Buying firewood: cords, face cords and how to check a delivery

The full cord

A cord is 128 cubic feet of wood, stacked tightly and neatly — traditionally a pile 4 ft high, 4 ft deep and 8 ft long. It is a legal unit of measure in the US and Canada. The 128 cu ft includes the air spaces between pieces. How big is a full cord of firewood shows the other stack shapes that add up to the same volume.

In some states the cord is the only legal way to sell firewood. California’s Division of Measurement Standards (CDFA), for example, says firewood can only be sold by the cord or by fractions of a cord, and that “face cord”, “rack”, “pile” and “truckload” have no legally defined meaning there. Rules differ from state to state, so check your own weights-and-measures office — but asking for the quantity in cords protects you everywhere.

cords = length (ft) × height (ft) × depth (ft) ÷ 128
1 cord = 128 cu ft ≈ 3.62 m³ stacked

Face cords, ricks and ranks

A face cord (also called a rick, rank or run in different regions) is a stack 4 ft high and 8 ft long, but only one piece-length deep. Its volume depends entirely on how long the pieces are cut:

Sixteen inches is the most common piece length, so a typical face cord is one-third of a cord. But ask — “a face cord” from one seller may not match another’s. The worked example How much wood is in a face cord or rick goes through the 16 in case and what happens when the pieces run short or long.

Comparing prices

Convert every price to a price per full cord before comparing:

• Face cord of 16 in wood: multiply the price by 3.
• Face cord of 12 in wood: multiply by 4.
• Half cord: multiply by 2. See How much wood is in a half cord for how 64 cu ft stacks up.
• “Truckload”: measure the load stacked, or ask the seller to state it as a fraction of a cord. A loosely thrown load takes up more space than the same wood stacked: Maine, one of the few places with a legal loose measure, counts 180 cu ft of thrown 12–16 in wood (195 cu ft of 24 in wood) as a cord. The firewood cord calculator has a thrown-loose mode for a truck bed.

Also compare what you get: species (dense hardwoods such as oak, hickory, ash and maple give considerably more heat per cord than softwoods like pine), whether it is seasoned, whether delivery and stacking are included, and piece size for your stove or fireplace.

The fairest comparison across species is the price per million Btu. University of Missouri Extension puts the available heat in hardwood at about 8,600 Btu per pound of ovendry wood, which works out to roughly 25.7 million Btu in a cord of seasoned red oak, 29.2 million in hickory and 15 million in white pine. A cord of pine at half the price of oak is not a bargain. Pick a species and enter a price in the calculator to see the cost per million Btu.

How to check a delivery

1. Ask the seller to state the quantity in cords or fractions of a cord on the receipt, along with the piece length.
2. Stack the wood neatly with the pieces parallel and tightly packed — the way a cord is defined.
3. Measure the stack length, the average height and the piece length (stack depth).
4. Multiply length × height × depth in feet and divide by 128. Compare with what you paid for.
5. If a delivery is short, raise it with the seller first. Many state weights-and-measures offices handle firewood complaints.

Seasoned vs green wood

Freshly cut wood can be half water by weight. It is hard to light, smoulders, gives off less useful heat and adds to creosote buildup in the chimney. Firewood is generally considered ready to burn below about 20% moisture content. Most hardwood needs at least six months to a year of drying after splitting, often longer for oak, stacked off the ground with the top covered and the sides open to the wind.

Signs of seasoned wood: cracks (checks) in the ends, bark that loosens easily, a lighter weight, and a hollow sound when two pieces are knocked together. A moisture meter on a freshly split face is more reliable than any of those.

How much solid wood is in a cord?

Because a cord includes air gaps, the solid wood in it is less than 128 cu ft. Virginia Cooperative Extension’s guide to measuring timber says a stacked cord generally contains closer to 80 to 90 cu ft of wood; small, crooked or loosely stacked pieces fall at the low end or below. That is one reason neatly stacked, straight, well-split wood is worth more.

Weight

Assuming about 80 cu ft of solid wood per cord at 20% moisture, a cord of seasoned red oak or hard maple works out at roughly 3,600 lb, white oak about 3,850 lb and hickory about 4,100 lb (1.8–2 tons); ash and soft maple a little less, and white pine nearer 2,100 lb. University of Missouri Extension’s round figure for seasoned oak is the same 3,600 lb. Freshly cut wood weighs considerably more — nearer 5,000 lb for a cord of red oak, far more than a typical pickup can safely carry in one load. Check your vehicle’s payload rating before hauling it yourself. How much does a cord of oak weigh breaks the oak figure down by trip.

Buying in metric

Outside North America, firewood is usually sold by the stère — a cubic metre of stacked wood, traditionally in 1 m logs — or by the loose cubic metre. One cord is about 3.62 stacked cubic metres. Short logs pack more tightly than metre lengths, so ask whether a seller measures before or after cutting. How much firewood is in a 4 m × 1.5 m stack of 33 cm logs works through a typical European stove-length stack.

How much firewood do you need?

It depends on your climate, your stove or fireplace, the wood and whether it is your main heat. An open fireplace used on winter weekends may go through well under a cord a season; a wood stove heating a house through a northern winter can burn several. The most reliable guide is your own record: note how much you start with and how much is left in spring, and adjust. Buying a season ahead also means your wood has time to dry.

Buy local

Moving firewood long distances can spread invasive insects and diseases such as the emerald ash borer. Many states and provinces restrict transporting firewood across county or state lines. Buy firewood near where you will burn it, or buy certified heat-treated wood.