What is a cord of firewood?

A standard cord occupies 128 cubic feet when wood is ranked and well stowed so pieces are compact and parallel. This is a volume including the ordinary air spaces in a stack, not 128 cubic feet of solid wood.

A face cord (also called a rick) is one row of 16-inch logs stacked 4 feet high and 8 feet long. It equals about one-third of a full cord. When someone advertises a "cord," always confirm whether they mean a full cord or a face cord.

Which wood species produces the most heat?

Dense hardwoods produce the most BTUs per cord. Osage orange and black locust lead the list, followed by hickory (~25 million BTU/cord) and white oak (~25 million BTU/cord). Eastern white pine produces roughly 14–15 million BTU/cord — about half as much as the top hardwoods.

Why do BTU values differ between species?

BTU output per cord is primarily driven by wood density. Denser wood packs more carbon-based fuel into the same volume. Moisture content also matters — properly seasoned wood (below 20% moisture) burns significantly hotter than green wood regardless of species.

What does the loose/thrown option mean?

It uses a stated 180 cubic feet of loose-thrown wood per stacked-cord equivalent. Legal definitions vary by jurisdiction and piece length, so verify the seller’s unit and local weights-and-measures rules.

How accurate is the BTU estimate?

Species values are planning estimates. Moisture, density variation, stack quality and appliance efficiency materially affect delivered heat; do not treat the result as a guaranteed fuel output.

How do I measure an irregular woodpile?

Measure the longest dimension for length, the widest point for width, and the average height. For stacked piles, use the stacked height rather than log length to get an accurate volume.

Firewood Cord Calculator

Measure the pile or loose load, choose stacked or thrown, and calculate cord equivalents, volume, normalized face-cord equivalents, heat and value.

Pile Dimensions & Species

Pile Length (ft)

A standard cord is 8 ft long.

Log Length / Pile Width

Most stove wood is cut around 16 in; a full-width cord is 48 in.

Measurement Condition

For loose loads, confirm the applicable definition with your seller or local authority.

Stacked Height (ft)

A standard cord is 4 ft high.

Wood Species

Price per Cord ($) (optional)

Results

Fill in the inputs and click Calculate.

Quick Reference

Full cord4 ft × 4 ft × 8 ft = 128 cu ft

Loose/thrown convention180 cu ft = 1 stacked-cord equivalent

Face cord (rick)1.33 ft × 4 ft × 8 ft ≈ 42.7 cu ft

Face cords per full cord3 face cords

Solid wood per cord~80–90 cu ft

Summary

Measure the pile or loose load, choose stacked or thrown, and calculate cord equivalents, volume, normalized face-cord equivalents, heat and value.

How it works

Enter pile length and height in feet, then enter log length/pile width in inches or feet.
Choose whether the wood is ranked and stacked or loose/thrown.
Select the wood species from the dropdown.
Click Calculate to compute the pile volume in cubic feet.
The calculator divides stacked volume by 128 ft³ or loose volume by the stated 180 ft³ thrown-cord convention.
It multiplies cords by the species BTU-per-cord value to give total heat output.
Review the face cord count and cost estimate (optional) in the results panel.

Use cases

Verify you received the correct amount of wood when buying a cord.
Plan how many cords to buy before a heating season.
Compare heat output of hardwood vs. softwood species.
Estimate heating costs by combining cords with local wood prices.
Split large woodpile inventories into seasonal budgets.
Confirm whether a stacked pile meets a quoted face-cord measurement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by Nham Vu