The lumber calculator computes the volume (board feet), length (linear feet), and total cost for your project. **Board Feet per Piece** = (Thickness × Width × Length in feet) ÷ 12 For example, a 2×4×8: (1.5 × 3.5 × 8) ÷ 12 = 4 board feet per piece (using actual dimensions) **Total Board Feet** = Board feet per piece × Quantity Example: 4 bf per piece × 10 pieces = 40 total board feet **Linear Feet** = Length (feet) × Quantity Linear feet measures how far the lumber stretches end-to-end, useful for fencing, trim, or material tracking. **Total Cost** = Total Board Feet × Price per Board Foot Example: 40 board feet × $1.50/bf = $60 total **Key Point:** Board foot is a unit of volume equal to 1 inch thick × 12 inches wide × 12 inches long (144 cubic inches). All lumber is priced and sold by the board foot using nominal dimensions (e.g., a 2×4 is actually 1.5"×3.5"), per industry standard.