Board Foot (bf)

US customaryTraditional unit (still used in some regions)

144 cubic inches, a board 1 ft × 1 ft × 1 in. The standard unit for lumber in North America.

1 board foot = 2.359737216 liters (exactly).

1 board foot = 2.359737216 liters

About the board foot

Lumber buyers in North America price timber by the board foot, the volume of a board 1 foot long, 1 foot wide and 1 inch thick. That is 144 cubic inches, one twelfth of a cubic foot, or about 2.36 liters. Thousands of board feet are written MBF, a shorthand common in sawmill and timber sale contracts.

A quirk makes the unit slightly slippery. Rough lumber is measured at its full sawn size, but planed softwood such as a retail two-by-four is counted by its nominal dimensions even though the finished board is smaller, so the calculated footage overstates the wood actually present. Hardwoods are measured at actual size and avoid this gap.

Foresters also estimate how many board feet a log will yield using log rules such as the Doyle rule, which allow for taper, saw kerf and waste. In Australia and New Zealand the same quantity was called the super foot or superficial foot until the 1970s. Related timber units include the cord, the Hoppus foot and the stere.

Sources: Wikipedia: Board foot; Wikipedia: Stere

Board Foot conversion chart

1 board foot expressed in every other volume unit:

Unit1 board foot
Liters2.359737216
Milliliters2,359.737216
US Gallons0.6233766234
US Cups9.974025974
US Fluid Ounces79.79220779
Cubic Meters0.002359737216
Cubic Centimeters2,359.737216
US Quarts2.493506494
US Pints4.987012987
US Tablespoons159.5844156
US Teaspoons478.7532468
Metric Cups9.438948864
Metric Tablespoons157.3158144
Metric Teaspoons471.9474432
Imperial Gallons0.5190696216
Imperial Pints4.152556973
Imperial Fluid Ounces83.05113945
Cubic Inches144
Cubic Feet0.08333333333
Cubic Yards0.003086419753
Oil Barrels0.01484230056
Cubic Millimeters2,359,737.216
Microliters2,359,737.216
Centiliters235.9737216
Deciliters23.59737216
Hectoliters0.02359737216
Cubic Kilometers2.359737216×10⁻¹²
Australian Tablespoons117.9868608
US Legal Cups9.8322384
Imperial Quarts2.076278486
Cubic Miles5.66131065×10⁻¹³
Wine Bottles3.146316288
Magnums1.573158144
Jeroboams0.786579072
Methuselahs0.393289536
Nebuchadnezzars0.1573158144
US Gills19.94805195
US Fluid Drams638.3376623
US Minims38,300.25974
Jiggers53.19480519
Pinches7,660.051948
Dashes3,830.025974
Imperial Gills16.61022789
US Bushels0.06696366291
US Pecks0.2678546516
US Dry Quarts2.142837213
US Dry Pints4.285674426
US Dry Barrels0.02040816327
US Liquid Barrels0.01978973408
UK Beer Barrels0.0144186006
Firkins0.0576744024
Kilderkins0.0288372012
Hogsheads (ale)0.0096124004
Tierces0.01484230056
Hogsheads (wine)0.009894867038
Puncheons0.007421150278
Butts (pipe)0.004947433519
Tuns0.002473716759
Acre-feet0.000001913070095
Cords0.0006510416667
Cyathi51.87819223
Sextarii4.323182686
Congii0.7205304476
Modii0.2701989179
Amphorae0.09006630595
Omers1.072607825
Hin0.6435646953
Baths (biblical)0.1072607825
Homers0.01072607825
Gō13.08125879
Shō1.308125879
Tō0.1308125879
Koku0.01308125879
Charkas19.18577571
Shtofs1.918577571
Vedros0.1918577571

More US customary units

All US customary units

Browse all volume units.