Timber calculator
Work out the cubic metres, lineal metres and cost of a timber order from its size in millimetres, length and number of lengths.
Pick a stock size or type your own. A 90 × 45 is thickness 45, width 90.
For 2700 mm, type 2.7.
Timber volume
- Volume
- 0.194 m³0.0194 m³ per length
- Total length
- 48 m
Cost
From the price tag or the timber yard’s quote. Leave empty to skip the cost.
- Total cost
- –
- Per length
- –
- Per cubic metre
- –
Estimate only. Check product labels and the building rules in your state or territory before you buy or build.
Quick answer
Multiply the thickness by the width and the length, all in metres, then by the number of lengths. Ten lengths of 90 × 45 mm framing at 4.8 m are 48 lineal metres and 0.045 × 0.09 × 4.8 × 10 = 0.1944 m³ (0.194 m³ rounded). Each lineal metre of 90 × 45 holds 0.00405 m³, so one cubic metre is about 246.9 lineal metres.
How to use the timber calculator
- Pick a size such as 45 × 90 mm or 35 × 70 mm, or type the thickness and width in millimetres. Timber quoted as 90 × 45 is entered as thickness 45 and width 90.
- Enter the length of each piece in metres and the number of lengths. For 2700 mm, type 2.7.
- Read the volume in cubic metres, the volume of one length and the total length in lineal metres.
- To check a price, choose whether it is quoted per metre, per length or per cubic metre, and type it. The total cost and the other two prices appear below.
How do you convert lineal metres to cubic metres?
Multiply the lineal metres by the thickness and the width in metres. 48 lineal metres of 90 × 45 mm timber is 48 × 0.09 × 0.045 = 0.1944 m³. To go the other way, divide the cubic metres by the thickness times the width: 1 m³ ÷ (0.09 × 0.045) = 246.9 lineal metres.
Lineal metres are the length of one piece times the number of pieces, whatever the size. Cubic metres depend on the section, so 48 lineal metres of 140 × 45 mm is 0.3024 m³, more than half as much again as the same length of 90 × 45.
lineal metres = length of one piece (m) × number of lengthscubic metres = thickness (m) × width (m) × lineal metreslineal metres per m³ = 1 ÷ (thickness (m) × width (m))price per m³ = price per metre ÷ (thickness (m) × width (m))price per length = price per metre × length of one piece (m)Framing timber sizes in cubic metres per lineal metre
The sizes are the 35 mm and 45 mm thick framing sections in Hyne Timber’s T2 Blue range, written thickness × depth. The volumes are worked out from those sizes.
| Size (mm) | m³ per lineal metre | Lineal metres per m³ |
|---|---|---|
| 35 × 70 | 0.00245 | 408.2 |
| 35 × 90 | 0.00315 | 317.5 |
| 35 × 140 | 0.0049 | 204.1 |
| 35 × 190 | 0.00665 | 150.4 |
| 45 × 70 | 0.00315 | 317.5 |
| 45 × 90 | 0.00405 | 246.9 |
| 45 × 140 | 0.0063 | 158.7 |
| 45 × 190 | 0.00855 | 117.0 |
| 45 × 240 | 0.0108 | 92.6 |
Hyne lists T2 Blue in 2.4, 2.7, 3.0, 3.6, 4.2, 4.8, 5.4 and 6.0 m lengths and in grades F5, MGP10, MGP12 and MGP15. The volume depends only on the size and length, not on the grade.
Worked examples
Ten lengths of 90 × 45 mm framing, 4.8 m long
Each length is 0.045 × 0.09 × 4.8 = 0.0194 m³, so the ten are 0.194 m³ and 48 lineal metres.
If the timber yard quotes per cubic metre, multiply 0.1944 m³ by that price; if it quotes per metre, multiply 48 m by it. At $1,000 per m³, for example, the order costs $194.40, which is $19.44 a length and $4.05 a metre.
From a price per metre to a price per cubic metre for 190 × 45 mm
An order of eight 190 × 45 mm lengths at 6.0 m is 48 lineal metres. Each length is 0.045 × 0.19 × 6 = 0.0513 m³, so the eight are 0.41 m³.
Say the quote is $10.00 a metre. Each length costs $60.00 and the eight cost $480.00. That is $1,169.59 per cubic metre, so you can compare the quote with one given per m³.
Is 90 × 45 the same as 45 × 90?
Yes. Both describe a piece 45 mm thick and 90 mm deep, and the volume is the same in either order because thickness × width equals width × thickness. Hyne Timber lists its T2 Blue framing by thickness, 35 or 45 mm, and depth, 70 to 240 mm. The calculator follows that order, so a quote for 90 × 45 is entered as thickness 45 and width 90.
The order matters for strength, not for volume: a 90 × 45 on edge is stiffer than the same piece laid flat. The calculator counts timber and does not check sizes or spans. Building rules come from the National Construction Code (NCC), which each state and territory adopts and may vary, so check structural work with your council or a building surveyor or certifier, and a qualified builder.
Common questions
How many lineal metres are in a cubic metre of 90 × 45?
A cubic metre of 90 × 45 mm timber is 246.9 lineal metres: 1 ÷ (0.09 × 0.045) = 246.9. That is about 51 lengths of 4.8 m. For 70 × 35 mm it is 408.2 lineal metres, and for 140 × 45 mm it is 158.7 lineal metres. The bigger the section, the fewer metres make up a cubic metre.
How do I convert a price per cubic metre to a price per metre?
Multiply the price per cubic metre by the cubic metres in one metre of the section. One metre of 90 × 45 mm timber is 0.00405 m³, so at $1,000 per m³ it costs $4.05 a metre and a 4.8 m length costs $19.44. To go the other way, divide the price per metre by 0.00405.
What sizes does treated pine framing come in?
Hyne Timber’s T2 Blue pine framing comes 35 mm thick in 70, 90, 140 and 190 mm depths, and 45 mm thick in 70, 90, 140, 190 and 240 mm depths. Lengths are 2.4, 2.7, 3.0, 3.6, 4.2, 4.8, 5.4 and 6.0 m. Hyne calls MGP10 the most common structural grade, and says T2 Blue is for use south of the Tropic of Capricorn only.
What does lineal metre mean?
A lineal metre is one metre measured along the timber, whatever its size, so ten lengths of 4.8 m are 48 lineal metres. Two orders of 48 lineal metres can hold very different amounts of wood: 48 m of 70 × 35 mm is 0.1176 m³, while 48 m of 240 × 45 mm is 0.5184 m³. Compare prices per metre only between pieces of the same size.
What is a 2x4 in Australian sizes?
A US 2x4 is 1½ × 3½ in when dry, which is 38.1 × 88.9 mm under the American Softwood Lumber Standard (PS 20). Hyne’s T2 Blue framing is sized in millimetres, and its closest sections are 35 × 90 and 45 × 90 mm. If you follow US plans, check with your builder whether the different thickness matters before you swap sizes.
Sources
- Hyne Timber, T2 Blue (checked 19 October 2026)Framing sizes 35 and 45 mm thick, 70 to 240 mm deep; lengths 2.4 to 6.0 m; grades F5, MGP10, MGP12, MGP15; for use south of the Tropic of Capricorn.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (published by the American Lumber Standard Committee), Voluntary Product Standard PS 20-25, American Softwood Lumber Standard (checked 19 October 2026)Table 3: a US nominal 2x4 is 1½ × 3½ in (38.1 × 88.9 mm) dry.
- Australian Building Codes Board, General NCC FAQ (checked 19 October 2026)The NCC takes legal effect through adoption by each state and territory, which may vary it.
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