Why Board Feet Matter in Woodworking
Hardwood lumber — oak, maple, walnut, cherry — is sold exclusively by the board foot because each plank varies in width, thickness, and length. When buying rough-sawn lumber from a sawmill or specialty lumber dealer, you pay a per-board-foot price. Calculating exact board feet prevents over-ordering expensive hardwoods and ensures accurate project material budgets.
Softwood dimensional lumber (2×4, 2×6, etc.) sold at home improvement stores is typically priced by the linear foot, but large commercial orders from building supply wholesalers revert to board feet pricing. Contractors ordering structural framing lumber in bulk always use board feet for quotes and invoices.
Board Foot vs. Linear Foot vs. Running Foot
A linear foot (or running foot) only measures length — it ignores thickness and width. One linear foot of a 2×4 and one linear foot of a 2×10 are the same in linear measure, but vastly different in material volume. For any project where material volume matters (pricing, structural loads, weight calculations), always use board feet.
The board foot formula standardizes all lumber to a common volume unit, making it easy to compare prices between different sizes and species at different suppliers.