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 in the table.
| 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.
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. A 2x4 counts as 2 by 4 even though it measures 1.5 by 3.5.
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.