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J'ai besoin d'une planche de deux centimètres d'épaisseur.

J'ai besoin d'une planche de deux centimètres d'épaisseur.
I need a board two centimeters thick.
From Lesson 433:Physical dimensions (de ... de long)·French

Questions & Answers about J'ai besoin d'une planche de deux centimètres d'épaisseur.

Why are we using de twice in de deux centimètres d'épaisseur?
This is the standard French formula for describing physical dimensions attached directly to a noun. The structure is: [Noun] + de + [measurement] + de + [dimension noun]. Literally, it translates to "a board of two centimeters of thickness".
Could I use the adjective for "thick" (épais) instead of the noun épaisseur at the end?
Not with this exact structure. For length and width, French allows you to use pseudo-adjectives (de long, de large), but for thickness and height, you must use the nouns: d'épaisseur and de hauteur. If you really want to use the adjective épaisse (since planche is feminine), the structure changes to place the adjective first: une planche épaisse de deux centimètres.
Is the d' in d'une planche part of the dimension formula too?
No, that first d' belongs strictly to the verb phrase avoir besoin de (to need / to have need of). Because une begins with a vowel, de contracts to d'. The dimension formula only kicks in after the noun planche.
If I wanted to state this as a fact—"The board is two centimeters thick"—how does the formula adapt?
When describing the dimension of a subject rather than attaching it to an object noun, French commonly uses the verb faire (to make/do) instead of être. You would say: La planche fait deux centimètres d'épaisseur.

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