Raised Bed Soil Calculator
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Raised Bed Lumber Calculator
Board feet and lumber cost for a raised bed frame by wood type, from length, width, height and thickness.
Raised Bed Lumber Calculator
Chlorova · updated for 2026
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This is a board-foot estimate of the side lumber for a simple rectangular bed, not a cut list, so it does not model corner joinery, a bottom frame, caps or the waste that comes from trimming boards to length. Real yards sell lumber by nominal size, and a 2-inch board actually measures closer to one and a half inches, which changes both volume and fit. Add ten to fifteen percent for saw and trim waste, verify the true board dimensions before you buy, and price against your local lumber yard rather than the typical per-board-foot figures used here.
A raised bed is just four sides and some corners, yet getting the wrong amount of lumber means either a half-built frame or a costly return trip to the yard. This raised bed lumber calculator turns the length, width, height and board thickness of your plan into the board feet of side lumber it needs, then prices it by wood type. Pick cedar, pine, redwood or composite, enter the bed size, and you know the volume and cost before the saw goes to work.
Estimating Bed Lumber and Cost
- Choose the wood type so the calculator applies a typical board-foot price.
- Enter the full bed length and the width you are planning to build.
- Set the finished wall height that you want the soil held inside.
- Enter the true thickness of the lumber boards you intend to buy.
- Read the board perimeter and then the total board feet needed.
- Check the estimated lumber cost for the wood type you selected.
- Always add ten to fifteen percent for trim and saw waste before you order.
How the Board Foot Is Worked Out
The board perimeter is simply twice the length plus width, the total linear feet of all four sides laid together. Board feet are then that perimeter length times the board height times the thickness, all divided by twelve, because a board foot is one foot of a one-inch square of lumber. That single volume figure is what a yard prices, so the cost is just board feet multiplied by the price for your chosen wood.
The wood picker supplies only the price, a rough per-board-foot rate standing in for your local yard: pine near six dollars, cedar near twelve, redwood near sixteen, and composite near fourteen. Heights under a foot usually come from a single board, while a deep planter is built from stacked boards, and this method counts the full combined height either way. Remember the numbers are the ideal frame, so allow extra for the ends you cut away, the corner posts you add, and the difference between the nominal size you order and the smaller board that actually arrives.
Worked Example: A Cedar 4 × 8 Bed
- You are planning to build a classic four by eight foot cedar raised garden bed.
- The bed wall stands about eleven inches tall, built from one single wide board.
- You are buying standard two-inch thick lumber boards for all four of the sides.
- The board perimeter around every side runs 2 × (8 + 4) = 24 linear feet.
- Board feet then land at 24 × 11 × 2 ÷ 12 = 44 board feet total.
- Cedar lumber here prices near twelve dollars for each and every single board foot.
- So the whole lumber estimate comes out to roughly 44 × 12 = $528.
- Add a fifth more for waste and posts before you actually place the real order.
Typical Wood Prices per Board Foot
Representative lumber prices by wood type, shown as the rate the wood picker applies to your board-foot total. Swap in your yard's real price and the cost re-solves, while the board-foot volume itself stays the same.
| Wood | Approx $/board ft | Service life in soil |
|---|---|---|
| Pine | $5–$8 | 3–5 years |
| Cedar | $10–$16 | 10–20 years |
| Redwood | $14–$22 | 15–25 years |
| Composite | $12–$20 | 25+ years |
Key Terms
- Board foot
- A volume of lumber equal to a one-foot length of a one-inch square, the unit yards price rough stock by.
- Nominal size
- The named board size you order, which is larger than the planed dimension that actually arrives.
- Board perimeter
- The total linear feet around all four sides of the bed, laid flat in one run.
- Rot resistance
- How long a wood shrugs off decay at the damp soil line, the real reason cedar beats pine.
- kerf and waste
- The saw cuts and trim ends lost in building, typically ten to fifteen percent over the bare volume.
Building a Frame That Lasts
- Wood choice moves cost far more than size does, so the same four by eight bed can swing from cheap pine to premium redwood on identical board feet, purely at the yard.
- Nominal is not actual, since a two-inch board measures closer to one and a half, which changes both the height you build to and the true volume you are buying.
- Rot happens at the soil line, so a durable cedar or a liner buys years more than pine for a modest premium, and rebuilding a rotted bed costs more than the savings.
- Tall beds need stacked boards and corner bracing, and this volume method counts the full combined height, but the posts and screws that hold it are a separate line.
- Add waste before you order, because offcuts from corners and trimming to length quietly eat a tenth of your lumber, and a short frame is a second trip to the yard.
Common Mistakes & Fixes
- Ordering the exact board feet with no waste allowance, then coming up short at the corners.
- Assuming nominal thickness, so an intended eleven-inch bed actually lands a couple of inches low.
- Buying cheap pine for a deep permanent bed and finding it soft and rotted within just a few seasons.
- Forgetting the corner posts and bracing that a bare board-foot volume never really counts at all.
- Pricing the whole job on the per-board-foot figures here without first checking your own local yard.
When to Use This (and When Not To)
Use it in the planning stage of a simple rectangular bed, when you want the board-foot volume and a rough lumber bill before you cut. It sizes the side boards, not the soil inside, so work out how much to fill the frame with the raised bed soil calculator, and build a hoop or cover over it with the raised bed hoop calculator. For a curved, tiered or oddly shaped bed, break it into straight runs and add the board feet for each, since one clean perimeter rule does not bend.
Raised Bed Lumber Calculator: Frequently Asked Questions
How many board feet does a raised bed need?
Take the board perimeter, twice length plus width, and multiply it by the board height and thickness, then divide by twelve. A four by eight bed eleven inches tall in two-inch stock works out to 24 × 11 × 2 ÷ 12, or 44 board feet of side lumber.
Is cedar worth it over pine for a raised bed?
For most gardeners yes, because cedar resists rot at the soil line and lasts a decade or more where pine softens in a few seasons. The calculator shows pine is roughly half the price, but the rebuild you avoid usually pays for the difference.
Why does my actual lumber look smaller than the board says?
Because you buy by nominal size but receive a planed dimension, so a two-by-six actually measures about one and a half by five and a half. That shrink is why tall beds need stacked boards and why the true volume differs from the name on the sticker.
Does this count corner posts and hardware?
No, the figure here is the side-lumber volume only, not the posts, screws or brackets that hold the frame square. Budget those separately, and remember to add ten to fifteen percent on the lumber itself to cover the offcuts from every cut.
How do wood prices compare per bed?
They swing widely on the same board feet, since cost is just volume times the wood rate. A forty-four board-foot cedar bed near twelve dollars costs far more than the same frame in pine near six, yet redwood or composite can top both for the longest life.
Can I use this for a curved or tiered bed?
Only by splitting it up, since each run assumes one straight rectangular perimeter. Break a curved bed into short straight segments or a tiered bed into stacked boxes, calculate the board feet for each, and add the totals to get an honest overall estimate.
Sources & Further Reading
- Lumber Layout and Construction for Raised Beds — University of Illinois Extension. Basis for the board-foot perimeter and lumber-cost math used here.
- Choosing Rot-Resistant Lumber for Garden Structures — Oregon State University Extension. Underpins the wood-durability and service-life guidance on this page.
- Nominal versus Actual Dimensions of Lumber — Purdue University Extension. Source of the nominal-versus-actual sizing cautions in this calculator.
Chlorova Gardening Team
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Formula verified against published references · Updated