How To Calculate Board Footage In A Log

Developed in the 1800s it is based on a mathematical formula and is most prominently used in the south and the midwest united states. We also have a listing of the most common dimensions of lumber and their equivilent board foot measurement. The doyle scale is most often used to calculate board feet in a tree or log.
how to calculate board footage in a log

Measuring Standing Trees And Logs Vce Publications Virginia Tech

Logs Goodwood Forest Products Corp

Lumber Rules Conway Cleveland Corporation

Simply input your dimensions and click calculate.

How to calculate board footage in a log. Determining the amount of usable lumber in a tree is a key concern prior to any timber removal. Next measure the length of the log in feet. Board footage or how much wood by volume the board contains can be found using the calculator above or by using a simple formula. Where those two measurements intersect you will find the board footage for that log.

For example the back of a pickup truck is about 48 inches wide. Woodworkers may calculate board feet by layer. The doyle scale is one of the most commonly used formulas for calculating board feet. To use the scale first measure the average diameter of the small end of the log inside the bark in inches.

Move over on the scale to that length column. By definition a board foot is one square foot one inch thick. Locate that row on the scale. All you need to do is plug in the diameter at breast height dbh and number of 16 foot logs in a tree or the diameter inside the bark dib at the small end of the log and the log length in feet to figure out the volume in board feet.

If the log is not perfectly round then two readings are taken at 90 degrees to each other and averaged. This board foot calculator is a free to use tool for converting your dimensions into board feet the standard of measurement in the lumber industry. The log length is the length to the last full foot especially for hardwood logs. Log volume calculator diameter.

If there is a specific project calling for a certain amount of wood youll need to know how many trees to remove. The log board feet calculator utilizes log rules calculations. All the major log rules use the small end diameter inside the bark as the basic size measurement. Calculate board footage using length in inches board feet can be calculated by multiplying the thickness of a board in inches by the width of the board in inches by the length of the board in inches and then dividing the result by 144.

Even if you are simply removing a single tree its helpful to have an estimate of its yield. A board foot is actually a measure of volume. Go here to find out. We sell most of our lumber by the board foot.

By entering in the diameter inside the bark at the small end and the length the scaling techniques for international doyle and scribner are calculated and shown on the screen. Using the formula a single layer of hardwood 96 inches in length in the back of the truck equals approximately 32 board feet. To calculate board footage use the following formulas. Dont know what board feet are.

If you stack four layers on the truck 4 x 32 the total board footage is 128. To estimate how many board feet in our log there are a variety of scales that have been created.