Quick answer
Homes that heat mainly with wood averaged 85 million Btu of wood (including pellets) in 2020, EIA's survey found, about 4.3 cords at EIA's 20 million Btu per cord. The regional averages range from about 3.3 cords in the West to 6.2 in the Midwest. Homes that burn wood only as backup heat averaged about 0.9 cord.
What households burn
EIA's 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey asked about wood use. Here is the average per household, in million Btu, turned into cords at EIA's 20 million Btu per cord:
| Region | Wood as main heat | Cords a year | Wood as backup heat only | Cords a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 91.7 million Btu | 4.6 | 26.9 million Btu | 1.3 |
| Midwest | 123.1 million Btu | 6.2 | 25 million Btu | 1.3 |
| South | 69.2 million Btu | 3.5 | 11 million Btu | 0.6 |
| West | 65.1 million Btu | 3.3 | 13.1 million Btu | 0.7 |
| US average | 85 million Btu | 4.3 | 17.5 million Btu | 0.9 |
These are averages of what households reported, including wood pellets, and the cords are our division of EIA's Btu by 20 million. A drafty house, a cold winter or an open fireplace can take far more; a small, tight house with a modern stove less. Use them as a starting point, not a guarantee.
Work it out from last winter's fuel
If wood will replace oil, propane or gas, the most reliable estimate comes from how much of that fuel you burned. Multiply the gallons or therms by the heat each one delivers, then divide by the heat a cord delivers through a stove. With EIA's heat contents, a high-efficiency furnace (87% for oil, 95% for gas and propane; an older 80% furnace means fewer cords) and EPA's 71% average for a certified non-catalytic stove, one average cord replaces about:
| Fuel you burned | One cord replaces about | Example: last winter's use | Cords of wood |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating oil | 118 gallons | 500 gallons | 4.2 |
| Propane | 163 gallons | 800 gallons | 4.9 |
| Natural gas | 149 therms | 700 therms | 4.7 |
The example amounts show the method; use your own from your bills or delivery tickets, and count only the fuel used for heat. The heating cost calculator compares the cost of each fuel with your own prices.
Your stove changes the answer
EPA lists average efficiencies of 71% for non-catalytic certified stoves and 78% for catalytic ones, and says a certified stove can use up to a third less wood than an older, less efficient one. University of Missouri Extension puts a traditional open fireplace at about 10%, so a fireplace burns many times the wood for the same heat. The table above assumes a certified non-catalytic stove.
Your wood changes the answer
A cord of dense hardwood holds much more heat than a cord of softwood. The 85 million Btu that an average wood-heated home burns comes to about:
| Wood | Million Btu per cord | Cords for 85 million Btu |
|---|---|---|
| White oak | 29.1 | 2.9 |
| Other maples (not silver maple) | 25.5 | 3.3 |
| Red oak | 24.6 | 3.5 |
| Birch | 20.8 | 4.1 |
| Douglas-fir | 20.7 | 4.1 |
| Ponderosa pine | 16.2 | 5.2 |
| Spruce | 15.5 | 5.5 |
Heat values are for air-dried wood, from Utah State University Extension. Wet wood gives much less, because the fire spends heat boiling off the water.
Dry wood, and how early to buy
- EPA says wood burns best at 20% moisture or less, measured with a moisture meter.
- EPA advises storing wood at least 6 months for softwood and 12 months for hardwood. University of Missouri Extension says drying usually takes several months, and most dense hardwoods need at least a year to season fully.
- Buy it where you burn it. USDA APHIS warns that pests can travel in firewood, even over short distances, and says to use heat-treated firewood if you must move it.
To check how much you have, measure the stack with the firewood calculator. For what a cord is and how face cords compare, see how much wood is in a cord.
Frequently asked questions
How many cords of wood do I need for winter?
Homes heated mainly with wood averaged about 4.3 cords a year in EIA's 2020 survey (85 million Btu at 20 million Btu per cord): about 3.3 in the West, 3.5 in the South, 4.6 in the Northeast and 6.2 in the Midwest.
How much firewood for a fireplace or backup stove?
Homes that burned wood only as backup heat averaged 17.5 million Btu, about 0.9 cord a year, in EIA's 2020 survey. An open fireplace is far less efficient than a stove, so it burns more wood for the heat it gives.
How many gallons of heating oil is a cord of wood?
About 118 gallons, comparing a cord of 20 million Btu burned in a 71% efficient stove with oil in an 87% furnace. A denser hardwood or a catalytic stove gives more.
How long does firewood need to dry?
EPA advises at least 6 months for softwood and 12 months for hardwood, to 20% moisture or less.
Calculators for this
Firewood Cord
Measure a stack of firewood and see how many full cords it holds, what a face cord or rick really is, the price per cord and the heat in the wood by species.
Wood Pellet
How many tons and 40 lb bags of wood pellets for a winter, from the oil, propane, gas, electricity or firewood you used last year, and what pellet heat costs.
Heating Cost Comparison
Compare the cost of heat from natural gas, propane, heating oil, electric heat and a heat pump, per million Btu and for a whole winter, with your own prices.
Published 2026-11-04. Sources: EIA, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, Table CE7.2 Household wood consumption; EIA, British thermal units (Btu): sample conversion factors; EPA Burn Wise, Frequent questions about wood-burning appliances (historic record); EPA Burn Wise, Energy efficiency and your wood-burning appliance (historic record); Utah State University Extension, Wood Heating; University of Missouri Extension, G5450 Wood Fuel for Heating; USDA APHIS, Buy firewood where you burn it. See how we calculate.