Lumber Calculator – How Much Wood Do You Need? + Cost
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You dont want to start a project without enough necessary materials, such as lumber. It will also be a waste of money if you have too much. Thus, this lumber calculator will ensure you get the right amount of wood as well as calculate how much your projects total cost will be.
Board Feet And Linear Feet Explained
Let’s talk about the differences between board feet, and linear feet.
Board foot is a 3D measurement of the thickness, height, and width of the wood. In short, the board foot is the volume of the lumber. A board foot is equivalent to one inch thick and one square foot.
To calculate the volume of the board foot, multiply the length in feet, width in inches, and thickness by inches.
A linear foot is a length measurement. It is equivalent to 30 cm. You can measure it using a ruler.
Nominal And Actual Sizes
There are two ways to measure lumber. It has a nominal size that is different from its actual size. Due to some historical practices , the nominal size is bigger than the exact measurement. The lumber boards are not precisely measured at 2 x 10 cm.
The wood is left with a thickness equal to 1 in and a width equal to 3. These methods result in a nominal size standard of 2 x 10cm.
Formula For Lumber Calculator
If you have thenumber of lumberand the dimensions you need, heres the formula used to get the total size.
Board feet = length (ft) x width (in) x thickness (in) / 12
After getting the volume of the lumber, you may now use the lumber calculator to multiply it by the number of wood pieces needed.
Lumber Project Price Calculator Formula
Calculators can calculate the cost of your project if you know the prices of each wood. Take note of the lumber calculation difference between linear and board foot. This is the formula for the calculator:
Cost = Price per Linear Foot x Linear Feet
Cost = Price per Board Foot x Total Board Feet
Are You Using Synthetic Or Regular Wood?
Laminate
Scratch-resistant, easier to install thanregular hardwood, cheaper than hardwood, and can adapt well to changing weather and humidity.
Vinyl
It is waterproof but prone to fading.
Natural Wood
You can refinish it if there are damages or scratches. It is however more difficult to install and more costly.
