Wood Technology & Processes

Determining Lumber Costs by Lineal Feet

Small quantities and individual pieces of lumber and hardwood are often priced by the lineal foot. Lumber yards and home centers often use this pricing system because it is easy to understand and calculate. Calculating by this method requires you to know only the total length of the materials and the price per foot. Then multiply the length by the cost per foot.

When pricing materials, always look for unexpected charges. For example, an up charge is sometimes added to the cost of lumber. This is an extra charge for unusually long lengths of lumber.

Practice Exercise

Hint: Be sure to check your work when calculating costs. Putting the decimal in the wrong place can make a big difference in your results.

1.		A project calls for finished red oak boards that are 1 3/4" thick by 3 3/4" wide. Consulting a supplier’s catalog, you find that this material costs $7.92 per lineal foot. How much will you have to pay for ten boards that are each 8' long?
			A)	$63.36
			B)	$163.36
			C)	$613.60
			D)	$633.60
2.		You have been hired to build a deck using Ipe decking instead of pressure-treated decking. (Lpe is a hard, insect- and rot-resistant South American hardwood.) A supplier offers 1 × 4 Ipe for $1.29 per lineal foot. You will need 928 lf of material in 16' lengths. However, the supplier adds an up charge of $.40 per lineal foot for this length. How much will the decking cost?
			A)	$1,568.32
			B)	$1,197.12
			C)	$1,097.32
			D)	$968.12
3.		Teak table rail molding has been specified for a project you have been hired to build. A supplier charges $21.50 for 5' lengths of this material. How much is it per lineal foot?
			A)	$7.54
			B)	$4.30
			C)	$4.15
			D)	$4.92
4.		You are about to build storage cabinetry that includes eight doors. Each door calls for 9 lf of molding. The molding costs $1.02 per lineal foot. How much will the molding for this project cost?
			A)	$73.44
			B)	$8.16
			C)	$9.18
			D)	$62.27
5.		A rectangular living room requires 46 lf of 5 1/2" crown molding. The molding costs $4.02 per lineal foot. Each of two bedrooms in the same house requires 38 lineal feet of 4" crown molding. That material costs $3.35 per lineal foot. What is the total cost of crown molding for all three rooms?
			A)	$184.92
			B)	$254.60
			C)	$342.12
			D)	$439.52