Everyday
Firewood Calculator
Size your firewood order: stacked dimensions to full cords, face-cord decoding by log length, and a true price-per-cord quote comparison.
How it works
Behind the numbers
A cord is a fixed volume: a 4-by-4-by-8-foot stack, or 128 cubic feet. The calculator multiplies your stack's length, width, and height and divides by 128 to get full cords. It also counts face cords at your log length, since a 4-by-8-foot face holds 42.7 cubic feet with 16-inch logs (one-third of a cord) and 64 cubic feet with 24-inch logs (one-half).
Stacked wood is never solid wood: air fills the gaps, and loose stacks hold less wood than tight ones. The stacking share (70 to 75% for loose stacks, 80 to 85% for average, 90 to 95% for tight) converts the stack to solid cubic feet, the number that drives heat. The seasonal estimate multiplies full cords by the species' typical seasoned heat value (oak 25.7, hickory 27.7, ash 24.2, maple 23.6, pine 14.5 million BTU per cord), so judge a deal on BTU per dollar, not volume alone.
The quote boxes normalize any two offers to price per full cord. A $120 face cord at 16 inches is $360 per cord; a $300 full cord is $300 per cord, and the cheaper-looking offer loses. On the legal side: under NIST Handbook 130, firewood must be sold by the cord or a fraction of it; face cord, rick, and truckload are not legal sale units. The decoder translates informal quotes into cords; it does not make them legal sale units, and state rules vary.
FAQ
Questions, answered
How many face cords are in a full cord?
It depends on the log length. At 16 inches, a face cord (a 4-by-8-foot face) holds 42.7 cubic feet, so three make one full cord. At 24 inches it holds 64 cubic feet, so two make a cord. The calculator decodes both directions from the log length you enter.
What is a rick of firewood?
A rick is an informal regional term, usually a stack 4 feet high and 8 feet long, the same shape as a face cord. Because sellers cut different log lengths, a rick's cord content varies, which is exactly the ambiguity the decoder table clears up. It is not a standardized unit.
How do I compare two firewood prices fairly?
Reduce each quote to price per full cord: divide the quoted price by the cords it contains. A $120 face cord at 16 inches is one-third of a cord, so it costs $360 per cord. The calculator does this reduction for two quotes side by side.
Must firewood be sold by the cord?
Under NIST Handbook 130, yes: firewood must be sold by the cord or a fraction of the cord. Face cord, rick, and truckload are not legal sale units, though sellers still quote them informally. Enforcement and details vary by state, so check your local weights-and-measures rules.