Wood CFT Calculator

Calculate rectangular timber volume per piece and in total, in cubic feet and cubic meters, with optional pricing per CFT.

Calculate your quantities

Runs in your browser

Results update as you edit. Use decimal points without commas. Costs use the same currency as your entered price.

Your estimate

Volume per piece: 0.018878m³
Volume per piece (CFT): 0.666667ft³
Total volume: 0.188779m³
Total volume (CFT): 6.666667ft³
Estimated total cost: Not calculatedEnter the optional price to estimate cost

Display values are rounded; calculations and costs use unrounded quantities. Tile and box counts always round up. A “<” result is positive but smaller than the displayed decimal precision.

How to use Wood CFT Calculator

Calculate solid timber volume from measured rectangular dimensions and a piece count. CFT means cubic feet. Use feet for a board's length and inches for its cross-section, or mix centimeters and meters; all dimensions are normalized before multiplication.

Enter the measured dimensions and choose the unit beside each measurement. Quantities and counts must be positive whole numbers.
Adjust any wastage and coverage inputs to match your estimate. Leave optional prices blank if you only need quantities.
Review the results and assumptions below. Copy results includes labels and units; Reset defaults restores the starting example.

Calculation explanation

Formulas

Volume per piece = length × width × thickness (in a common unit)
Total volume = volume per piece × number of pieces
CFT = volume in m³ ÷ 0.028316846592
Estimated cost = total CFT × price per CFT

Assumptions and measurement notes

Use actual finished dimensions. Nominal lumber sizes can differ from measured sizes.
This is solid rectangular volume, not board feet, stacked volume or a round-log estimate.
The quoted rate is per cubic foot, not per piece. Cost uses the unrounded total volume.

Units are normalized before calculation: 1 in = 0.0254 m, 1 ft = 0.3048 m, 1 ft² = 0.09290304 m² and 1 ft³ = 0.028316846592 m³. Decimal arithmetic is retained through quantity rounding; dimensions and prices are limited to 1,000,000,000 per input.

Practical examples

Ten 8 ft timber pieces

Input: 8 ft × 6 in × 2 in; 10 pieces; 50 per CFT
Result: Volume per piece (CFT): 0.666667 ft³; Total volume (CFT): 6.666667 ft³; Estimated total cost: 333.33 currency units

Each piece is 2/3 ft³. Ten pieces are 6⅔ CFT, so the unrounded cost is 333⅓ currency units.

Twenty metric battens

Input: 2 m × 10 cm × 5 cm; 20 pieces; 100 per CFT
Result: Volume per piece: 0.010000 m³; Total volume: 0.200000 m³; Total volume (CFT): 7.062933 ft³; Estimated total cost: 706.29 currency units

Each batten occupies 0.01 m³. The combined 0.2 m³ is converted to cubic feet before applying the price.

Twelve short boards

Input: 3 ft × 4 in × 1 in; 12 pieces; no price
Result: Total volume (CFT): 1.000000 ft³; Total volume: 0.028317 m³

Each board is 1/12 ft³, so the dozen totals exactly 1 ft³ or 0.028316846592 m³.

Frequently asked questions

What does CFT mean and how is timber volume calculated?

CFT stands for cubic feet (ft³). For rectangular sawn timber, CFT is calculated as (Length in feet × Width in inches × Thickness in inches) ÷ 144 for each piece, multiplied by the total piece count. The calculator automatically converts mixed units like feet and inches.

Is timber CFT the same as lumber board feet?

One CFT equals exactly 12 board feet (where 1 board foot is a nominal board measuring 12 in × 12 in × 1 in, or 1/12 of a cubic foot). If lumber is quoted per thousand board feet (MBF), divide that price by 83.33 to compare with price per CFT.

Does this calculator estimate round log timber?

No. This tool calculates the solid volume of rectangular, dressed, or sawn timber boards. It does not use round-log scaling formulas (such as the Hoppus rule or Quarter Girth formula) that estimate usable square timber recovery from round tree logs.