Board Foot vs Linear Foot (Complete Guide)

One of the biggest hurdles for beginner woodworkers and DIY contractors is understanding how lumber is priced. Why is baseboard sold by the foot, but maple planks are sold by volume? This guide provides the definitive answer.

The Fundamental Difference

The primary difference lies in Total Content vs Running Length. A linear foot strictly measures how long a piece of wood is, regardless of its width or thickness. A board foot measures how much total material is in that piece of wood.

Detailed Comparison Matrix

When to Use Linear Foot (LF)

Linear feet are used when the thickness and width of the product are standardized. For example, when you go to Home Depot to buy a 1x4 pine board, the employee often scans it by its length. Millwork shops sell crown molding and baseboards by the linear foot because the profile is already set.

Key Formula for LF: Total Inches of Length / 12 = Total Linear Feet.

When to Use Board Foot (BF)

Board feet are used for rough or specialty lumber where width and thickness are not uniform. If a sawmill cuts a Walnut log, they will have boards that are 4 inches wide and boards that are 12 inches wide. They price these by the board foot so they are paid for every cubic inch of fiber they produce.

Key Formula for BF: (T" × W" × L') / 12 = Total BF.

The 2x4 Misconception

Many contractors talk about 2x4s and 2x6s in terms of "lineal" footage. While this is common for job site estimates, the sawmill that produced those 2x4s originally priced them to the wholesaler by the thousand board feet (MBF). Even construction lumber has a volumetric origin.

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