Linear feet vs board feet

A linear foot is simply 12 inches of length, measured along the piece — nothing more. A board's linear footage is how long it is, no matter how wide or thick it is. A 16-foot 2x4 and a 16-foot 2x12 are both 16 linear feet.

Linear feet are what matter when material is sold and cut by length: bar stock, pipe, tube, conduit, trim, and dimensional lumber by the stick. The question is always how long, and the cross-section doesn't enter into it.

A board foot is a measure of volume, not length: the amount of wood in a piece 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long — 144 cubic inches. To find board feet, multiply thickness by width by length in inches and divide by 144, using the nominal thickness and width.

Because it folds in thickness and width, board footage is how rough hardwood is priced — a way to compare the actual quantity of wood in boards of different sizes. A 1x12 and a 2x6 of the same length hold the same board footage even though they look nothing alike.

Use linear feet when you're cutting to length and the cross-section is already fixed — you've chosen your 2x4 or your 3/4-inch pipe, and all that's left is how many feet you need and how to cut them. Use board feet when you're buying rough lumber by volume and comparing quantities across different thicknesses and widths, the way a hardwood supplier prices stock.

A quick rule: if you're estimating how much wood to buy by volume, think board feet. If you're working out how to cut sticks of a known size into parts, think linear feet.

Cut optimization is a linear-feet problem. Once the cross-section is set, nesting parts onto stock is purely about length — fitting a list of lengths onto the fewest sticks with the least waste. Board feet (volume) and panel area (two dimensions) are different problems that need different tools.

NestSolver is a 1D optimizer: it works in length, so it plans cuts for lumber, bar, pipe, and extrusion sold and cut by the foot. It doesn't price board feet or lay out sheet goods — but for cutting sticks to length, linear feet is exactly the measure it needs.