Firewood Cord Calculator

How this is calculated

A CORD IS 128 CUBIC FEET of tightly stacked wood. That is a legal definition in most US states, not a convention - the classic stack is 4 feet high by 4 feet deep by 8 feet long, and 4 x 4 x 8 is 128. ⚠️ A 'FACE CORD' IS NOT A CORD, AND THIS IS WHERE THE MONEY GOES. A face cord - also called a rick or a run - is 4 feet high by 8 feet long by whatever the logs happen to be. Only the first two dimensions are fixed. So with 16-inch logs it is 4 x 8 x 1.333 feet, which is 42.7 cubic feet: EXACTLY ONE THIRD of a cord. With 24-inch logs a face cord is half a cord. With 12-inch logs it is a quarter. The same phrase, sold at the same confidence, for anything between a quarter and a half of the wood - and the log length is the only thing that decides it. So the question to ask a seller is not 'is that a cord' but 'how long are the logs and what are the stack dimensions'. Then you can work it out yourself, which is what this does. OTHER TERMS THAT MEAN NOTHING PRECISE: a truckload, a pile, a rick, a bush cord, a stove cord. Some are regional and some are simply vague. If a quantity is not expressed in feet, it is not a quantity. ⚠️ MEASURE THE STACK, NOT THE HEAP. 128 cubic feet means tightly stacked with the pieces parallel and touching. A loosely thrown heap of the same wood occupies dramatically more space - commonly cited as a third or more extra volume for the same actual wood. Buying by the heap is buying air. If it arrives dumped, stack it before deciding whether you got what you paid for. SEASONING MATTERS MORE THAN QUANTITY. Green wood can be half water by weight, and burning it gives less heat, more smoke and far more creosote in the chimney. Properly seasoned wood is usually under 20 percent moisture, which takes most species six months to a year split and stacked under cover with the sides open. A cheap cord of green wood is not cheap. Species matters too, and it is the one thing volume cannot capture: dense hardwoods like oak, hickory and maple carry substantially more heat per cord than softwoods like pine or spruce. A cord is a measure of SPACE, not of energy.

Common questions

What exactly is a cord?

128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood - and in most US states that is a legal definition rather than a convention. The classic arrangement is 4 feet high by 4 feet deep by 8 feet long, because 4 x 4 x 8 is 128. Any stack with those dimensions is a cord regardless of how it is arranged, and any stack with a different volume is not one, regardless of what it is called.

Is a face cord a cord?

No, and this is where most of the money goes. A face cord - also called a rick or a run - is 4 feet high by 8 feet long by whatever length the logs happen to be. Only two of the three dimensions are fixed. With 16-inch logs that is 42.7 cubic feet, exactly one third of a cord. With 24-inch logs it is half a cord; with 12-inch logs a quarter. The same phrase, sold with the same confidence, for anything from a quarter to a half of the wood.

What should I ask a seller?

Not 'is that a cord' - ask how long the logs are and what the stack dimensions are. Those three numbers settle it completely and none of them are matters of opinion. Then work the volume out yourself. A seller who cannot or will not give you log length and stack dimensions is not selling you a measurable quantity, whatever they are calling it.

What about a truckload, or a pile, or a rick?

Those terms mean nothing precise. Some are regional, some are simply vague, and none of them are volumes. A pickup bed is not a standard size, and even where a term has a local meaning it will not survive a phone call to the next county. The rule is simple: if a quantity is not expressed in feet, it is not a quantity, and the price cannot be compared against anything.

Does it matter if it is stacked or dumped?

Enormously. 128 cubic feet means TIGHTLY stacked, pieces parallel and touching. The same wood thrown into a loose heap occupies substantially more space - commonly a third or more extra volume for identical wood - so buying by the size of a heap is buying air. If it arrives dumped, stack it before deciding whether you got what you paid for, and agree in advance how it will be measured.

Is a cord of any wood the same?

Not for heating, no. A cord measures SPACE, not energy. Dense hardwoods like oak, hickory and maple carry substantially more heat per cord than softwoods like pine or spruce, so the same volume at the same price can be very different value. And seasoning matters more than either: green wood can be half water by weight, which means less heat, more smoke and far more creosote in your chimney. Properly seasoned wood is usually under 20 percent moisture, which takes most species six months to a year split and stacked. A cheap cord of green wood is not cheap.

Take it further with AI

Copy this into ChatGPT or Claude with your own numbers filled in. It hands over the figures this calculator worked out, so the answer is built on real arithmetic instead of a guess.

I used the Firewood Cord Calculator at https://www.bfcbrilliance.com/tools/firewood-cord-calculator.

What I entered:
- Stack length (ft): ___
- Stack height (ft): ___
- Log length (in): ___
- Price you are being asked ($): ___

What it calculated:
- Fraction of a real cord: ___
- Cubic feet in that stack: ___
- Price per FULL cord: ___
- Price per cubic foot: ___
- Stacks like this in a cord: ___

Use those figures as given — they are already worked out, so please don't recalculate or estimate your own. Help me turn them into a plan: what to buy or do, in what order, roughly what it should cost, and the mistakes people most often make with this job.

Where the job touches structure, gas, or electrics, tell me to check local building code and whether a permit or a licensed trade is required.

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