What is CFT in wood?
CFT means cubic feet. It is the standard unit timber merchants, sawmills and carpenters in India, Pakistan, Nepal and the Middle East use to measure and price sawn wood such as planks, beams, battens and door frames. One CFT is a block of wood 1 foot long, 1 foot wide and 1 foot thick.
Because wood is sold by volume, knowing the exact CFT helps you check a supplier's bill, compare rates between timber depots and plan how much wood a job needs before you buy.
How to use the wood CFT calculator
- Enter the length of the piece (feet by default — tap the unit to switch to inches, metres or centimetres).
- Enter the width and thickness (inches by default, or centimetres / millimetres).
- Enter the quantity of pieces of that size.
- Tap Add another size for each different size on your order. The total updates instantly.
- Optional: enter your rate per CFT to see the total cost.
Wood CFT formula
CFT = Length (ft) × Width (in) × Thickness (in) ÷ 144 Total CFT = CFT of one piece × number of pieces
We divide by 144 because width and thickness are in inches: 12 in × 12 in = 144 square inches in one square foot. If all three sizes are in feet, simply multiply them — no division needed. If you work in metres, volume in m³ = L × W × T (all in metres), and 1 m³ = 35.3147 CFT.
Worked example
You buy 5 pieces of wood, each 12 ft long, 9 inches wide and 3 inches thick, at ₹1,800 per CFT:
- One piece = 12 × 9 × 3 ÷ 144 = 2.25 CFT
- Five pieces = 2.25 × 5 = 11.25 CFT
- Cost = 11.25 × 1,800 = ₹20,250
CFT of common timber sizes
| Size (L × W × T) | CFT per piece | Pieces per 1 CFT |
|---|---|---|
| 7 ft × 4″ × 2″ | 0.389 | 2.57 |
| 7 ft × 5″ × 2.5″ (door frame) | 0.608 | 1.65 |
| 10 ft × 6″ × 4″ | 1.667 | 0.60 |
| 12 ft × 9″ × 3″ | 2.250 | 0.44 |
| 14 ft × 8″ × 6″ (beam) | 4.667 | 0.21 |
| 6 ft × 1″ × 1″ (batten) | 0.042 | 24.0 |
Tips for buying timber by CFT
- Check which size is billed. Most depots bill on the rough sawn size. After planing, a 4″ × 2″ may finish closer to 3.75″ × 1.75″, which is about 18% less wood.
- Add a wastage allowance. For furniture and joinery, add 10–15% for cutting losses, knots and defects; for structural framing, 5–10% is common.
- Measure the shortest length and smallest width. Pieces are rarely perfectly square, so measure where the piece is smallest if you want a fair volume.
- Moisture matters. Green (wet) wood shrinks as it dries, so its volume drops by a few percent. Kiln-dried wood costs more per CFT but stays the size you bought.