Firewood: cords, prices, weight and heat

Figures checked Nov. 10, 2026

Firewood is sold by the cord: 128 cubic feet of neatly stacked wood, usually 4 ft high x 4 ft wide x 8 ft long. The tools here turn any stack, face cord or rick into cords, any offer into a price per full cord, and any load into pounds. You type your own figures; we do the sums.

Measure your stack

The sums behind this tool are tested against 2 worked examples printed in published sources, and 17 checks in all, including the limits where it gives no number.

Firewood calculators

Each tool works from your own measurements and prices. Results are rounded the cautious way: wood on hand rounds down, wood needed and weight round up.

Stack calculator: length, height and depth to cords, plus cords for a winter.
Face cord converter: face cords or ricks to full cords, by log length.
Price checker: any offer to a price per full cord.
Cord weight calculator: pounds by species, seasoned or green.
Fuel cost comparer: firewood against propane, oil, gas, pellets and electricity, per million Btu.

Firewood guides

Plain answers to the questions buyers ask most, with the official figures behind them.

What is a cord of wood? Size, dimensions and state rules.
How much is a cord of wood? What changes the price.
Face cord and rick of wood: what they mean and how big they are.
Half cord: size, weight and quarter cords.
How much does a cord weigh? By species, green and seasoned.
Best firewood: heat per cord by species, and how to season it.

The units in one place

The full cord is the legal unit in the national weights and measures handbook, and half and quarter cords are fractions of it. States adopt the handbook one by one.

Face cords and ricks are one row of logs, so their size depends on log length. Indiana's forestry division says: A face cord of 16" pieces is actually one third of a standard cord.

Unit	Cubic feet
Full cord	128
Half cord	64
Quarter cord	32
Face cord or rick	Depends on log length

Dry wood and CO alarms

Burn only dry, seasoned wood: the EPA's target is under 20 percent moisture. Have your stove, chimney and flue checked each year by a qualified heating professional.

Wood fires can produce carbon monoxide (CO), a gas you can't see or smell. Fit CO alarms on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas, and test them monthly.

Questions people ask

How big is a cord of firewood?

A cord is 128 cubic feet of stacked wood, usually 4 ft high x 4 ft wide x 8 ft long.

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

A face cord has the same face as a full cord but is only one row of logs deep, so it holds less wood.

How much firewood do I need for a winter?

It depends on your home, climate, stove and wood. The stack calculator page has a winter tool that works from your own figures.

Before you light it

Carbon monoxide (CO) can kill. US Consumer Product Safety Commission (Official): “Fuel-burning heating systems, including furnaces and fireplaces, can produce CO, an odorless, colorless and deadly gas.” Source(opens in a new tab)
Fit CO alarms and test them. US Consumer Product Safety Commission (Official): “CO alarms should be placed on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas.” “Test the alarms every month to make sure they are working.” Source(opens in a new tab)
Have appliances checked every year. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Official): “Have your heating system, water heater and any other gas, oil, or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.” Source(opens in a new tab)
Chimneys and vents too. US Fire Administration (Official): “Have chimneys and vents cleaned and inspected at least once a year.” Source(opens in a new tab)
If a CO alarm sounds (US: call 911): US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Official): “If the detector sounds leave your home immediately and call 911.” Source(opens in a new tab)
Know the signs. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Official): “The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion.” Source(opens in a new tab)
Keep things that can burn away from the stove. US Fire Administration (Official): “Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from all heat sources” Source(opens in a new tab)

Sources for this page

6 figures, each with its source

Every figure on this page, with its source. Open one to see the exact words on the source page and how it was checked.

Legal cord (volume of ranked and well-stowed wood): 128 cubic feet Official
From Connecticut Dept. of Consumer Protection: Firewood and Stove Wood Regulations (quotes NIST Handbook 130, 2016), which says: “The amount of wood that is contained in a space of 128 cubic feet when the wood is ranked and well stowed.” Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Checked Nov. 9, 2026. A second check re-opened the source page and matched it on Nov. 9, 2026. A blind check looked it up again on Nov. 10, 2026 without seeing our figure: the two agreed.
Standard cord dimensions: 4 ft high x 4 ft wide x 8 ft long Official
From Maine Revised Statutes, Title 10, section 2302 Definitions, which says: “A standard cord is a unit of measure of wood products 4 feet wide, 4 feet high and 8 feet long, or its equivalent, containing 128 cubic feet when the wood is ranked and well stowed.” Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Checked Nov. 9, 2026. A second check re-opened the source page and matched it on Nov. 9, 2026.
Face cord of 16-inch logs as a fraction of a cord: 0.33 cords Official
From Indiana DNR Division of Forestry: Heating With Firewood (Stewardship Notes), which says: “A face cord of 16" pieces is actually one third of a standard cord.” Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Checked Nov. 9, 2026. A second check re-opened the source page and matched it on Nov. 9, 2026.
Half cord: 64 cubic feet Official (worked out)
From Connecticut Dept. of Consumer Protection: Firewood and Stove Wood Regulations (quotes NIST Handbook 130, 2016), which says: “The amount of wood that is contained in a space of 128 cubic feet when the wood is ranked and well stowed.” Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Checked Nov. 9, 2026. A second check re-opened the source page and matched it on Nov. 9, 2026.
Quarter cord: 32 cubic feet Official (worked out)
From Connecticut Dept. of Consumer Protection: Firewood and Stove Wood Regulations (quotes NIST Handbook 130, 2016), which says: “The amount of wood that is contained in a space of 128 cubic feet when the wood is ranked and well stowed.” Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Checked Nov. 9, 2026. A second check re-opened the source page and matched it on Nov. 9, 2026.
Moisture content of seasoned firewood: 20% (less than) Official
From US EPA Burn Wise: Best Wood-Burning Practices, which says: “Wood burns best at a moisture content of less than 20 percent.” Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Checked Nov. 9, 2026. A second check re-opened the source page and matched it on Nov. 9, 2026. A blind check looked it up again on Nov. 10, 2026 without seeing our figure: the two agreed.