Hardwood Take-Off Sheet
Board feet per part, plus the thickness conversions. Take it to the yard — most sell in random widths, so you will be measuring.
BFCBrilliance · bfcbrilliance.com/tools/board-foot-calculator
The job
- Project
- Species
- Date
- Yard
- Price per bd ft
- Rough or surfaced?
- TOTAL BD FT
- TOTAL COST
One row per board — measure, do not assume
| Part | Thickness | Width (in) | Length (ft) | Qty | Bd ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The arithmetic
- Board foot
- 144 cubic inches
- Formula
- T(in) x W(in) x L(FEET) / 12
- If length is in inches
- T x W x L / 144
- One board foot
- 1in x 12in x 1ft
- ⚠ Always use
- the ROUGH thickness, never the surfaced one
- Linear feet
- just length — NOT interchangeable
Quarters, and what you actually get
- 3/4
- 0.75 in rough
- 4/4 'four-quarter'
- 1 in rough — surfaces to about 13/16 to 7/8
- 5/4
- 1.25 in rough — for a full 1 in finished
- 6/4
- 1.5 in rough
- 8/4
- 2 in rough
- 12/4
- 3 in rough
- S2S removes
- about 3/16 to 1/4 in total
At the yard
- Thickness confirmed as ROUGH, not surfaced
- Finished thickness worked backwards - 4/4 will NOT give a full inch
- Width measured at the NARROWEST point on uneven edges
- Every board measured - random widths and lengths are normal
- Extra bought for defects, end checks, snipe and colour matching
- Rough vs surfaced price compared if you own a planer
- Linear feet checked against what your vehicle can carry
- Boards from the same lot chosen if colour matters
- Moisture content asked about if it is going indoors
You pay for the wood, then pay to have it flattened
A 4/4 board surfaces to about 13/16 and is still sold as a full inch. That is not sharp practice — the material planed off was already yours, and surfacing is a service performed on wood you had already bought. It is also why rough stock is cheaper per board foot: you are declining the service, not receiving less wood.
Plan from the FINISHED thickness backwards
The commonest and most expensive mistake here is buying 4/4 for a part that needs a full inch finished. It cannot get there — 4/4 surfaces to around 13/16, and no amount of careful planing puts wood back. Decide the finished thickness first, then choose the quarter that comfortably contains it.