How Many Board Feet in a 2x8x12?
Total board feet
16 bf
One nominal 2x8, twelve feet long.
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, nominal8 in
- Length12 ft
- How many pieces1
- Price per board foot, 0 to skip0 $
Total board feet16 bf
| Board feet per piece | 16 |
|---|---|
| Pieces | 1 |
| Total board feet | 16 |
| Total linear feet | 12 lf |
Length compared
The same stick in every length the yard normally stocks.
| Length | Total board feet |
|---|---|
| 8 ft | 10.67 bf |
| 10 ft | 13.33 bf |
| 12 ft | 16 bf |
| 14 ft | 18.67 bf |
| 16 ft | 21.33 bf |
What else matters here
A 2x8x12 is exactly 16 board feet, twice what a 2x4x12 holds. Two by eight is the standard joist and stair stringer stock in a lot of residential work, so this is a number worth knowing without looking it up.
For stringers, remember that the board foot count says nothing about whether the piece is usable after the notches are cut. A 2x8 does not leave enough throat behind a normal riser and tread cut, which is why stringers are cut from 2x12.
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 2x8x12?
Exactly 16 board feet.
Should I use nominal or actual size?
Nominal. Lumber has been sold and priced on its nominal size for a century, so a 2x4 counts as two by four even though it measures 1.5 by 3.5 inches. Use actual dimensions only for rough sawn stock that was never planed.
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.
The board foot calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.