Board Feet to Cubic Metres Converter
Convert board-foot quantities to and from cubic metres.
Calculations run locally in your browser. Inputs are not transmitted or attached to analytics.
The exact inch-derived metric factor
BoardFoot Bench uses 0.002359737216 cubic metres per board foot. It is derived from 144 cubic inches and the exact international inch of 0.0254 metre. The longer factor is suitable for computation; a source table may print fewer digits for convenience, which is a rounding choice rather than a different unit.
Multiply BF by the factor for cubic metres. Divide cubic metres by the same factor for BF. The tool uses one internal path so forward and reverse conversions are consistent.
Worked export example
Five hundred board feet converts to 1.179868608 m³. A document may display 1.18 m³, but retaining the longer value avoids losing volume if the result is later converted back or multiplied by a rate. Conversely, 2 m³ is approximately 847.552 BF under the same relationship.
What the metric conversion does not harmonise
A unit conversion does not reconcile different lumber grading, tally, moisture, nominal-size or log-scaling conventions. A metric purchase specification may use cubic metres measured under rules that are not equivalent to a US board-foot invoice. Compare the measurement methods as well as the units.
Using significant digits responsibly
Do not imply survey-grade accuracy from dimensions measured with a rough tape. Keep computation precision, then round the final result to the precision supported by the inputs or contract. Record whether the cubic-metre figure represents calculated solid wood, a stacked package or a separate forestry measure.
Questions about this topic
Why not use 0.00236?
It is a convenient rounded figure; the calculator retains the longer exact-inch-derived factor.
Is a cubic metre the same as a stere?
No assumption about stacked firewood or voids is made here; this is geometric volume.
Will a round trip be exact?
It returns within normal floating-point precision when the unrounded result is used.
Related BoardFoot Bench pages
Method and content reviewed 3 September 2026.