Firewood Buying Card
Three questions settle it: how long are the logs, how high is the stack, how long is the stack. Everything else is a word.
BFCBrilliance · bfcbrilliance.com/tools/firewood-cord-calculator
The only definition that is fixed
- A CORD
- 128 cubic feet, tightly stacked
- Classic arrangement
- 4 ft x 4 ft x 8 ft
- Face cord, 16 in logs
- 42.7 cu ft = EXACTLY 1/3 cord
- Face cord, 12 in logs
- 1/4 cord
- Face cord, 24 in logs
- 1/2 cord
- ⚠ 'face cord' fixes only
- the 4 ft height and 8 ft length
- Rick, run, bush cord
- same problem — not a fixed volume
- Truckload, pile
- not a quantity at all
- ⚠ Loose heap vs stacked
- a third or more extra space, same wood
- Seasoned wood
- under 20% moisture — 6-12 months split and stacked
- Volume measures
- SPACE, not heat — species matters separately
This offer
- Seller
- Date
- Price asked
- Log length
- Stack height
- Stack length
- CUBIC FEET
- FRACTION OF A CORD
- PRICE PER FULL CORD
- Species
- Seasoned since
Compare sellers on price per FULL cord — nothing else compares
| Seller | Price | Log length | Fraction of cord | $ per cord | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Before paying
- Log length asked for — it decides everything
- Stack height and length asked for
- Fraction of a cord worked out, not taken on trust
- Price per FULL cord compared between sellers
- Agreed whether it arrives STACKED or dumped
- If dumped: agreed how it will be measured after stacking
- Species asked — a cord is space, not heat
- Seasoning asked: split and stacked since when?
- Moisture checked if you have a meter — under 20%
- Delivery and stacking charges confirmed separately
The same word, three times the wood
A face cord of 16-inch logs is exactly a third of a cord. Of 24-inch logs, half. Of 12-inch logs, a quarter. Only the height and length are fixed by the term — the log length does the rest, and it is the one number nobody volunteers.
A heap is not a stack
128 cubic feet means tightly stacked, pieces parallel and touching. Thrown loose, the same wood takes a third or more extra space. If it arrives dumped, stack it before you decide whether you got what you paid for — and agree how it will be measured before it is delivered, not after.
Green wood is not cheap
Wood can be half water by weight when green, giving less heat, more smoke and far more creosote in the chimney. Under 20% moisture is the target, which takes most species six months to a year split and stacked under cover with the sides open. Ask when it was split, not when it was cut.