Photo: Kevin Malik

How many pieces of wood are in a cord?

The standard length for a piece of firewood is 16 inches. But some companies use 14-inch pieces and others use 18 inches. Here at Lumberjacks, we always cut our kiln-dried firewood to the standard 16 inches. Typically, a full cord will contain somewhere between 600 and 800 pieces of firewood.

lumberjax.com - How Much Firewood is in a Cord? And Other Important Questions

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Learn How Much Firewood is in a Cord and More!

Firewood is not complicated. You set it ablaze and enjoy the warmth. So, why does buying the right amount of firewood have to be complicated by confusing terms like cord and rick? How much firewood is in a cord, anyway?

We understand your frustration. Unfortunately, like any other industry, the firewood business has its jargon, too. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you understand how much firewood is in a cord, rick, face cord and bundle. (Plus, stick around to the end because we have some helpful tips for figuring out how much firewood you need!)

Now, without further ado, let the firewood measuring begin!

How is Firewood Measured?

The standard way to measure firewood is by volume, meaning length multiplied by width multiplied by height. So, you will usually see the measurements formatted in one of two ways: Companies will either list the length, width and height of their stacks, or they will give the full volume in cubic feet (or meters, if you’re in Canada). Because we lumberjacks don’t like to throw numbers around a lot, we have come up with shorthand ways to represent our firewood measurements. These common terms include:

Cord

Face Cord

Rick

Bundle

How much wood do these terms represent? We’ll take a look at each below.

How Much Firewood is in a Cord?

Most people in the firewood industry agree that a cord of firewood measures 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by 8 feet long, or 128 cubic feet.

Be Careful! Cord Measurements Can Vary

We say “most people” agree because the regulations for measuring cords vary from state to state. So, you should always be careful when buying firewood that the cord the company you’re buying from is talking about is the standard cord. If not, you could purchase less wood than you thought you’d be getting!

How Much Wood You’ll Be Getting

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So, how many pieces of firewood are in a cord? Unfortunately, there’s no way to say exactly how many pieces you’ll be getting. It depends on how long the company cuts its logs. The standard length for a piece of firewood is 16 inches. But some companies use 14-inch pieces and others use 18 inches. Here at Lumberjacks, we always cut our kiln-dried firewood to the standard 16 inches. Typically, a full cord will contain somewhere between 600 and 800 pieces of firewood. If the company you purchase from cuts their logs shorter, you will probably get closer to 800 pieces. And if the pieces are longer, you will probably get around 600 pieces. For the standard length of 16 inches, a full cord likely contains around 700 units of firewood. You should also be aware of how tightly the company has stacked its cord. If the company stacks their firewood very loosely, then the 128 cubic feet will include a lot of air space. As a result, you will be getting less wood than you’d get from a company that stacks their wood more tightly.

Stack for Yourself to Make Sure

For this reason, it’s always a good idea to stack the wood yourself to make sure you’re not getting ripped off. The company you’re purchasing from should be fine with you stacking your own wood and shouldn’t insist upon stacking it themselves. The most trustworthy companies will only stack their wood for you if you request that they stack it. Bottom line: If the company isn’t okay with you stacking the wood before completing the sale, they are probably not an honest business.

Terms Related to a Cord

If you hang around lumberjacks long enough, you’ll probably hear them use other phrases like bush cord and stove cord. Here are some definitions for these and other cord-related terms: Bush Cord – This phrase is just another way of saying a full cord, or 128 cubic feet, of firewood.

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– This phrase is just another way of saying a full cord, or 128 cubic feet, of firewood. Running Cord – People use this phrase to describe a full cord of firewood with all pieces stacked parallel to each other. – People use this phrase to describe a full cord of firewood with all pieces stacked parallel to each other. Sheldon Cord – This phrase is frequently used to describe an order of firewood that measures more than a full cord. There is no exact measurement for a sheldon cord. – This phrase is frequently used to describe an order of firewood that measures more than a full cord. There is no exact measurement for a sheldon cord. Stove Cord – People use this phrase when talking about purchasing wood for a stove. The wood in a stove cord is often shorter (around 12 inches long) to fit in the stove. So, a stove cord may measure 4 feet high by 8 feet long by 12 inches deep, but there is no official measurement. These are just a few of the many terms for firewood volume out there. While all this industry slang can be daunting, the most important thing to remember is that a full cord measures 128 cubic feet. Once you know that, figuring out these other terms is as simple as understanding how they relate to a full cord. For example, the most popular of these terms is a face cord. We’ll look at how that term relates to a full cord next.

lumberjax.com - How Much Firewood is in a Cord? And Other Important Questions