When you're heading in order to the lumberyard plus feeling a bit lost about board ft vs square ft , you aren't by yourself. It's among those items that seems basic until you're staring at a price label on a massive piece of walnut and realize you possess no idea how much it actually costs. Most of all of us grow up understanding square footage due to the fact that's how we all measure houses, apartments, and rugs. But the second a person step into the world of hardwood and uncooked lumber, the rules change, and "volume" becomes the name of the game.
The dilemma usually stems from typically the fact that we're seeking to use a two-dimensional mindset intended for a three-dimensional product. If you're purchasing plywood at a big-box store, you're likely dealing with square feet. In the event that you're buying rough-sawn cherry from the local mill, you're almost certainly dealing along with board feet. Let's break down why these two matter, how to calculate all of them without a headaches, and why the particular lumber industry demands on making points just a little bit challenging throughout us.
Just what square feet, anyway?
Let's start with the one we know. The square foot is a measure of surface area . It's level. Imagine a square on the ground that is 12 inches long and twelve inches wide. That will is one square foot. It doesn't matter if that square is a slim piece of document or a six-inch-thick concrete slab; the square footage continues to be the exact same because all of us are only searching at the "footprint" it covers.
In the entire world of DIY and home improvement, you'll see square footage employed for things like flooring, tile, roofing, and decks. If you have the room which is ten feet by 10 feet, you will need 100 square feet of flooring. The width of the floors doesn't change the particular quantity of area a person need to cover, so the pricing is easy. You spend for the area you're hiding underneath the wooden.
The board foot: Adding depth to the blend
Now, here is where things get interesting. A board foot is a good unit of volume , not area. Whilst a square feet only cares about width and length, a board foot cares about length, width, and thickness.
By description, one board foot is really a piece associated with lumber that is twelve inches long, twelve inches wide, and one inch thick .
Think of it just like a loaf of loaf of bread. If you have got a slice that is 12x12 inches and an inches thick, that's one particular board foot. But if you have the slice which is 12x12 inches and two inches thick , you've suddenly got 2 board feet, actually though it still only covers one square foot associated with your table. This particular is the biggest mental hurdle when comparing board ft vs square ft . The "footprint" may be the same, but the amount of wood you're in fact taking home will be doubled.
Exactly why the lumber sector uses board ft
You may question why we can't just buy everything by the geradlinig foot or the particular square foot. This would certainly make life easier on the checkout counter. The reason mills use board feet is that they can sell the raw commodity.
Each time a sign is milled, it's sliced into different thicknesses—some may be a good inch thick, whilst others are 3 inches thick regarding table legs or even structural beams. By selling wood from the board foot, the mill ensures they are getting paid for the total volume of fiber they've collected from the woods. It's a much fairer way in order to price raw material because it accounts for the actual quantity of "tree" you're walking away along with.
How you can perform the math (without crying)
Calculating board feet is really pretty simple once you memorize the basic formula. You simply multiply the sizes and then divide to get at the miraculous number.
The formula is: (Thickness in inches a Width in inches x Length in feet) / 12
Or, if all of your dimensions are in ins: (Thickness x Width x Length) / 144
Let's look at a quick example. Say you find an attractive piece of walnut that is 2 ins thick, 6 inches wide, and eight feet long. one. Multiply the width (2) by typically the width (6): 12. 2. Multiply that by the size (8): 96. 3. Divide by twelve. 4. You have got 8 board ft.
In the event that that same board were only 1 inch thick, you'd only have 4 board feet. Viewing the difference? The particular thickness literally requires the price when you're dealing with hardwoods.
The "Nominal vs. Actual" trap
I'd be carrying out you a disservice in case I didn't point out the weirdness associated with lumber sizing. In the event that you go to a store and buy a "2x4, " it isn't actually 2 ins by 4 inches. It's usually 1. 5 inches by 3. 5 inches because it provides been planed lower.
Nevertheless, when you're buying hardwood with the board foot, you'll often see thicknesses referred to in quarters. A "4/4" (four-quarter) board is approximately 1 inch solid. A "8/4" (eight-quarter) board is 2 inches thick.
Here's the kicker: lumberyards usually charge you structured on the rough-sawn thickness prior to it was planed smooth. So, actually if your board is now one. 75 inches dense because the mill sanded it down, they may still charge you for your full 2-inch thickness (8/4). It feels a bit like a rip-off the 1st time it happens, but it's just the industry standard. When comparing board ft vs square ft , remember that square footage is usually usually based on the finished surface, while board footage often looks back on the "raw" state of the wooden.
When should you use which?
Deciding among board ft vs square ft usually depends on the specific project you're tackling.
- Use Square Feet for: Floors, siding, wall panels, or any bed sheet goods like plywood and MDF. When the thickness is uniform and you're covering a surface, stay with square feet.
- Make use of Board Feet for: Furniture building, cabinetry, and buying raw hardwoods such as walnut, maple, or even cherry. If you're buying wood that isn't a "standard" sheet, you're within board foot place.
I usually tell people that will if you're concerned about how very much of the floor you're covering, think within square feet. In the event that you're worried regarding how many parts you can reduce out of a huge hunk of wooden, you need to think in board feet.
Helpful tips for the lumberyard
The first few occasions you go to a specialty wood shop, it may be intimidating. The thing is people walking about with tape measures and calculators performing like they're performing high-level physics. Don't be worried about it.
Most lumberyards are happy to help you find out the board footage of a stack of wood. Yet if you need to look like you understand what you're performing, bring your own recording measure. Gauge the breadth at the narrowest point if the particular board is live-edge, and always rounded your thickness up to the nearest "quarter" (like 4/4 or 5/4).
Another factor to bear in mind is waste . Regardless of whether you're buying from the square foot or maybe the board foot, you're never going to use 100% of the wood. Right now there are knots, breaks, and "snipe" through the planer to offer with. For square foot projects such as flooring, people usually add 10%. For board foot projects like a dining room table, I usually add 15-20% just to become safe.
Wrapping it upward
At the end of the day, knowing board ft vs square ft is just regarding shifting your viewpoint from 2D in order to 3D. Square foot tell you regarding the surface; board feet tell you about the bulk.
Once you get used to the "Thickness x Width back button Length / 12" formula, it becomes second nature. You'll start looking at trees in the recreation area and accidentally calculating the number of board feet are usually in the trunk area (it's a weird complication of woodworking, sorry).
So, next period you're looking at a price list, just ask yourself: "Am I covering the surface, or are I building a structure? " That will simple question will usually tell you precisely which measurement a person need to concentrate on. Don't let the math get within the way of a good project—just bring a loan calculator and take your own time!