ContractorHandbook

How Many Board Feet in a 2x6x12?

Total board feet

12 bf

One nominal 2x6, twelve 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, nominal6 in
  • Length12 ft
  • How many pieces1
  • Price per board foot, 0 to skip0 $

Total board feet12 bf

Board feet per piece12
Pieces1
Total board feet12
Total linear feet12 lf

Length compared

The same stick in every length the yard normally stocks.

LengthTotal board feet
8 ft8 bf
10 ft10 bf
12 ft12 bf
14 ft14 bf
16 ft16 bf

What else matters here

A 2x6x12 is exactly 12 board feet. Twelve foot 2x6 is one of the most ordered pieces in residential framing: joists, rafters, deck framing and blocking all live in this size.

If you are pricing a deck or a floor system against a board foot quote, count the pieces, multiply by twelve, and you have the whole package in one number you can hold against the quote.

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 2x6x12?

Exactly 12 board feet.

How do I convert a pile of lumber to board feet?

Work out the board feet in one piece of each size, multiply by how many of that size you have, and add the results. The calculator on this page does one size at a time.

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