Dimensions of a Cord of Wood
Cord of wood dimensions can be any dimension of stacked wood that will add up to 128 cubic feet. Wood that is not stacked and instead thrown into a loose pile has more air space between the spaces so it would require different measurements. This article assumes the firewood is neatly stacked.
The common dimension to get a cord of wood is 4′x4′x8 but there are many dimensions that will add up to 128 cubic feet. Examples are 2x4x16 and 1x4x32.
Using full feet for the width can be a problem since standard length for pieces of firewood is usually 16 inches. So a stack of 16″ firewood can only be 16″ wide or a multiple of 16.
In other words when stacking standard 16″ firewood the width of your dimension will be based on the number of stacks or rows.
1 stack = 16″ wide
2 stacks side by side = 32″ wide
3 stacks side by side = 48″ or 4′ wide.
The standard 4x4x8 dimension would be 3 stacks 4′ high and 8′ long.
Here are the cord of wood dimensions based on the number of stacks. These dimensions assume you have 16″ pieces stacked 4′ high.
1 stack = 16″x4′x24′
2 stacks = 32″x4′x12′
3 stacks = 4′x4′x8′
4 stacks = 64″x4′x6′
These measurements assume there is no space between the stacks. If you have space between the stacks, which a few inches of space is recommended for air circulation, these of course will have to be factored in.
Cord of wood dimensions will be different if the wood is not stacked. In a loose pile wood pieces will be more random so they will take up more space than pieces stacked together tightly. It’s hard to get an accurate measurement with a heaping pile but consider around 180 cubic feet for the cord of wood dimensions of unstacked wood.