A tally sheet is the record of what was actually measured — log by log, piece by piece — at the yard, the mill or the loading point. Everything downstream depends on it: the purchase payment, the packing list, the invoice, the customs documents and the final reconciliation with the buyer.
Free template: printable timber tally sheet + Excel/CSV download — round logs and sawn timber, no sign-up.
What a round log tally sheet must contain
| Column | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Sr no | Ties a physical log to a row. Without it, a dispute cannot be traced back. |
| Log mark / number | The paint or hammer mark on the log. This is what a buyer’s surveyor checks. |
| Length (m) | Measured to the shorter usable end, not the longest point. |
| Mid girth or mid diameter (cm) | The measurement Huber’s formula needs. Record the raw measurement, not only the result. |
| CBM | The calculated volume. |
| CFT | Many Indian and Middle East buyers still quote in cubic feet. |
| Grade / quality | A, B, C, or the buyer’s own grades. Decide it at the yard, not later. |
| Remarks | Cracks, hollow, bend, rot, short length. This column settles arguments. |
Header details that are worth as much as the rows: supplier, date, yard/location, truck or container number, species, and who tallied it. A sheet without a name on it is hard to defend three weeks later.
What a sawn timber tally sheet must contain
| Column | Note |
|---|---|
| Size (T × W × L) | Thickness × width × length, the way it is traded. |
| Thickness / width (mm) | Keep them in millimetres; mixing inches and millimetres is a common cause of error. |
| Length (m) | Actual length, not the nominal length. |
| Pieces | The number of pieces at that size. |
| CBM / CFT | Calculated per row. |
| Remarks | Wane, warp, knots, moisture. |
The formulas to put in the sheet
Round logs (Huber, mid girth):
CBM = mid girth (cm)² × length (m) ÷ 125,660
CFT = CBM × 35.315
Example: 140 cm mid girth, 3.5 m length → 140² × 3.5 ÷ 125,660 = 0.546 CBM (19.3 CFT).
Sawn timber:
CBM = thickness (mm) ÷ 1000 × width (mm) ÷ 1000 × length (m) × pieces
Example: 50 mm × 150 mm × 3 m × 40 pieces = 0.05 × 0.15 × 3 × 40 = 0.90 CBM.
If you trade in Hoppus rather than true volume, the Hoppus figure is about 21.5% lower than Huber for the same log. The difference is explained here, and it must be agreed in writing before the tally starts.
Five rules that prevent disputes
- Write the raw measurement, not only the result. If the girth is on the sheet, any calculation can be re-checked. If only the CBM is written, nothing can.
- One unit system per sheet. Metres and centimetres, or feet and inches — never both.
- Sign and date every sheet, including the buyer’s or surveyor’s representative where one is present.
- Photograph the sheet before it leaves the yard. Paper gets wet, torn and lost. A photo taken on the spot has saved many claims.
- Total each page and carry it forward. Totalling 300 rows at the end, at night, is how mistakes happen.
Paper, Excel or an app?
Paper works in the yard: no battery, no signal, and everyone can use it. Its weakness is everything that happens afterwards.
Excel is fine for calculation, but somebody has to type in every row, usually in the evening, from a sheet that may be smudged. That’s where typing errors enter your invoice.
An app removes the re-typing. With LumberLinq, staff tally on a phone — round or sawn, CBM and CFT as they go, working offline and syncing when there is signal. If your team prefers paper, photograph the finished sheet and it reads itself in, row by row, with anything unclear flagged in amber for a person to check before it saves. The tally then flows straight into stock, the consignment, the documents and the reconciliation.
Start free — no card needed — or see it in 15 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a standard timber tally sheet format? No single legal standard. What matters is that it records the raw measurements, the calculated volume, the marks, the grade and who did the tally. The free template above covers all of it.
Should I tally in CBM or CFT? Record both. Your contract may be in one, your buyer may think in the other, and converting later is where errors creep in. CFT = CBM × 35.315.
How many rows per page? Around 20–25 keeps a page readable and lets you total it before moving on.
Can I use one sheet for logs and sawn timber? Better not. The columns are different. Use the round log sheet for logs and the sawn sheet for sawn timber — both are in the template.
Related: Huber’s formula explained, with worked examples · CBM calculation for round logs: Doyle, Scribner, JAS and Huber