WoodBoard5.33 board feet

1x8x8 — Weight and Board Feet

A 1x8 cut to 8 ft: 5.33 board feet of nominal section, and 0.3021 cubic feet of actual material to carry. Weight depends on the species, so it is tabulated below.

Quick specification1x8x8

Nominal size1 × 8 in
Actual size (dry)0.75 × 7.25 in (19.05 × 184.15 mm)
Length8 ft (96 in)
Board feet5.33 bd ft
Actual volume0.3021 ft³
Weight (Spruce (Sitka))8.11 lb (3.68 kg)
Weight per foot1.014 lb/ft

Board feet is a nominal-section convention; volume and weight use the actual section. The two are not interchangeable and are not meant to agree.

Weight by speciesall species in the database, lightest first

Wood database
SpeciesDensity1x8x8 weight
Balsa0.16 g/cm³3.02 lb · 1.37 kg
Cedar (Western Red)0.37 g/cm³6.98 lb · 3.17 kg
Poplar (Yellow)0.42 g/cm³7.92 lb · 3.59 kg
Basswood0.42 g/cm³7.92 lb · 3.59 kg
Redwood0.42 g/cm³7.92 lb · 3.59 kg
Spruce (Sitka)0.43 g/cm³8.11 lb · 3.68 kg
Cedar (Eastern Red)0.47 g/cm³8.86 lb · 4.02 kg
Hemlock (Western)0.47 g/cm³8.86 lb · 4.02 kg
Cypress (Bald)0.48 g/cm³9.05 lb · 4.11 kg
Fir (Douglas)0.53 g/cm³9.99 lb · 4.53 kg
Pine (Southern Yellow)0.55 g/cm³10.37 lb · 4.7 kg
Mahogany (Honduran)0.55 g/cm³10.37 lb · 4.7 kg
Cherry (Black)0.56 g/cm³10.56 lb · 4.79 kg
Larch0.58 g/cm³10.94 lb · 4.96 kg
Teak0.63 g/cm³11.88 lb · 5.39 kg
OSB (Oriented Strand Board)0.65 g/cm³12.26 lb · 5.56 kg
Walnut (Black)0.66 g/cm³12.45 lb · 5.65 kg
Ash (White)0.67 g/cm³12.64 lb · 5.73 kg
Birch Plywood0.68 g/cm³12.82 lb · 5.82 kg
Birch (Yellow Birch)0.69 g/cm³13.01 lb · 5.9 kg
Bamboo0.7 g/cm³13.2 lb · 5.99 kg
Maple (Hard Maple)0.705 g/cm³13.3 lb · 6.03 kg
Beech (American)0.72 g/cm³13.58 lb · 6.16 kg
Oak0.75 g/cm³14.14 lb · 6.41 kg
MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard)0.75 g/cm³14.14 lb · 6.41 kg
Hickory0.82 g/cm³15.46 lb · 7.01 kg
Rosewood (East Indian)0.85 g/cm³16.03 lb · 7.27 kg
Ipe1 g/cm³18.86 lb · 8.55 kg

Weights are derived, not quoted: density at about 12% moisture content × actual volume. Treat them as a floor — green stock stays heavier until it dries. The spread across species is roughly six to one, so a freight or support estimate that assumes one figure for “a 1x8” can be wrong by a large margin.

Board feet explainedhow 5.33 bd ft is arrived at

A board foot is 144 cubic inches of nominal section — a board an inch thick, a foot wide and a foot long. Lumber is bought and sold on that basis, so the calculation uses the nominal thickness and width rather than the dressed ones:

(1 × 8 × 8 × 12) ÷ 144 = 5.33 board feet

The rated price therefore covers more wood than is delivered, which is the long-standing convention rather than an error. The actual volume of material in the same piece is 0.3021 cubic feet.

Lengthhow 8 ft compares with the rest of the table

LengthBoard feetActual volumeWeight (Spruce (Sitka))
1x8x640.2266 ft³6.08 lb
1x8x85.330.3021 ft³8.11 lb
1x8x106.670.3776 ft³10.14 lb
1x8x1280.4531 ft³12.16 lb
1x8x149.330.5286 ft³14.19 lb
1x8x1610.670.6042 ft³16.22 lb

Frequently asked questionsabout a 1x8x8

How much does a 1x8x8 weigh?

In Spruce (Sitka), about 8.11 lb (3.68 kg). Across the species in this database it ranges from 3.02 lb in Balsa to 18.86 lb in Ipe.

How many board feet is a 1x8x8?

5.33 board feet, calculated from the nominal section: (1 × 8 × 96) ÷ 144.

What are the actual dimensions of a 1x8x8?

0.75 × 7.25 inches in section, 8 ft long — 19.05 × 184.15 millimetres by 8 feet. The nominal 1 × 8 inch call size is the rough green section.