Rough lumber is generally sold by which unit?

• A. board ft
• B. board foot
• C. square ft
• D. cubic ft

Answer: (A)

Rough lumber is sold by board feet because this unit directly represents the amount of usable wood in boards with varying thickness, width, and length. The board foot is calculated by multiplying thickness in inches by width in inches by length in feet, then dividing by 12. This creates a consistent volume-based measure that lines up with how lumber is actually cut and priced.

For example, a piece that is 1 inch thick, 6 inches wide, and 10 feet long contains 5 board feet (1 × 6 × 10 ÷ 12 = 5). This method lets you compare and price boards of different sizes on the same scale, which wouldn’t be possible with square feet (area) or cubic feet (total volume without alignments to board dimensions).

That’s why rough lumber is expressed in board feet rather than square feet or cubic feet.