The invoice gap nobody explains
Gross Tally vs Net Tally Lumber
Gross tally counts board feet when lumber is rough and green; net tally counts it after drying and surfacing. Net is smaller — usually by 6–12% — so the basis your dealer uses can quietly change your bill on the very same stack of wood. It's the reason your own board foot tally can be correct and still miss the invoice.
The first time a net-versus-gross tally bit me, I'd done everything right at my desk and still came up short reconciling the invoice. I hadn't asked which tally the price was quoted on. That one missed question is, in my experience, behind most "the yard overcharged me" complaints I hear — and once you know to ask it, the mystery evaporates.
What does each tally measure?
Hardwood gets measured for board feet at a specific point in its life, and that point decides the number:
- Gross tally (rough green): measured at the sawmill before kiln drying, at full rough thickness and width. The largest count.
- Net tally (dried & surfaced): re-measured after the wood has shrunk in the kiln and been planed. Smaller, and closest to what you can actually use.
Two honest dealers can hand you the same lift and quote different board feet simply because one tallied gross and the other net. Neither is cheating. But if you don't know which basis you're being charged on, you can't compare two prices fairly — you'd be comparing a green number to a finished one.
Why does the gross tally read higher than net?
Two physical processes shrink the count between gross and net:
- Kiln-drying shrinkage — green wood loses moisture and contracts in width and thickness, typically a few percent.
- Surfacing — planing to a smooth, consistent thickness removes more material, the same loss laid out in the hardwood thickness guide, where 4/4 finishes near 13/16″.
Add them together and a lift tallied gross can read 6–12% higher than the identical lift tallied net. On a $2,000 walnut order, that's $120–$240 of difference riding on a single word — which is exactly why the basis belongs in the conversation before you agree to a price.
What does the gap look like on a real invoice?
Here's a case from my own files, numbers rounded. I tallied a pack of kiln-dried, surfaced soft maple at 208 net board feet by tape at the rack. The invoice came back at 228 board feet — about 9.6% higher. Nothing was wrong: the mill priced it on the gross green tally taken before drying and surfacing, and 9–10% is squarely inside the normal band for KD S2S stock.
What mattered was the per-foot price. At a gross tally, the rate should sit lower to offset the bigger count. When I divided the total dollars by my net 208 BF, the effective net price was still fair, so I confirmed the basis and paid without argument. Treat that ~9.6% as one real data point from my desk, not a rule — I've seen the gap run as low as 6% on carefully dried stock and bump past 12% on heavier surfacing. If your tally and the bill diverge, the full list of causes is in why the yard charged more.
How do you tell which tally you're getting?
"Is this tally gross or net?" A reputable dealer answers instantly. If the lumber is kiln-dried and surfaced (KD S2S), expect to be billed net tally — if it's quoted gross, the price per board foot should be lower to compensate. When the answer is vague, that's your signal to slow down.
This is exactly why I built the hardwood board foot calculator to round the way dealers do, so your estimate lands near the invoice instead of below it. Put the gross-versus-net question at the very top of your buying routine, and the surprise stops happening.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between gross tally and net tally?
Gross tally is board footage measured when lumber is rough and green, before drying and surfacing. Net tally is measured after the wood is dried and surfaced, so it's smaller. Buying on gross tally means paying for board feet that were later planed away.
How big is the difference between gross and net tally?
Typically 6–12% for kiln-dried, surfaced hardwood. Drying shrinkage accounts for part and surfacing the rest, so the same lift can carry two noticeably different board foot counts.
How do I know if I am being charged gross or net tally?
Ask the dealer directly. KD S2S lumber is usually billed net tally. If it's quoted gross, the price per board foot should be lower to offset the larger count, so confirm the basis before comparing two quotes.