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Lumber Cost Calculator

Landed cost from your supplier quote

Type the board feet and the unit price on your quote. The numbers below are a labeled example; swap them for yours.

Example quote: 36 BF of red oak at $9.50/BF, with 10% waste, 6.25% tax, and $20 delivery. Replace every number with your dated quote.

Total lumber quantity in board feet.

Enter the price from a current supplier quote; this tool has no market-price preset.

Optional. Enter 0–30.

Optional. Enter 0–10,000.

Optional. Add extra for offcuts and mistakes.

Lumber Cost Estimate

Landed cost breakdown

Net BF needed
36 BF
Waste BF
3.6 BF
Purchase BF
39.6 BF
Base material cost
$342.00
Waste cost
$34.20
Purchase material subtotal
$376.20
Tax (6.25% of $376.20)
$23.51
Delivery
$20.00
Landed total
$419.71
Effective landed cost
$10.60/BF
Assumptions
  • 36 BF at $9.50/BF (Oak)
  • Waste allowance: 10%
  • Tax: 6.25% of the purchase material subtotal
  • Delivery: $20.00

Tax is calculated on the purchase material subtotal only. This calculator does not infer local tax rules or whether delivery is taxable.

Next step

Ask your supplier to quote 39.6 BF; the 10% allowance adds 3.6 BF and $34.20. Tax and delivery add $23.51 and $20.00; compare quotes at $10.60/BF landed.

*Estimated cost only. Contact suppliers for actual quotes.*

Still need board feet from thickness, width, and length? Use the Board Foot Calculator.

What does this landed total include?

It is the board feet you typed, times the unit price from your quote, plus only the waste, tax, and delivery you added. The example starts at 36 BF of red oak at $9.50/BF, with 10% waste, 6.25% tax, and $20 delivery.

Tax is taken on the purchase material subtotal. Delivery is added after that. The calculator does not infer local tax rules or whether freight is taxable.

If the quote is $/LF and the tool is still on $/BF, the total is for the wrong unit. An online oak price is rarely the number on the invoice.

Treat this as a buy figure only if:

  • The unit matches the quote on paper: $/BF, $/LF, per piece, or a whole-quote amount
  • Species, grade, thickness, surfacing, and moisture match what you will actually buy
  • Waste, tax, and delivery are the ones that apply to this order, not a generic markup

This is not a retail price list. The calculator does not publish a retail price table or species presets. Type a dated quote; it uses only the board feet, unit price, and allowances you enter.

Still need board feet from thickness, width, and length? Use the Board Foot Calculator.

How do you run a lumber cost estimate?

  1. 1

    Step 1: Start with board feet

    Use your total board feet (BF). Need help? Board Foot Calculator.

  2. 2

    Step 2: Enter a current quote

    Match the quote to the wood you will buy — same species, grade, thickness, surfacing, and region.

  3. 3

    Step 3: Add extras only if they apply

    Add waste, tax, or delivery when your project needs them. Then jump back to the calculator to tweak the numbers.

Worked examples

What does a real quote look like in the tool?

Three buying situations. Load one, then swap every number for your own dated quote.

Examples only — not customer orders, supplier quotes, local prices, or price recommendations.

How do you price one hardwood order with waste and delivery?

The job
You have a dated red-oak quote and need one material estimate before you place the order.
What to enter
36 BF · $9.50/BF · red oak label · 10% waste · 6.25% tax · $20 delivery
What you get
Ask about 39.6 BF. Landed estimate: $419.71, or $10.60/BF landed.
Why that number
The allowance adds 3.6 BF before tax. Tax hits the material subtotal; delivery is added after.
What to do next
Confirm the yard can supply 39.6 BF on the same grade, thickness, and surfacing as the quote.
Rule to reuse
Keep the quote unit and the quantity on the same measurement basis before adding extras.
Where this stops
This does not price machining, labor, overhead, profit, or a full furniture or construction job.

How do you combine two species on one material list?

The job
A small project uses known-BF red-oak face-frame stock and maple panels described by board dimensions.
What to enter
Face frame: 18 BF at $8.75/BF · panels: 0.75 × 8 in × 8 ft × 4 at $7.50/BF · 12% waste · 5.5% tax · $35 delivery
What you get
Two rows total 34 BF before allowance. Purchase 38.08 BF → $362.89, or $9.53/BF landed.
Why that number
The panel row equals 16 BF. Both rows combine before the project-wide allowance, tax, and delivery.
What to do next
Match each row's species, grade, moisture, and dimension basis to its quote before you trust the combined total.
Rule to reuse
Keep rows separate when species or quote basis differs; normalize only after every input is complete.
Where this stops
The dimensional row uses the sizes you type exactly. It does not convert nominal sizes or pick a waste rate for you.

How do you compare two complete supplier quotes?

The job
Two yards quote the same 80-BF need — one as a whole-quote amount, the other as $/BF with tax and delivery.
What to enter
Clear Mill: 80 BF · whole quote $720 · 0% tax · $40 delivery · North Yard: 80 BF · $8.50/BF · 6% tax · $20 delivery
What you get
Clear Mill lands at $760.00 ($9.50/BF). North Yard lands at $740.80 ($9.26/BF).
Why that number
Both complete quotes convert to landed total and effective $/BF. The tool does not pick a winner.
What to do next
Check that both quotes cover the same species, grade, thickness, surfacing, quantity, and pickup or delivery terms.
Rule to reuse
Compare like-for-like inputs and include each stated fee before you read the normalized numbers.
Where this stops
A lower total is not a fairness judgment, a market-price claim, or a buy recommendation.

What should you check before you trust the total?

Is the quote $/BF or $/LF?

Hardwoods often price by board foot. Some yards price a given size by linear foot. Use the pricing mode toggle so the tool matches the quote on paper.

Do you still need board feet from dimensions?

This page starts after you have a quantity and a quote. It does not replace a board-foot takeoff.

If you only have thickness, width, and length, get board feet with the Board Foot Calculator.

Does board size matter for $/LF quotes?

Thickness and width change how much wood sits in each linear foot. If you only have dimensions, convert first with the BF to LF calculator.

What trips people up on lumber quotes?

Three budgeting mistakes that quietly blow the estimate.

!

Did you mix $/BF with $/LF?

Hardwoods often price by $/BF. Some yards price a given size by $/LF. Match the pricing mode to how the quote is written.

!

Did you skip waste, tax, or delivery?

Pick an allowance that matches your cut list, defects, machining, and matching needs. Add tax and delivery only when they apply.

!

Are you comparing quotes without grade and thickness?

Species is only part of the price. Grade, thickness, width, kiln-dried vs green, and surfacing can change the real cost a lot.

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Common lumber-cost questions

Material quantities and supplier quote amounts you enter, plus optional waste, tax, and delivery. It leaves out labor, overhead, profit, full construction estimates, and whether a price is "fair."

Learn more:board foot formula

What is this tool not?

This calculator is a planning tool, not a price guide. It uses the unit price you enter and does not provide market-price defaults. Before ordering, confirm with your supplier: species, grade, thickness, surfacing, moisture, quantity, region, tax, delivery, and the final board-foot tally.

Last updated: 2026-08-19•About

Where do the measurement rules come from?