Estimating Board Feet from Logs

To estimate the yield in board feet from a log, do the following calculations:

Take the diameter of the small end of the log and subtract 4 inches.  For example, a 24 inch diameter log minus 4 inches leaves 20 inches.  Next, square the 20 by multiplying 20 times 20 to yield 400.  Divide the squared result by 2 to yield 200.  This gives you 200 board feet which is a rough estimate of the number of board feet that would result from sawing a 24 inch diameter log that is 8 feet long.

If your log isn't 8 feet log, divide the 200 board feet by 8 to yield 25 board feet.  If your log is 6 feet long you can multiply by 25 to get the estimate of 150 board feet for a 24 inch diameter log that is 6 feet long.

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