Which statement best describes the board foot unit?

Which statement best describes the board foot unit?

• A. It measures lumber volume as a 1 ft by 1 ft by 1 in block.
• B. It measures log moisture content.
• C. It measures log length.
• D. It measures tree age.

Answer: (D)

Board foot is a unit of lumber volume. It represents the amount of wood in a piece that is 1 foot long by 1 foot wide by 1 inch thick, which equals 144 cubic inches. This standard lets you compare and price boards of varying sizes using a common volume basis. The practical way to compute it is BF = (thickness in inches) × (width in inches) × (length in feet) ÷ 12. For example, a board that is 2 inches thick, 12 inches wide, and 10 feet long has 20 board feet. This unit is about volume, not moisture content, log length, or tree age, which is why those other statements don’t describe the board foot.

Board foot is a unit of lumber volume. It represents the amount of wood in a piece that is 1 foot long by 1 foot wide by 1 inch thick, which equals 144 cubic inches. This standard lets you compare and price boards of varying sizes using a common volume basis. The practical way to compute it is BF = (thickness in inches) × (width in inches) × (length in feet) ÷ 12. For example, a board that is 2 inches thick, 12 inches wide, and 10 feet long has 20 board feet. This unit is about volume, not moisture content, log length, or tree age, which is why those other statements don’t describe the board foot.