How Much Firewood Is In A Cord of Wood? (chord)
The most common firewood measurements in the US are expressed in cords or fraction of cords. A full firewood cord is the amount of wood that will stack into 128 cubic feet. This is the equivalent to 4 foot tall 4 foot wide and 8 foot long, or 4x4x8. This is about 2 full size pickup loads with the wood stacked to the top of the sides.
Learn more about different cord of wood dimensions that will add up to a full cord.
Firewood is usually measured by the cord. In some areas it is required by law that firewood be sold by the cord or fraction of a cord. There is a difference between a full cord and a face cord. If you are expecting to buy a full cord make sure the seller is not selling you a face cord since it will usually have much less wood.
Cord or Chord?
A cord of wood is sometimes spelled chord which is actually the wrong word for firewood measurements. Chord is the word for a group of musical notes or a word meaning harmony. For measuring wood, cord is the most correct word to use although in some areas chord is often used.
What is the Difference Between a Cord, Rick and Face Cord?
A face cord or rick is a stack of wood the equivalent of four feet high by eight feet long and as wide as the length of the individual pieces. Another way to describe that is a single row of stacked wood the equivalent of 4 feet high and 8 feet long regardless of the length of the pieces. If you have a face cord or a rick of wood with pieces that are 16″ long this would only be 1/3 of a cord.
How much firewood is in a cord?
In any stack of wood there will be air space between the pieces. As a result a cord of wood may only have 70-90 cubic feet of actual solid wood. This varies with the size and shape of the wood and how tightly it is stacked. Wood that is randomly thrown into a pile will have more air space between the pieces and less solid wood per cubic foot than a neatly stacked pile.
To get a full cord of loosely piled wood you will need around 180 cubic feet to make up for the increased space between the pieces. This figure can vary some depending on how loose the pile is so it’s not an exact figure.
How Much is a Face Cord of Wood and A Rick of Wood
The problem with a face cord and a rick is, unlike a cord or fraction of a cord, a face cord or rick is not an exact measurement. A face cord or rick is a stack of wood that is 4 feet high and 8 feet long regardless of how long the pieces are. Because of this, knowing how much wood you have all depends on what the length of the pieces are and takes some calculating. A rick or face cord of firewood pieces that are one foot long is half the amount of a face cord of pieces that are two feet long. But in either case they are both considered a full rick or face cord. This is why I only deal in full cords or fractions of cords.