How big is a full cord of firewood?
A full cord of firewood is 128 cubic feet of neatly stacked wood — a pile 4 ft high, 4 ft deep and 8 ft long, or about 3.62 cubic metres.
How to work it out
- 8 ft × 4 ft × 4 ft (48 in) = 128 cu ft ÷ 128 = 1 cord
- Cords ÷ 100% (one face cord at this piece length) = 1 face cord
Firewood is rarely cut 4 ft long, so a cord usually arrives as three rows of 16 in pieces, each 4 × 8 ft — or one row 24 ft long. Any stack whose length × height × depth equals 128 cu ft is a full cord. Change the piece length above to see how a single 4 × 8 ft row compares.
Adjust for your project
More options: Seller’s price is… · Price (optional)
- Face cords (4 × 8 ft rows)
- 1 face cord
- Stacked volume
- 128 cu ft (3.62 m³)
- This face cord is … of a full cord
- 100%
- At this piece length, one 4 × 8 ft face cord is 100% of a full cord. Always ask a seller what piece length their face cord uses.
- Loose-thrown wood takes more room than the same wood stacked: Maine law, for example, counts 180 cu ft of loose 12–16 in wood as one cord. Switch to “Thrown loose” to measure a truckload.
An 8 ft stack of 4 ft wood, by stack height
| Stack height | Stacked volume | Full cords |
|---|---|---|
| 3 ft | 96 cu ft | 0.75 cords |
| 3.5 ft | 112 cu ft | 0.88 cords |
| 4 ft | 128 cu ft | 1 cord |
| 4.5 ft | 144 cu ft | 1.13 cords |
| 5 ft | 160 cu ft | 1.25 cords |
| 6 ft | 192 cu ft | 1.5 cords |
What to know about a full cord
Four-foot pieces are unusual outside pulpwood and some rural sellers, so the 4 × 4 × 8 ft picture is really a definition of the volume. What turns up in the driveway is usually stove-length wood, and the shape of the pile is up to you as long as the arithmetic reaches 128.
- The law is written around the full cord. California’s Division of Measurement Standards (CDFA), for instance, lets sellers offer firewood only by the cord or a fraction of a cord. Rules differ between states, but asking for the quantity in cords on the invoice protects you anywhere.
- Not all of it is wood. The Virginia Cooperative Extension measurement guide says a stacked cord generally contains 80 to 90 cubic feet of actual wood; the rest is air. Crooked, knotty or poorly split pieces leave bigger gaps, so a tight, even stack is worth more at the same volume.
- Expect two loads. Stacked level with the rails, an 8 ft pickup bed carries about half of this, and seasoned oak weighs about 3,600 lb a cord — see How much does a cord of oak weigh before you plan the trips.
- Check it the day it arrives. Restack the delivery tight and parallel, measure length, average height and piece length in feet, and multiply. Green wood shrinks a little as it dries, so a later measurement can come up short through no fault of the seller.
Ordering less? A single row of 16 in wood is covered in How much wood is in a face cord or rick, and How much wood is in a half cord shows the 64 cubic foot version.
Different size? Use the full Firewood Cord Calculator.
What you’ll need
- Firewood log rackMid-range price
Keeps wood off the ground so it dries and stays measurable — an 8 ft rack 4 ft high is exactly a face cord.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - 25 ft tape measureBudget price
A 25 ft tape with a stiff blade and a readable 1/16 in scale covers everything from cut lists to deck layout.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Wood moisture meterMid-range price
Tells you whether lumber is dry enough to build with and firewood dry enough to burn. Readings vary by species — check the meter’s correction settings.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links to products are affiliate links — they cost you nothing extra and help keep these calculators free.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a full cord of 16 inch logs stacked 4 ft high in one row?
The row has to run 24 ft: 128 cu ft, which is 1 cord — three face cords end to end.
Is a stack 4 ft high, 2 ft deep and 16 ft long a full cord?
Yes — 128 cu ft, or 1 cord. Any stack whose length × height × depth reaches 128 cubic feet is a cord.
What fraction of a cord is a 4 by 8 ft stack of 18 inch wood?
0.38 cords — 48 cu ft, or three-eighths of a cord.
Other common sizes
- How much wood is in a face cord or rick — 0.33 cords
- How much does a cord of oak weigh — 3,587 lb
- How much firewood is in a 4 m × 1.5 m stack of 33 cm logs — 0.55 cords
- How much wood is in a half cord — 0.5 cords
Sources
- California Department of Food and Agriculture, Division of Measurement Standards — Firewood (opens in a new tab) — A cord is 128 cu ft of neatly stacked wood; in California firewood may be sold only by the cord or fractions of a cord, and “face cord”, “rack”, “pile” and “truckload” have no legally defined meaning.
- Maine Revised Statutes, Title 10 §2302 — Definitions (weights and measures) (opens in a new tab) — Fuel wood sold loose, not ranked and well stowed: a loose cord of 12 or 16 in wood is the wood, bark and air in 180 cu ft; of 24 in wood, 195 cu ft.
- Maine Forest Service — How is wood measured and sold? (Firewood facts, 2017) (opens in a new tab) — Thrown cord scale: 180 cu ft for 12 or 16 in bolts, 195 cu ft for 24 in; a stacked cord holds 80–90 cu ft of solid wood.
- University of Missouri Extension G5450 — Wood Fuel for Heating (reviewed 2025) (opens in a new tab) — About 8,600 Btu of available heat per ovendry pound of hardwood (9,050 for resinous softwoods such as shortleaf pine); air-dried firewood at about 20% moisture; about 80 cu ft of solid wood per cord; seasoned oak about 3,600 lb per cord; a standard pickup bed (about 5.5 × 8 ft, 20 in deep) loaded level holds about half a cord.
- Virginia Cooperative Extension 420-085 — Forest Landowner’s Guide to the Measurement of Timber and Logs (opens in a new tab) — A stacked cord generally contains about 80 to 90 cu ft of solid wood; the rest is air space.
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 4: Moisture relations and physical properties of wood (opens in a new tab) — Density at a given moisture content (eqs. 4-13, 4-14) and the average moisture content of green wood by species (table 4-1), used for the weight estimates.