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Lumber Volume Converter

Everyday

Convert lumber volume between board feet, cubic feet, cubic metres, and cords — used for timber trade, sawmills, and construction estimating.

Reviewed by the thecalcu.com team · Last updated July 15, 2026

From
To
All conversionsfor 1 Board Feet (bd ft)
Cubic Metres (m³)0.00235974
Cubic Feet (ft³)0.083333569
Board Feet (bd ft)1
Cord (128 ft³)0.00065104178

What is a Lumber Volume?

The Lumber Volume Converter converts lumber and timber volume between board feet (the standard North American lumber trade unit), cubic feet, cubic metres, and cords (the traditional firewood measurement). Board feet is defined as a piece of wood 12 inches by 12 inches by 1 inch thick, and remains the standard unit for pricing and estimating dimensional lumber in the US and Canada.

Enter a value in any supported unit and the converter calculates the equivalent instantly. For general volume conversions outside the lumber trade, see the Volume Converter.

Why Use a Lumber Volume Converter?

Lumber pricing and inventory in North America is almost universally quoted in board feet, while international timber trade and some construction specifications use cubic metres, and firewood is measured in cords. Comparing supplier quotes, converting an architectural plan's material list, or estimating a construction project's lumber requirements across these unit conventions requires accurate conversion.

Who Should Use This Converter?

  • Construction estimators and contractors converting lumber quantities between board feet and other volume units for material takeoffs.
  • Sawmill operators and lumber yard staff comparing timber volume across board feet and cubic measurement conventions.
  • International timber traders converting between North American board feet pricing and cubic metre-based international specifications.
  • Firewood sellers and buyers converting between cord measurements and other volume units.

What Insights Does the Lumber Volume Converter Give You?

The main output is the converted value in your chosen target unit, calculated precisely from the fixed multiplier relationship between units. Because board feet is a much smaller unit than a cubic metre or cord, the converter helps confirm you're comparing lumber quantities on a consistent, meaningful scale for pricing or material planning.

How to use this Lumber Volume calculator

  1. Choose your starting unit from the source dropdown, for example, "Board Feet (bd ft)".
  2. Enter the numeric value you want to convert in the input field.
  3. Choose your target unit from the destination dropdown, for example, "Cubic Feet (ft³)".
  4. Read the converted result, which updates instantly as you type or change units.
  5. Use the swap (⇅) button if you need to reverse the conversion direction.
  6. Use the copy button to grab the result for a material takeoff or supplier price comparison.
Show formula & methodology ↓Show less ↑

Formula & Methodology

The converter's base unit is cubic metres (m³). Every supported unit has a fixed multiplier:

- 1 cubic foot (ft³) = 0.0283168 m³
- 1 board foot (bd ft) = 0.00235974 m³
- 1 cord (128 ft³) = 3.62456 m³

Any conversion follows:

Result = Input × (toBase of source unit ÷ toBase of target unit)

Worked example, converting 1,000 board feet to cubic feet:

Result = 1,000 × (0.00235974 ÷ 0.0283168) = 83.33 cubic feet

This confirms the standard relationship that 12 board feet equal 1 cubic foot, useful for cross-checking a lumber order against a cubic-foot-based material estimate.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a board foot?
A board foot is the standard lumber measurement unit in North America, defined as a piece of wood 12 inches by 12 inches by 1 inch thick (144 cubic inches), it's used to measure and price rough or finished lumber regardless of the actual dimensions of individual boards.
How do I convert board feet to cubic feet?
Divide the board feet value by approximately 12, since one board foot equals 1/12 of a cubic foot (144 cubic inches out of 1,728 cubic inches in a cubic foot). Enter your value with 'Board Feet (bd ft)' as the source and 'Cubic Feet (ft³)' as the target to apply this automatically.
How do I calculate board feet for a specific piece of lumber?
Multiply the board's thickness (inches) by width (inches) by length (feet), then divide by 12, for example, a 2-inch by 6-inch board that's 8 feet long is (2 × 6 × 8) ÷ 12 = 8 board feet. This converter handles unit conversion once you have a total board foot figure, not this initial dimensional calculation.
What is a cord of firewood, and how many cubic feet does it contain?
A cord is a stacked firewood measurement equal to 128 cubic feet (a stack 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet), though the actual solid wood volume within a cord is somewhat less due to air gaps between irregularly shaped pieces, 128 cubic feet is the standard stacked-volume reference regardless of wood species or piece shape.
Why does lumber use board feet instead of a standard volume unit?
Board feet became the traditional lumber trade unit because it conveniently reflects a piece's usable dimensional lumber content in a way that's intuitive for sawmills, lumber yards, and builders, even though it's mathematically just a specific volume measurement (1/12 cubic foot) under a trade-specific name.
How do I convert cubic metres of lumber to board feet?
Divide the cubic metre value by 0.00235974, since one board foot equals approximately 0.00235974 cubic metres, this is useful when comparing international timber volume figures (often in cubic metres) against North American board foot pricing.
What's a typical board foot count for framing a house?
This varies enormously by house size and design, from a few thousand board feet for a small structure to tens of thousands for a large custom home, so estimators typically calculate board foot requirements based on specific architectural plans rather than a universal rule of thumb.
Is a board foot the same as a linear foot?
No, a linear foot measures only length regardless of the board's width or thickness, while a board foot is a volume measurement accounting for all three dimensions, making board feet the more accurate unit for pricing and estimating actual wood content.
How does lumber volume conversion help with construction cost estimating?
Converting between board feet, cubic feet, and cubic metres lets estimators compare lumber pricing and quantities across suppliers who may quote in different units, particularly relevant when comparing domestic North American lumber (board feet) against imported timber (often cubic metres).
Why is precision important when converting lumber volume for large orders?
For large construction or timber trade orders, even small rounding errors in volume conversion can compound into significant cost or material discrepancies, making accurate conversion factors important for procurement and budgeting purposes.
Also known as
board feet converterlumber volume calculatorcubic feet to board feet convertercord to cubic feet convertertimber volume converter