Support

Answers to common questions about BoardTally, the board foot and timber calculator.

What is a board foot?

A board foot is the standard unit for hardwood lumber volume in North America: 1 board foot = 144 cubic inches, or a board 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 1 foot long. BoardTally computes it as thickness (in) x width (in) x length (in) / 144.

What does 4/4, 5/4 or 8/4 mean?

Hardwood thickness is quoted in quarters of an inch: 4/4 = 1", 5/4 = 1 1/4", 8/4 = 2". Lumber yards price rough stock by these nominal thicknesses even after it is planed thinner. BoardTally's quarters mode enters them directly, and the nominal toggle rounds measured thicknesses up the way yards charge.

How is waste applied?

Each board line can carry its own waste percentage. Waste is included in both the board feet total and the cost total, per line, so the totals on screen and in exports always match the sum of the lines.

Which log rules are supported?

Doyle, Scribner (Decimal C rounding), and International 1/4" with standard 4-foot segment taper. The Log calculator shows all three side by side.

Does it work in metric?

Yes. Metric mode takes millimeters for thickness and width and meters for length, and shows results in both cubic meters and board feet.

What does BoardTally Pro include?

Unlimited projects and boards, unlimited species with your suppliers' prices, PDF lumber orders with per-species totals, and CSV export. Available as a one-time lifetime purchase or an annual plan. The core calculator is free forever.

How do I restore my purchase?

Settings tab > Restore Purchases. Make sure you are signed in with the same Apple ID used for the original purchase.

Is my data backed up?

Your data syncs automatically with your personal iCloud when you are signed in. Deleting the app and reinstalling restores your projects, history and species from iCloud.