How to Calculate Board Feet and Price Your Work

How many board feet is in your lumber, and how much should you charge for it? Let's figure it out

Calculating the board footage of your lumber may seem challenging, but with a simple formula you can quickly know the actual volume of your lumber to come up with a price.

While pricing of lumber varies over time, having a strong pricing strategy so you know the cost of your lumber can be invaluable, especially if you're milling for hire or selling your work. Equipped with a portable sawmill like the Woodland Mills HM130MAX or HM136MAX you have the potential to mill custom dimensions, mill hard-to-find species and cut slabs.

So how much does one board foot of black walnut sell for? How do you even know how many board feet you have?  

What is a board foot?

A board foot is defined as a volume of wood that measures 1 foot long by 1 foot wide by 1 inch thick. A board foot is equivalent to 144 cubic inches. To make calculations easier, you can break down your lumber measurements into manageable sections before applying the board foot formula. Nominal dimensions are used in board feet calculations, which may differ from actual dimensions due to drying and planing.

How is a board foot different from other measurements?

A board foot is used to measure lumber based not just on its length or width, but volume. For example, some different measurements used for wood include:

• • Square Feet: This measurement is used to find the surface area, and is calculated by measuring the length and width. One square foot would be 1' x 1'.

  • Linear Feet: This measurement applies to the length of an object. So something with a length of one linear foot is 12 inches long.

  • Board Feet: This measurement combines the width and length with the thickness of the lumber. That means it takes into account the volume of the board. One board foot is measured as 1' (length, measured in feet) x 1" (width, measured in inches) x 1" (thickness, measured in inches) and is abbreviated as either FBM (foot, board measure), BF (board foot) or sometimes as bd. ft.

You would use a board foot calculation to figure out the actual volume of wood you're producing or selling, so you can figure out the actual cost. Because square feet and linear feet only factor the surface area and length, you're not including the thickness of the board.

How do you calculate board feet?

Board feet uses the length, width and thickness of the lumber to calculate total volume.

When calculating you would write it as: "(Length x Width X Thickness) ÷ 12 = Total Board Footage."

So for example, for a piece of lumber that's 2' long, 2" wide and 1" thick, you would calculate that by doing: "(2 x 2 x 1) ÷ 12 = 0.33 FBM"

For a board that's 10' long, 10" wide and 4" thick, you would calculate it as: "(10 x 10 x 4) ÷ 12 = 400 FBM"

How do you price your lumber using board feet?

A common method for pricing woodworking projects is to calculate the total board feet needed and then apply a cost per board foot.

Once you have the total board feet of your lumber you can research the price per board foot for the species.

For example, let’s say cherry sells for $9 per board foot. If you have 20 BF of kiln dried premium cherry wood then you’re effectively sitting on $180 worth of lumber.

Look up what species sells for online and either charge the same price or adjust it for other factors, such as whether or not the lumber is dry or wet, straight or crooked or if it’s covered in knots. When estimating materials for a project, it's advisable to add a buffer of 10-20% to account for waste and errors, or even add 25% to 50% to the total board feet estimate to account for waste, which is a common practice in woodworking. Remember: the price in your area may differ from the price elsewhere in the world.

A pricing strategy should also include overhead costs, such as utilities and maintenance, in addition to labor and material costs. For some jobs, you might consider charging by the hour or using an hourly rate, especially when the project scope is uncertain or likely to change. The specific job or tasks required for a project will influence how you estimate time, costs, and the most appropriate pricing method.

Depending on your lumber, such as unique cuts like burlwood slabs or discolorations, it may be better to charge a fixed price based on the estimated value. In which case, use the board footage as a starting point and then adjust the value from there.

What should I know if I plan on selling homemade lumber?

Equipped with a Woodland Mills portable sawmill you have a great opportunity for milling locally sourced lumber and making money. But remember: you're not a lumber yard, and the professional timber manufacturing industry can produce pine 2x4s far faster and more cheaply than you.

• • Find the need in your local woodworking community and fill it: Look for builders, carpenters or hobbyists that want specific things like custom dimensions, slabs, exotic species or oddly shaped logs and fill those needs. Many sawyers-for-hire say they don't bother with pine because the price is so low, but species like cherry, walnut and mahogany are far more worthwhile and profitable.

  • When it comes to pricing your work, accurate measurement is just the starting point: A smart pricing strategy should factor in not only the lumber costs based on total board feet, but also overhead costs, your desired profit margin and the time spent on each project. For example, if you’re building a deck and your board foot calculator tells you you’ll need 100 board feet of lumber, you can quickly estimate your material cost by multiplying by the current price per board foot. But don’t forget to account for additional materials, labor, and any unique features that might affect the overall cost.

  • Your final price should accommodate more than just lumber costs: Look up board foot prices for the species you're milling but pay special attention to your own efforts and time spent milling. Factor your time and effort into the cost, especially if you're sourcing specific species or unique logs you can't find anywhere else.

Do this and you'll be able to generate a healthy profit margin while keeping your overall costs down.