied and priced everywhere in North America — a surfaced 2×4 really measures 1½″ × 3½″, and it still counts as 2″ × 4″ (more on that in what is a board foot). For odd widths, hardwood in 4/4–16/4 thicknesses, or whole cut lists with prices, the board foot calculator does the arithmetic and prints a tally slip.
Each common size has its own quick-answer page with a length table and framing uses:
The print button strips navigation and fits the whole table on one Letter page in portrait — black and white, no ink-hungry fills. Shop-proof it the way scalers do: print two, tape one at the lumber rack and one by the saw, or run a sheet through a laminator and it will outlive the project backlog. The values never expire — the board-foot definition is fixed convention (see the American Softwood Lumber Standard), so a 2×8×12 will be 16 bf forever.
Two habits make the chart faster than a phone: memorize your two "anchor rows" (most shops live on 2×4 and whatever your project stock is), and read prices against it — a $6.50 stick of 2×4×8 is $6.50 ÷ 5.33 ≈ $1.22/bf, instantly comparable to the hardwood table. For sizes beyond the chart or mixed cut lists, the calculator handles arbitrary dimensions and quantities.