How to Measure Sawn Timber in the Metric System

When woodworkers and carpenters talk, they speak the language of two-by-fours and board feet. Virtually every measurement used by Americans on project sites and in workshops for the past 150 years has been given in inches and feet. If needed, though, the numbers can be easily converted to metric units if you want your sawn timber cut to centimeters or meters. Just do not expect the local lumber company to accommodate your request for a 5-by-10 that is 3.05 meters long; go for the 10-foot two-by-four instead.

Measuring tape
Paper
Calculator

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the length and widths of your piece of sawn timber. Record these numbers on a piece of paper with the measurements in feet and inches.
- 2
  Calculate the length of your board in meters. Multiply the number of feet by the conversion factor 0.3048 . For example, if your board measured 12 feet long: 12 x 0.3048 = 3.66 meters.
- 3
  Determine your board's widths in centimeters. Multiply your measurements recorded in inches by 2.54, the conversion factor to take the number to centimeters. For example, your board measures 1.5-by-3.5 inches: 1.5 x 2.54 = 3.81 centimeters; and 3.5 x 2.54 = 8.89 centimeters.

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