What share of the waste should be charged to a job?

The share from your job costing policy, often the portion of waste the job actually produced. The default 85 percent keeps a reserve for shared collection and disposal; enter 100 only when the whole pile belongs to this job.

Why compare cost per board foot instead of the total?

Per-foot cost is comparable across jobs and waste volumes, while the total tracks the pile. A large job can carry a big total and still sit under the target per foot.

Does the share charged change the cost per board foot?

Yes. The share scales the variable part, so a lower share lowers both the total and the per-foot cost. Fixed handling spreads over the same waste board feet, so it softens the change.

How is wood waste measured?

Count offcuts, trims and rejected parts, then convert their volume to board feet, where one board foot is 144 cubic inches. A waste log or scale ticket gives the ready figure.

Furniture, Fixtures & Interior Products calculator

Wood Waste Cost Calculator

Price the board feet of wood waste a job generates, charge a share to that job, and add fixed handling. The page shows cost per board foot against your target.

What this calculator does

Wood waste cost per board foot against a target, with the charged share and fixed handling split out.

Formula used

Total wood waste cost = waste board feet × cost per board foot × share charged ÷ 100 + fixed handling cost
Cost per board foot = total wood waste cost ÷ waste board feet
Variable wood waste cost = waste board feet × cost per board foot × share charged ÷ 100
Cost vs target per board foot = target cost per board foot − cost per board foot

Inputs explained

Wood Waste Generated: Board feet of waste the job generates, from the waste log.
Wood Cost per Board Foot: Landed wood cost per board foot for the material cut.
Share Charged to This Job: Share of the waste cost charged to this job.
Fixed Waste Handling Cost: Collection and disposal cost for this job, whatever the volume.
Target Cost per Board Foot: Cost per board foot target from job costing.

How to use the result

Best suited to charging a job for its waste, reviewing a month of shop waste, comparing waste across wood species.
It prices waste that exists; prevention and reuse options sit outside it. Recovered offcuts or sold scrap reduce the real cost but are not modeled.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for lumber stands at 286.633 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 7.6% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
The U.S. has 14,378 furniture and related products establishments employing about 355,594 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

What share of the waste should be charged to a job? The share from your job costing policy, often the portion of waste the job actually produced. The default 85 percent keeps a reserve for shared collection and disposal; enter 100 only when the whole pile belongs to this job.
Why compare cost per board foot instead of the total? Per-foot cost is comparable across jobs and waste volumes, while the total tracks the pile. A large job can carry a big total and still sit under the target per foot.
Does the share charged change the cost per board foot? Yes. The share scales the variable part, so a lower share lowers both the total and the per-foot cost. Fixed handling spreads over the same waste board feet, so it softens the change.
How is wood waste measured? Count offcuts, trims and rejected parts, then convert their volume to board feet, where one board foot is 144 cubic inches. A waste log or scale ticket gives the ready figure.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.