Name ______________________________________ Date ________________________ M16-2
Calculating Board Feet and Lineal Feet
The board foot is the basic unit of lumber measurement. One board foot is equal to a piece of
lumber that measures 1" 12" 12". Lumber yards often sell lumber by the board foot.
Practice Exercises
Some lumber supply stores sell lumber by board feet. Others sell lumber by the
lineal foot.
To calculate board feet:
Step 1 Multiply the number of pieces of lumber times the thickness in inches (t) times the
width in inches (w) times the length in feet (l).
Step 2 Divide this answer by 12.
No. of pieces t" w" l '
Bd. ft. =
12
To calculate lineal feet:
Step 1 Multiply the number of pieces of lumber times the length of the piece (l).
Lineal ft. = No. of pieces l '
Problem Exercises
Use the following lumber orders to calculate the number of board feet and lineal feet
ordered. Hint: Remember that lumber is sold in even lengths.
1. How many board feet are there in 12 pieces of lumber each 2 4 16'? _____________
How many lineal feet are there in 12 pieces of lumber each 2 4 16'? _____________
2. How many board feet are there in 28 pieces of lumber each 2 10 11'? _____________
How many lineal feet are there in 28 pieces of lumber each 2 10 11'? _____________
3. How many board feet are there in 8 pieces of lumber each 1 8 22'? _____________
How many lineal feet are there in 8 pieces of lumber each 1 8 22'? _____________
4. How many board feet are there in 17 pieces of lumber each 2 6 15'? _____________
How many lineal feet are there in 17 pieces of lumber each 2 6 15'? _____________
(Continued on next page)
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 63
Additional Problem Exercises
Use the following table to convert board feet to lineal feet and lineal feet to board feet.
Multiply the length in feet times the correct factor.
Lumber Conversions
Size Lineal to Bd. Ft. Bd. Ft. to Lineal Size Lineal to Bd. Ft. Bd. Ft. to Lineal
12 0.167 6 22 0.333 3
13 0.25 4 23 0.5 2
14 0.333 3 24 0.667 1.5
16 0.5 2 26 1 1
18 0.667 1.5 28 1.333 0.75
1 10 0.833 1.2 2 10 1.667 0.6
1 12 1 1 2 12 2 0.5
5. How many lineal feet of 1 6 stock do you have if you have 360 board feet? _____________
6. How many board feet of 2 10 stock do you have if you have 18 pieces,
each 14' long? _____________
Practice Exercises
Not all cuts of lumber are rectangular. By using special formulas you can calculate the
number of board feet in a piece of lumber shaped like a parallelogram, a triangle, or a
trapezoid.
To calculate the number of board feet in a parallelogram: Bd. Ft. = t" w" l ' ÷ 12
To calculate the number of board feet in a triangle: Bd. Ft. = t" w" l ' ÷ 24
To calculate the number of board feet in a trapezoid: Bd. Ft. = (a' + b') t" w" ÷ 24
a and b represent the length in feet of the trapezoid’s parallel sides.
Problem Exercises
Using the formulas above, calculate the number of board feet in the following problems.
7. Find the number of board feet in twenty 1"-thick triangular pieces
of lumber that each have a width of 10" and a length of 14'. _____________
8. Find the number of board feet in a 2"-thick piece of lumber that is
shaped like a trapezoid. Its parallel sides measure 8' and 12'
respectively, and it has a 14" width. _____________
64 Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
