ContractorHandbook

How Many Board Feet in a 2x4x10?

Total board feet

6.67 bf

One nominal 2x4, ten feet long.

thick, inwide, inlength, ftthickness x width x length / 12 = board feet
A board foot is a volume, not a length, and hardwood is priced in it. Thickness and width in inches, length in feet, divided by twelve, which is why a wide board costs more per foot of run than a narrow one of the same species.

How that number is worked out

These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.

  • Thickness, nominal2 in
  • Width, nominal4 in
  • Length10 ft
  • How many pieces1
  • Price per board foot, 0 to skip0 $

Total board feet6.67 bf

Board feet per piece6.667
Pieces1
Total board feet6.67
Total linear feet10 lf

Length compared

The same stick in every length the yard normally stocks.

LengthTotal board feet
8 ft5.33 bf
10 ft6.67 bf
12 ft8 bf
14 ft9.33 bf
16 ft10.67 bf

What else matters here

A 2x4x10 is 6.67 board feet, which is two thirds of a board foot for every foot of length. Every 2x4 works out the same way, so you can get any length in your head: two thirds times the length in feet.

Ten foot studs and plates are the awkward length at most yards, often stocked thinner and priced worse per foot than eights or twelves. If a package is close, price it both ways before you order.

What this calculator assumes

  • A board foot is nominal thickness times nominal width times length in feet, divided by 12. Use the nominal size, the 2 and the 6 in a 2x6, not the real 1.5 by 5.5.
  • Hardwood is sold by the board foot. Softwood framing is usually sold by the piece, so this is for pricing and for comparing two quotes written differently.

Questions people ask

How many board feet in a 2x4x10?

6.67 board feet.

How many board feet per foot in a 2x4?

Two thirds, 0.667 board feet for every foot of length. Multiply by the length to get the total.

What is a board foot?

The volume of a piece one inch thick, twelve inches wide and twelve inches long, which is 144 cubic inches. Board feet are a volume measure, so a 1x12 and a 2x6 of the same length hold the same number of them.

Different numbers?

The board foot calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.

Other common sizes