[Woodcarver] Re: Measuring board feet, rough lumber

[Vic & Cynthia Hamburger]

Irwin Wrote:


> does anyone know the formula on how to figure the price of a board ft. 


Mike Walters responded:

> When measuring board footage, multiply the rough thickness (T) by the 

> width (W) by the length (L) using inches and divide by 144: BF = 

> (TxWxL)/144. For example, a 6/4 board, 5" wide by 36" long is 

> (1.5x5x36)/144 = (270)/144 = 1.875 BF.


Irwin,

Note that Mike said ROUGH thickness by width by length.  Lumber is 
always measured as it came off the sawmill and before it is planed 
smooth to final thickness and width.  The 6/4 board Mike uses for an 
illustration is 1.5 inches thick, or 6 quarters of an inch thick. Once 
planed smooth, it might be as little as 1.25" thick.  The width is 
treated the same way, a board that comes to you as 5.5 inches wide is 
called 6", the final jointing of the edge cut off the 1/2".  Length is 
the only dimension that doesn't change from the sawmill to the buyer, 
although a 6' board may actually measure 6' 1-2" to account for slight 
checks in the wood.

I hope this helps.  Vic H