Lumber & Material
Lumber Cost Estimator with Waste & Surfacing
Quote a project from a lumber yard price per board foot — accounting for defect, planing waste, and rip kerf.
Calculator
What makes this different
Most cost calculators multiply BF × $/BF. This one layers four real-world costs you can toggle: defect allowance, planer shrinkage, rip kerf, and an optional markup (delivery, sales tax). It also tells you the average $/BF of just the usable wood, which is the number that actually matters when comparing quotes.
Who it's for & when to use it
Comparing two lumber yard quotes; budgeting a furniture build; deciding if it's cheaper to buy S4S or rough.
How to use
- Enter the dimensions of your material or the parameters of your project.
- Adjust the optional knobs (waste factor, kerf, planer allowance) to match your shop practice.
- Click Calculate and read the output. Use the per-item breakdown for ordering, the totals for budgeting.
- Compare the result to your lumber yard's quote — the effective $/BF column is the apples-to-apples number.
Formula: Total = (BF × (1 + defect%) × (1 + planer%) × (1 + rip%)) × price × (1 + markup%). Effective $/BF = Total / Used-BF.
Notes & tips from the shop
- Yards often quote per nominal BF; you're paying for the waste too. Comparing effective $/BF shows the real cost of the wood you actually keep.
- Planer waste is volume removed by the planer/jointer; rough lumber typically loses 5–15 %.
- For exotic species, defect allowance can be higher because figure and color matching rejects more pieces.
Frequently asked questions
Should I include sales tax?
Yes — many states tax lumber differently. Toggle 'markup' to whatever your tax + delivery comes to.
What if the yard quotes per piece, not per BF?
Convert: nominal BF per piece = (T × W × L) / 144. Use that to derive an effective $/BF for comparison.
Is rough lumber really cheaper after planing waste?
Rough is typically 30–50 % cheaper per nominal BF. After 8–12 % surfacing waste it is almost always the better deal if you have a planer.
Limitations
Does not account for shipping by truck vs. pickup, or for species premiums that vary week to week.
All calculations happen in your browser — nothing you type is sent to a server.