Board foot
A board foot is a volume of wood equal to 144 cubic inches (1 in x 12 in x 12 in). Pallet board feet are calculated as thickness x width x length in inches divided by 144, using actual dimensions; a GMA-style 48x40 pallet contains about 13.5 board feet.
Also called bf, bd ft, BF, board feet, FBM
Reviewed
How to calculate board feet
Board feet = (thickness x width x length in inches) / 144, summed over every part. For a GMA-style 48x40:
| Part | Calculation | Board feet |
|---|---|---|
| Top deck | (5 x 0.625 x 3.5 x 40 + 2 x 0.625 x 5.5 x 40) / 144 | 4.9 |
| Bottom deck | (3 x 0.625 x 3.5 x 40 + 2 x 0.625 x 5.5 x 40) / 144 | 3.7 |
| Stringers | 3 x 1.375 x 3.5 x 48 / 144 | 4.8 |
| Total | 13.5 |
Metric designs use cubic meters instead (thickness x width x length in mm / 1,000,000,000).
What the number includes
PDS and palletdesign.ai use actual specified dimensions and do not deduct notches. The total is the wood in the finished pallet, not the lumber bought: saw kerf, trim and culls are extra.
Why board feet matter
Lumber is priced per thousand board feet (MBF), so board feet drive most of a pallet's material cost. They also give weight: at about 4.37 lb per board foot for green mixed hardwood (nails included), 13.5 bf comes to roughly 59 lb. See the board feet guide and pallet cost.
Questions
- How many board feet are in a pallet?
- A GMA-style 48x40 stringer pallet contains about 13.5 board feet. Heavier designs with thicker boards or more stringers run 17 board feet or more.
- Do board feet include the notches?
- No deduction is made. The standard practice, used by PDS and palletdesign.ai, counts the full stringer volume.
Related
- How to calculate board feet in a palletBoard feet = thickness x width x length (inches) / 144, summed over every part. A 48x40 GMA-style pallet has 13.5 board feet. Step-by-step worked example.
- What does a wood pallet cost? The cost drivers explainedWhat drives wood pallet cost: board feet, species, grade, drying and heat treatment, nails, labor and volume, and how to estimate cost from a parts list.
- How much does a wood pallet weigh?A standard 48x40 GMA-style wood pallet weighs about 59 lb in green mixed hardwood and about 39 lb kiln dried. How to calculate pallet weight from board feet.
- Bill of materialsA pallet bill of materials (BOM) lists every part with size and count. A GMA-style 48x40 BOM has 15 wood parts, 84 nails and about 13.5 board feet.
- Nominal vs actual lumber sizes for palletsPallet specs use actual lumber sizes. A nominal 2x4 is 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 in; a pallet 1x4 deckboard is about 5/8 to 3/4 x 3-1/2 in. Always draw actual dimensions.
- Butted boardsButted boards are deckboards set tight against the lead board with no gap. Under the Uniform Standard, two butted 4 in boards count as one 6 in board.