I have bought firewood every winter for a decade, and I can tell you the measurement is where the money disappears. The wood itself is usually fine. It is the volume that gets fudged, and the fudging is worth $50 to $100 per load at today's prices. The good news: checking a seller's math takes a tape measure and five minutes.
The only number that matters: 128 cubic feet
A full cord is a neatly stacked pile measuring 4 feet high, 4 feet wide, and 8 feet long. Multiply those out: 4 x 4 x 8 = 128 cubic feet of stacked wood. That is the legal definition in most states, and it is the only unit where "cord" has a fixed meaning.
The catch is that even a perfect 4x4x8 stack is not 128 cubic feet of wood. Montana State University Extension notes that a typical stacked cord holds about 85 cubic feet of solid wood, with the rest being air space between the pieces. That is normal and accepted. What is not accepted is a stack that measures 4 x 3.5 x 8, or a dumped pile the seller calls "about a cord."
The stack test: do it before you pay
Bring a tape measure when the delivery arrives, or buy early enough that you can stack it yourself first. Here is the procedure:
- Stack it tight. Pieces touching, parallel, minimal gaps. Only stacked wood can be measured; a loose pile or a heaped truckload cannot be verified. Restack anything delivered in a jumble before you judge it.
- Measure height, width, and length in feet. Take two or three measurements along the stack and average them if the stack is uneven.
- Multiply. Height x width x length = cubic feet. Compare to 128.
A worked example: you buy "a cord," stack it, and measure 4 feet high x 4 feet deep x 7.5 feet long. That is 4 x 4 x 7.5 = 120 cubic feet. You received 120/128 = 94% of a cord. If you paid $300, you were shorted about $19 worth of wood. Not catastrophic, but now you know what "a cord" means to this seller, and you can either negotiate or find a new one.
Another example, the bad one: the truck dumps a pile you stack into 4 x 4 x 6, or 96 cubic feet. That is exactly three quarters of a cord. At $320 per cord, you overpaid by $80. Ask for the missing quarter, or ask for $80 back.
Face cords, ricks, and the math that trips everyone up
Most sellers near cities do not sell full cords. They sell face cords (also called ricks in some regions): a stack 4 feet high and 8 feet long, but only one log deep. The depth equals the log length.
| Unit | Dimensions | Volume | Share of a full cord |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full cord | 4 ft x 4 ft x 8 ft | 128 cu ft | 100% |
| Face cord, 16-inch logs | 4 ft x 16 in x 8 ft | ~42 cu ft | ~1/3 |
| Face cord, 20-inch logs | 4 ft x 20 in x 8 ft | ~53 cu ft | ~42% |
| Face cord, 24-inch logs | 4 ft x 24 in x 8 ft | ~64 cu ft | ~1/2 |
Three face cords of 16-inch wood make about one full cord. But a face cord of 24-inch wood is already half a cord, so two of those equal a full cord. The ripoff works like this: a seller quotes a "cord" price for face cords of 24-inch logs and delivers two face cords of 16-inch logs. Same number of face cords, 40% less wood. Always ask the log length, always do the division yourself.
The loose truckload trap
This is the big one. A pickup bed heaped with wood is not a cord, and loose wood takes up far more space than the same wood stacked. As a rule of thumb, about 175 to 185 cubic feet of loose, thrown wood equals one 128-cubic-foot stacked cord, because of all the air gaps.
In practice, if a seller quotes a per-"cord" price for loose truckloads, divide the delivered loose volume by about 1.4 to estimate stacked cords. A common half-ton pickup bed piled to the rails holds roughly 60 to 80 cubic feet of loose wood, which is well under half a stacked cord. Price it accordingly: a $180 "cord" delivered loose in a pickup may be a worse deal than a $300 stacked cord.
The honest version of this transaction exists too. Many good sellers dump loose and price it as loose, and they will tell you exactly that. The problem is only when loose volume is sold at stacked-cord prices.
Comparing prices fairly
Reduce every quote to dollars per stacked cubic foot and the confusion disappears:
- Convert the quote to stacked cubic feet (full cord = 128; face cord = height x depth x 8; loose = divide by 1.4).
- Divide the price by the cubic feet.
- Compare the per-cubic-foot number across sellers.
Example: Seller A offers a stacked full cord for $340. That is $340 / 128 = $2.66 per cubic foot. Seller B offers a face cord (16-inch logs) for $120. That is $120 / 42.7 = $2.81 per cubic foot. Seller C offers a loose pickup load, about 70 cubic feet, for $150. That is $150 / (70/1.4) = $150 / 50 = $3.00 per stacked-equivalent cubic foot. Seller A wins even though the sticker price looked highest. Do this math every time, and the short-cord game stops working on you.
Your state's weights and measures office. Several states regulate firewood sales, and some (like Maine and New Hampshire) make misrepresenting a cord illegal. In many states, sellers must give you a receipt stating the amount sold. Enforcement is spotty, but if you have documented a short cord with photos and a receipt, your state weights and measures office will take a complaint.
Figure out how much wood you actually need first. Once you can measure a cord, the next question is how many you need for the winter. The calculator below estimates it from your home size, climate, stove efficiency, and wood species.
Related reading: How Long Does Firewood Take to Season? A Species-by-Species Chart, because green wood burns like wet money regardless of how well it was measured.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a cord and a face cord?
A full cord is 128 cubic feet of stacked wood, typically 4 x 4 x 8 feet. A face cord is a single row of that stack, 4 feet high by 8 feet long, with the depth equal to the log length, usually 42 to 64 cubic feet depending on whether the logs are 16 or 24 inches. A face cord is not a standardized unit, which is exactly why sellers like it.
How can I tell if the seller delivered a short cord?
Stack the wood as tightly as possible and measure height, width, and length in feet. Multiply to get cubic feet. If the result is well below 128 (or below the face-cord equivalent you agreed on), it is short. Photograph the stack with the tape measure visible, note the delivery date, and keep the receipt before contacting the seller.
Is it better to buy stacked or loose firewood?
Buy stacked when price matters, because 128 stacked cubic feet is the standard unit and you can verify it. Loose wood is fine if it is priced as loose, but you need roughly 175 to 185 cubic feet of loose wood to equal a stacked cord, so never pay stacked-cord prices for a heaped truckload.
Why do some sellers refuse to say "cord" and only sell face cords?
Partly tradition and partly that most customers burn 16 to 20 inch logs, which do not stack into a natural full cord. But the vagueness also lets prices float. Convert every face-cord quote to dollars per stacked cubic foot before comparing, and the vagueness stops costing you money.
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