Lumber Volume Converter
Convert between board feet, thousand board feet, cords, cord feet, steres and cubic meters.
Convert lumber volume
Result
Lumber Volume units
Every unit below converts to every other one in the calculator. Values are relative to the base unit, the cubic meter (m³).
| Unit | Symbol | System | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cubic meter | m³ | SI | Base unit |
| Cubic foot | ft³ | US customary | = 0.028316846592 m³ |
| Board foot | FBM | US customary | = 0.002359737216 m³ |
| Thousand board feet | MBF | US customary | = 2.359737216 m³ |
| Cord | cd (wood) | US customary | = 3.624556363776 m³ |
| Cord foot | cd ft | US customary | = 0.453069545472 m³ |
| Stere | st | metric | = 1 m³ |
Cubic meter quick reference
| Cubic meter | Cubic foot | Board foot | Thousand board feet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 m³ | ≈ 35.31466672 ft³ | ≈ 423.7760007 FBM | ≈ 0.4237760007 MBF |
| 10 m³ | ≈ 353.1466672 ft³ | ≈ 4237.760007 FBM | ≈ 4.237760007 MBF |
| 100 m³ | ≈ 3531.466672 ft³ | ≈ 42377.60007 FBM | ≈ 42.37760007 MBF |
| 1000 m³ | ≈ 35314.66672 ft³ | ≈ 423776.0007 FBM | ≈ 423.7760007 MBF |
Among the 7 lumber volume units on this page, the smallest is the board foot (FBM) and the largest is the cord (cd (wood)).
More lumber volume conversions
About lumber volume units
Lumber and firewood have their own volume units. A board foot is a board 1 ft × 1 ft × 1 inch, exactly 144 cubic inches or 1/12 cubic foot. One cubic meter is about 423.776 board feet.
Firewood is sold by stacked volume, including the air between logs. A cord is a stack 4 ft × 4 ft × 8 ft, exactly 128 cubic feet (about 3.6246 m³). The metric stere is a stacked cubic meter, about 0.2759 cord.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I calculate board feet?
- Multiply thickness (inches) by width (inches) by length (feet) and divide by 12. A 2 × 6 board 8 ft long is 2 × 6 × 8 ÷ 12 = 8 board feet. Board feet are usually figured from nominal, not actual, dimensions.
- What is a face cord?
- A face cord (or rick) has no single legal size. It is usually a stack 4 ft high and 8 ft long but only one log length deep, so it is a fraction of a full cord.
- Can I convert cords to board feet?
- Only as gross volume: 128 cubic feet is 1536 board feet. A cord includes air gaps, so it contains much less solid wood than that.
- How many cubic feet are in one cubic meter?
- One cubic meter ≈ 35.31466672 ft³ (cubic feet).
- How many board feet are in one cubic meter?
- One cubic meter ≈ 423.7760007 FBM (board feet).
- How many thousand board feet are in one cubic meter?
- One cubic meter ≈ 0.4237760007 MBF (thousand board feet).