Firewood cord calculator
How many cords of firewood are in a stack, from its length, height and depth, and what a face cord really holds.
- Face cords (4 × 8 ft faces)
Measure a tightly stacked pile, with pieces parallel and touching. Loosely thrown wood holds far less than its outside size suggests.
How to use it
Measure the stack's length and height in feet, and its depth in inches. For a single row of wood, the depth is the length of the pieces, often 16 in. The calculator gives the amount in full cords and in face cords.
Use it to check a delivery before you pay. Stack the wood tightly first: a dumped pile always looks bigger than it is.
What is a cord?
A cord is the legal unit for selling firewood in most US states. NIST Handbook 130, which most states adopt, defines it as the wood in 128 cubic feet when it's "ranked and well stowed": pieces placed in rows, touching and parallel, and stacked compactly. The classic cord is 4 ft high, 4 ft deep and 8 ft long, but any stack with the same volume counts.
A face cord (also called a rick or stove cord) is a stack 4 ft high and 8 ft long, but only one piece deep. Its volume depends on the piece length:
| Piece length | Face cord volume | Share of a full cord |
|---|---|---|
| 12 in | 32 cu ft | 25% |
| 16 in | 42.7 cu ft | 33.3% |
| 18 in | 48 cu ft | 37.5% |
| 24 in | 64 cu ft | 50% |
Because a face cord isn't a fixed amount, some states don't allow firewood to be sold by the face cord at all. If a seller quotes a face cord, ask how long the pieces are.
How it's calculated
- Cubic feet = length × height × (depth ÷ 12).
- Cords = cubic feet ÷ 128.
- Face cords = (length × height) ÷ 32, for wood of the depth you entered.
Tips
- Get the price per full cord, then compare face-cord prices against it using the table above.
- Crisscross ends (log-cabin stacking) hold the pile up but trap air, so measure between them where you can.