Quarter thicknessin inches

Please keep in mind that the quarter system is only used for roughsawn lumber. Finished lumber, like you might buy at a big box hardware store, is usually finished.  That's why why you buy a 2x4, it's really only 1.5" x 3.5".  This is because the board is finished.  During the finishing process, lumber is dried and planed, which reduces it a half inch. If you need an actual 2" thick piece of lumber, you'll likely need to buy it rough sawn.

Beiler's Sawmill is a leading supplier of domestic hardwood lumber to those in the Lancaster, PA area and beyond.  Review our website and fill out our contact form if you have a need for rough-sawn lumber!

Quarterdiameter mm

This formula can also be used to calculate multiple boards at once.  It's safe to say that most customers at a sawmill don't just purchase one piece of lumber.  If a customer is buying in bulk for a particular board type, you can calculate it with the formula below:

Sawmills and buyers of lumber often use board feet as a standard unit of wood measurement.  Below is the formula used to calculate how many board feet a piece of lumber is.

Quarter thicknessby year

Quarter thicknesschart

Beiler’s Sawmill offers everything from timber management services to rough cut hardwood lumber. We are located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Hardwood lumber is measured by board feet and labeled using the quarter system.  One board foot is equivalent to a board that is one foot long by one foot wide by one inch thick.  If a board were 2 inches thick by 8 feet long by 1 foot wide, it would be equivalent to 16 board feet since the thickness plays a role in the calculation.

The quarter system is used for measuring rough cut lumber.  It simply refers to how many 1/4 inches the rough wood stock equals.  To put it simply, rough cut lumber is labeled as:

When calculating board feet, if the numbers seem high then check your formula to ensure you used the correct measurements (feet or inches) for each dimension. Then ensure you divided by 12 or 144. You divide by 144 when all of the lumber dimensions are in inches.