Construction FAQ's

1. What is the difference between a board foot and a board measure?

A board foot is the basic way to measure lumber. It is a measure of wood volume. One board foot equals that amount of wood in a 12" by 12" by 1" piece. The volume of any piece of wood, regardless of its dimensions, can be measured in board feet.

The units used are feet x feet x inches. 1 bdft = 1' x 1' x 1"

A board measure is a hybrid lumber unit. It can be a combination of board feet and square feet of a flat piece of wood. It can be just board feet.

It is the sum of the board feet and square feet in an assembly of lumber. For example, if 1 sqft of formwork contains 1 sqft of plywood and 1.24 board feet of framing lumber, then there is a total of 2.24 board measures in that one sqft of formwork.

1 sqft + 1.24 bdft = 2.24 bm

If all of the wood in an assembly is measured in board feet (and none in sqft) then the number of board measures in it equals the number of board feet.

Since a board measure is an informal unit of measure, you may see it defined simply as a board foot in some references. Some of these sources are not aware of the hybrid nature of the term 'board measure' and state that the terms 'board foot' and 'board measure' are interchangeable. Different regions of the continent define 'board measure' in various manners.

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