What is a cord of wood?

Figures checked Nov. 10, 2026

A cord of wood is 128 cubic feet of wood that is ranked and well stowed, which means stacked tightly in neat rows. The standard shape is 4 ft high x 4 ft wide x 8 ft long. A half cord is 64 cubic feet and a quarter cord is 32 cubic feet.

Amount	Size	Cubic feet
Full cord	4 ft high x 4 ft wide x 8 ft long	128
Half cord	Half of a full cord	64
Quarter cord	A quarter of a full cord	32
Face cord	4 ft high x 8 ft long x one log length deep	Depends on log length
Rick	Usually the same as a face cord	Not a standard unit

Full cord

128 cu ft

Half cord

64 cu ft

Quarter cord

32 cu ft

Drawn to scale, seen from the front: a full cord is 128 cubic feet of stacked wood, a half cord 64 and a quarter cord 32.

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.

How big is a cord of wood?

A cord measures space, not weight. The legal definition, quoted by state weights and measures offices, reads: The amount of wood that is contained in a space of 128 cubic feet when the wood is ranked and well stowed.

New Hampshire's weights and measures division explains ranked and well stowed, beginning: Pieces of wood placed in a line or row, with individual pieces touching and parallel to each other, In short: pieces in a line or row, touching, parallel, stacked compactly.

The University of Missouri Extension puts it like this: A standard cord is a stack of wood, bark and air spaces 4 feet high, 4 feet wide, and 8 feet long for a total volume of 128 cubic feet

A loose, thrown pile takes up more room for the same wood. So a heap that looks like a cord usually holds less than one.

Cord dimensions

Maine's law gives the usual shape: 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. The words "or its equivalent" matter: a longer, lower stack can still hold a full cord.

The University of Maryland Extension describes a single row: A standard face cord is 8 feet long, 4 feet high, and the width of one stack of wood, normally 16 to 24 inches. So a full cord is usually several rows of logs standing side by side.

To check a stack, measure its length, height and depth in feet. Multiply them together and divide by 128. The calculator above does this sum for you and rounds down, so it doesn't add wood.

Full cord vs face cord vs rick

Only the full cord has a fixed legal size. A face cord is 4 ft high x 8 ft long x one log length deep, so its volume changes with the length of the logs.

Indiana's forestry division puts it plainly: A face cord of 16" pieces is actually one third of a standard cord. Longer logs give more wood; shorter logs give less.

Rick is a regional name, usually for the same stack as a face cord. Neither is a standard unit. See face cord and rick of wood for the sums.

State rules on selling firewood by the cord

The national weights and measures handbook from NIST says firewood is sold by the cord or a fraction of a cord. Washington's agriculture department puts it this way: The legal measure for firewood in Washington is the cord or a fraction of a cord. States adopt the handbook one by one, so check your own state's rules.

Washington's agriculture department, following the handbook, says: Sellers may not legitimately use terms such as "truckload," "face cord," "rack" or "pile." Ohio's Hamilton County goes further: Measurement terms such as "rick," "rack," "face cord," "pile," or "truckload" are strictly prohibited when advertising or selling firewood or stove wood.

Maine defines a face cord in law, and a loose, thrown cord too: 180 cu ft for 12 or 16 inch wood; 195 cu ft for 24 inch wood. Massachusetts goes the other way: Wood cannot by advertised or sold by the “cord.” There, wood is sold by volume instead.

If a delivery looks short, measure it stacked. Then talk to the seller, and if that fails, your state's weights and measures office.

How many pickup loads is a cord?

There is no official size for a pickup bed, so we don't give a number of loads. Wood thrown in loose also takes more room than a stack.

Measure your own bed instead. Type its inside length and width, and the height you'll stack to, into the stack calculator above. It shows how much of a cord fits as stacked wood.

Space is only half the question. Green white oak is listed at 5,573 pounds a cord, so check the payload on your door-jamb sticker or owner's manual. The cord weight calculator does that sum. Do the sums before you buy.

Questions people ask

How many cubic feet are in a cord of wood?

A cord is 128 cubic feet of wood that is ranked and well stowed, meaning stacked tightly in rows.

What are the dimensions of a full cord of wood?

The standard shape is 4 ft high x 4 ft wide x 8 ft long. Any neat stack with the same volume also counts as a cord.

Is a face cord the same as a cord?

No. A face cord is one row of logs deep, so it holds only part of a full cord. How much depends on the log length.

How much is a cord of wood?

Prices vary by seller and area, so we don't list one. The price checker turns any offer into a price per full cord.

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

10 figures and 1 wood type, 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.
Face cord (general meaning): 4 ft high x 8 ft long x one log length deep Official
From University of Maryland Extension FS-937 (2012): Buying and Storing Firewood & Pellets, which says: “A standard face cord is 8 feet long, 4 feet high, and the width of one stack of wood, normally 16 to 24 inches.” 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.
Sales terms NIST Handbook 130 says not to use: face cord, rack, pile, truckload (and similar) Official
From Washington State Dept. of Agriculture: Firewood Information, which says: “Sellers may not legitimately use terms such as "truckload," "face cord," "rack" or "pile."” 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.
Meaning of 'ranked and well stowed': pieces in a line or row, touching, parallel, stacked compactly Official
From UNH Extension: What You Need To Know Before Buying Firewood (NH Division of Weights & Measures), Oct 31 2019, which says: “Pieces of wood placed in a line or row, with individual pieces touching and parallel to each other,” 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.
Maine: loose (thrown) cord: 180 cu ft for 12 or 16 inch wood; 195 cu ft for 24 inch wood Official
From Maine Revised Statutes, Title 10, section 2302 Definitions, which says: “A cord of 12 or 16 inches in length shall mean the amount of wood, bark and air contained in a space of 180 cubic feet; and a cord of wood 24 inches in length shall mean the amount of wood, bark and air contained in a space of 195 cubic feet.” 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.
Massachusetts: firewood not sold by the 'cord': sold by volume, not the word 'cord' Official
From Mass.gov: Firewood Sales, which says: “Wood cannot by advertised or sold by the “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.
White oak: 26.5 to 29.1 million Btu per cord (sources disagree; we use the lowest); 4,200 lb seasoned; 5,573 lb green Official
Heat: from Virginia Tech (Bond & Downing): Firewood, Facts, Follies and Forest Management (Woods & Wildlife 2013), which says: “White oak | 3,800 | 26.5” Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Weight: from Utah State University Extension Forestry (Kuhns & Schmidt): Wood Heating, Table 1 Firewood Facts, which says: “Oak, White | 5573 | 4200 | 29.1” Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Checked Nov. 9, 2026. A second check matched this wood's row against the published table, cell by cell, on Nov. 9, 2026.