ACCESS TO THE CALCULATOR
BOARD FOOTAGE = {(length in feet) * (width in inches) * (thickness in inches)} / 12
Measure an average width of a single coarse of lumber in inches. This coarse should have average width boards and average width spaces. Then measure the average length of the entire bundle. For example, if there are equal amounts of 8' and 10' boards in an 8-10' bundle, the average is 9'. With these averages you can use the board footage formula multiplied by the number of coarses.
BOARD FOOTAGE = {(average length in feet) * (average width in inches) * (thickness in inches)} / 12 #or coarses
There will be a 2-4% variance to this depending on who measures the bundle, but due to objective influence, this is considered acceptable in the industry.
Here this stick is used to calculate the surface measure of the lumber. The tally stick is placed with the edge guide against the edge of the lumber with the length of the stick going across the width of the board. Be sure to be in the middle of the length of the board while measuring. This will average any taper in the lumber being tallied. Scan down the column that has the corresponding length of the board until you reach the end of the boards width. The number closest is the surface measure. If the number lies in the middle of the two numbers, average up or down to reach a whole number. This is the surface measure of that board. Multiply the surface measure by the thickness to get the board footage of that piece of lumber.
There will be a 2-4% variance to this depending upon who measures the boards. this is due to the objective influence involved while pushing up or down to the nearest whole lumber.
NOTE:- If you encounter a bundle of lumber with many boards in the middle of whole surface measures, you should alternate to a one up one down method. This will give you a more accurate board footage.
This formula will give you the amount of material less waste you will actually need to cover an area. For this, you first need to know the face size in inches. If it is multiple size faces, like in multiple width flooring, add al the widths together.
LINEAR FOOTAGE NEEDED = { (square footage in feet) * 12 } / aggregate face size in inches
Example :-
- Square footage in feet = 100 sq. ft.
- Aggregate faces in inches = 6" faces
LINEAR FOOTAGE NEEDED = { (100 sq. ft.) * (12)} / 6" faces
