How Hardwood Lumber Is Sold
Understand board-foot tallies, rough dimensions and buying checks for hardwood.
Board-foot tally is one part of a hardwood order
Hardwood lumber is commonly quoted by board-foot volume, but a complete order also identifies species, grade, thickness class, surfacing, moisture condition, length or width requirements and seller tally practice. A BF total alone does not tell a buyer how many usable parts the pack will yield.
Quarter notation such as 4/4 or 8/4 describes a thickness class. Its relationship to measured rough or surfaced thickness depends on the product and transaction. Preserve the seller’s notation and do not silently substitute a common softwood dressed size.
How a mixed tally is assembled
Measure or record thickness, width and length under the agreed rule, group matching pieces, calculate each row, and sum unrounded row totals. Random-width stock often needs multiple width rows. Labels should identify the pack or stock so a discrepancy can be traced back to physical pieces.
Allowances and usable yield
A buyer may add material for defects, colour selection, grain matching, cut layout, kerf and machining. That allowance is a planning decision applied after the base tally. Grade rules and board-foot volume describe different qualities; neither predicts exact finished-part yield.
Checks against a supplier quotation
Confirm actual versus nominal basis, minimum billable width or length, rounding increments, whether surfaced thickness changes the tally basis, and whether price is per BF or per MBF. Recalculate from the retained rows rather than comparing only a rounded grand total.
Questions about this topic
Does 4/4 always measure exactly one inch?
Treat it as a thickness class unless the transaction explicitly states measured dimensions.
Why do two tallies differ?
Width/length rounding, basis, surfacing and row precision may differ.
Can the calculator grade lumber?
No. Grade and volume are separate.
Related BoardFoot Bench pages
Method and content reviewed 3 September 2026.