---
title: "Lumber Calculator — Board Feet (US/CA) & Lineal Metres (UK/AU)"
description: "Calculate board feet for US and Canadian lumber orders. Learn the nominal vs actual size difference. UK/AU: calculate lineal metres. Covers 2×4, 2×6, 2×8 and all standard sizes."
url: "https://worldcalculators.org/calculators/lumber/"
canonical: "https://worldcalculators.org/calculators/lumber/"
---

# Lumber Calculator

Calculate board feet for US and Canadian lumber orders. Learn the nominal vs actual size difference. UK/AU: calculate lineal metres. Covers 2×4, 2×6, 2×8 and all standard sizes.

## Quick answer

US softwood lumber is sold by nominal dimensions — the rough-cut size before drying and planing. After kiln drying and surfacing, a nominal 2×4 shrinks to 1½ × 3½ inches. This system dates back to early 20th century sawmill practices. UK and Australian timber is sold by its actual dressed size — there is no nominal vs actual confusion in metric countries.

## Frequently Asked Questions

US softwood lumber is sold by nominal dimensions — the rough-cut size before drying and planing. After kiln drying and surfacing, a nominal 2×4 shrinks to 1½ × 3½ inches. This system dates back to early 20th century sawmill practices. UK and Australian timber is sold by its actual dressed size — there is no nominal vs actual confusion in metric countries.
UK softwood timber is sold in actual sizes per lineal metre. Common structural sizes: 38×89 mm (equivalent to US 2×4), 47×100 mm, 47×150 mm, 47×200 mm. CLS (Canadian Lumber Standard) timber with smooth planed edges is common for stud walls. UK pricing is per lineal metre; total cost = price/m × length in metres.

Source: https://worldcalculators.org/calculators/lumber/
Markdown mirror of the HTML page. Prefer this URL for RAG; the interactive calculator still lives on the HTML page.