Firewood Cord Calculator

The Firewood Cord Calculator turns the measurements of a wood stack into the number you actually care about: how many cords you have. Enter the length, height, and depth of your pile and the tool works out the volume, the number of full cords and face cords, an estimated delivery weight, and — if you tell it what you paid — the real cost per cord with a fair-price verdict. It is built for anyone buying, selling, splitting, or stacking firewood who wants to know they are getting an honest measure.

What Is a Cord of Firewood?

A full cord is a standard unit of volume for stacked firewood equal to 128 cubic feet. The classic arrangement is a neat, compact stack measuring 4 feet high, 4 feet deep, and 8 feet long (4 × 4 × 8 = 128 cubic feet), with the logs running the same direction and stacked as tightly as they reasonably pack. Because it is a volume measure, any stack that adds up to 128 cubic feet is a cord, regardless of its exact shape.

Firewood Cord Formula

Working out cords from a stack is a two-step job: find the volume, then divide by 128.

All three stack measurements must be in the same unit (feet) before multiplying. If you measured in meters, convert to feet first by multiplying by 3.281 — this calculator does that step for you automatically.

Full Cord vs Face Cord (Rick)

This is where most firewood buyers get caught out. A face cord — also called a rick — is a stack 4 feet high and 8 feet long, but only one log deep. Its depth therefore equals the length of your logs, so a face cord is not a fixed volume the way a full cord is.

With common 16-inch (about 0.41 m) logs, a face cord is roughly one third of a full cord, which means:

If a seller quotes you a price for a "cord" but delivers a face cord, you could receive only about a third of the wood you expected. Always confirm whether a price is for a full cord or a face cord, and check the log length.

Firewood Volume Reference Chart

How Much Should a Cord Cost?

Prices vary widely by region, wood species, and whether the wood is seasoned, delivered, or stacked for you. As a rough guide, seasoned firewood commonly runs from about $200 to $400 per full cord in the United States. Premium hardwood, kiln-dried wood, or full delivery-and-stacking service pushes prices higher; buying green wood in bulk and seasoning it yourself is cheaper. Enter your price above and the calculator places your cost per cord on a fair-price gauge so you can judge the deal at a glance.

How Much Does a Cord Weigh?

Weight matters for delivery and hauling. Seasoned (dry) firewood weighs roughly:

• Softwood (pine, fir, spruce): about 2,400 lb per full cord
• Mixed wood: about 3,000 lb per full cord
• Dense hardwood (oak, hickory, maple): about 3,600 lb or more per full cord

Green, unseasoned wood can weigh 50% more or greater because of its water content — a key reason to buy seasoned wood and to let fresh-cut wood dry for 6–12 months before burning.

What Affects Your Firewood Value?

How to Use This Calculator

1. Choose your units: Feet/inches or metric.
2. Measure the stack: Enter the length, height, and depth of your tightly stacked pile.
3. Enter the log length: The length of the split pieces (commonly 16 inches). This drives the face-cord result.
4. Add price and wood type (optional): Enter what you paid and pick the wood type to see the cost per cord and estimated weight.
5. Click Calculate: Review your full cords, face cords, total volume, cost per cord, the to-scale stack diagram, and the step-by-step breakdown.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many cubic feet are in a cord of firewood?

A full cord is defined as 128 cubic feet. That is a tightly stacked pile 4 feet high, 4 feet deep, and 8 feet long (4 × 4 × 8 = 128 cubic feet), with the logs stacked compactly and running in the same direction.

What is the difference between a cord and a face cord?

A full cord is 128 cubic feet. A face cord (also called a rick) is a stack 4 feet high and 8 feet long but only one log deep, so its volume depends on the log length. With common 16-inch logs, a face cord is about one third of a full cord, so one full cord equals roughly three face cords.

How do I calculate cords from stack dimensions?

Multiply the length, height, and depth of the stack (all in feet) to get the volume in cubic feet, then divide by 128. For example, a stack 8 ft long, 4 ft high, and 2 ft deep is 64 cubic feet, which is 64 / 128 = 0.5 cord.

How much should a cord of firewood cost?

Seasoned firewood commonly runs from about $200 to $400 per full cord, though prices vary a lot by region, wood species, and whether it is delivered and stacked. This calculator shows your cost per cord on a fair-price gauge so you can compare your deal against a typical range.

How much does a cord of firewood weigh?

A seasoned full cord weighs roughly 2,400 pounds for softwoods like pine and fir, around 3,000 pounds for a mixed load, and up to about 3,600 pounds or more for dense hardwoods such as oak and hickory. Green (unseasoned) wood weighs considerably more because of its water content.

Why does log length change the number of face cords?

A face cord is always 4 feet high and 8 feet long, but its depth equals one log length. Longer logs make each face cord deeper and therefore larger, so the same pile of wood contains fewer face cords. Shorter logs make each face cord smaller, so the pile contains more of them.

Additional Resources

• Cord (unit) - Wikipedia
• Firewood - Wikipedia