Douglas Fir Timber Pricing in 2026: What Mill-Direct Actually Costs
Real Douglas Fir timber pricing for 2026, broken down by tier, size, and grade. What mill-direct costs versus lumber yards, and how to budget your project accurately.
If you are sourcing Douglas Fir timbers for a project in 2026, you have probably noticed pricing varies wildly depending on where you buy. A 12x12 timber that costs one price at a local lumber yard can cost almost half that price from the mill itself. Why? Because every supply chain layer between you and the mill adds margin.
This guide walks through what Douglas Fir actually costs at the mill in 2026, what affects the final price, and how to budget for your project without overpaying.
How Douglas Fir Is Priced
Douglas Fir timber is sold by the board foot (BF). One board foot equals a piece one inch thick by twelve inches wide by twelve inches long, or 144 cubic inches of wood. You calculate the board feet of a single timber with this formula:
Board Feet = (Width inches x Height inches x Length feet) / 12
So an 8x8 timber that is 16 feet long contains 85.3 board feet. A 12x12 at 20 feet contains 240 board feet. Once you know the board foot count, the rest is simple multiplication: BF times rate per board foot equals total cost.
What changes the rate per board foot? Several factors, and understanding them helps you budget accurately.
Current Mill-Direct Pricing at Washington Timber Company
For 2026, our standard rough cut Douglas Fir pricing breaks into three tiers:
- Small Orders: $5.90 per board foot. For projects under 5,000 BF total.
- Builder and Architect: $4.90 per board foot. Standard rate for most professional builds.
- Full Truckload and Export: $3.60 per board foot. For orders over 5,000 BF, which fills a truck.
What Adds to the Base Price
Several factors push pricing up from the base rate:
Size surcharge. Timbers between 13x13 and 24x24 add $1 per board foot. The 24x30 and 30x30 dimensions add $2 per board foot. Bigger logs cost the mill more to source and break down, which is reflected in the rate.
Length surcharge. Timbers 22 feet and longer add $1 per board foot. Longer timbers require larger logs and more careful handling through the mill, plus they cost more to transport.
Free of Heart Center (FOH). Adds $1 per board foot. FOH timbers are cut so the heart of the log is excluded from the cross-section, which reduces checking (cracking from the inside) and improves dimensional stability. Available in 10x14 and smaller sizes.
Grade adjustments. Select Structural grade adds 30 percent to the full stacked rate. No. 2 Structural reduces the rate by $1 per board foot.
A Sample Calculation
Say you need 20 pieces of 12x12 Douglas Fir at 20 feet, WCLIB No. 1 Structural, no FOH, Builder tier:
- Board feet per piece: (12 x 12 x 20) / 12 = 240 BF
- Total board feet: 240 x 20 pieces = 4,800 BF (just under truckload threshold)
- Rate: $4.90/BF base, no size surcharge (12x12 is in the base bracket), no length surcharge (20 ft is under the 22 ft cutoff), no FOH
- Total: 4,800 x $4.90 = $23,520
- 5,040 x $3.60 = $18,144
Why Mill-Direct Saves Money
If you bought those same timbers from a regional lumber yard, you would typically pay 30 to 60 percent more. Yards source from mills like ours, add their margin, then add transport and handling. For small orders this is fine. For anything over a few thousand board feet, going mill-direct is meaningful savings.
There is also a quality argument: when you buy from the yard, you get whatever the yard happens to have on hand. When you order from the mill, you specify exactly what you need, in exact dimensions, lengths, and grade. Custom milling is built into how we operate.
What Pricing Does Not Include
A few items that quote separately:
Freight. All our prices are FOB Arlington, WA. We deliver locally on our own trucks. Long-haul freight is quoted separately based on destination, weight, and oversized requirements (some loads need permits).
Kiln drying. Standard rough cut Douglas Fir ships air-dried. If your project requires kiln-dried timber, that is an additional service we can arrange.
Specialty species. Pricing above is for Douglas Fir. Western Red Cedar and other species are quoted at market rate.
Custom milling. Anything outside standard sizes or grades (extreme oversize, unusual lengths, specialty grades) is quoted per project.
How to Get an Accurate Quote
The fastest path to a real number is to send us your timber list. We respond to written quotes within one business day, often the same day. Include:
- Quantities by dimension and length
- Grade preference (or let us recommend based on application)
- Delivery destination
- Any special requirements (FOH, kiln drying, specific moisture content)
For ballpark numbers in advance, our interactive pricing calculator lets you configure dimensions and quantities on the fly. The full price reference page has detailed tables and surcharge breakdowns.
Locked Pricing or Floating
Once we issue a written quote, that price is locked for 30 days from the issue date. After 30 days, we may need to requote based on current log market conditions. Most projects close well within the 30-day window.
For projects with longer planning timelines (commercial builds, equestrian facilities, custom homes), we can sometimes hold pricing longer with a deposit. Discuss this with us early in the planning phase.
Ready to Get Started
Whether you are spec'ing a single beam for a deck or planning a 50,000 BF commercial build, we can quote your project from our mill in Arlington, Washington. Mill-direct pricing, WCLIB grading, and timber sizes from 6x6 to 30x30 in lengths up to 50 feet.
Request an estimate or explore our services to get started.
Last updated June 3, 2026
