The volume of wood in a board that is 1 inch by 1 foot by 1 foot is measured in board feet, a common unit of measurement. 1 board foot equals 1 square foot if the timber being measured is divided into 1-inch-thick boards.

The volume of a board foot is measured, although wood is not usually one inch thick. For instance, a board that is 2 inches thick and 2 square feet long equals 4 board feet. The volume in board feet is divided by the thickness in inches to get how many square feet a board will cover depending on the board feet.