Firewood Cord Calculator
Measure the stack: how long, how high and how long the pieces are. You'll get the full cords it holds, how a "face cord" or "rick" compares, the price per full cord if you enter what you paid, and the heat in the wood.
- NIST cord definition (128 cu ft)
- Heat by species from USU Extension
- Feet or metric
2 What you have
Updates as you type| Stack | 1 row of 16 in pieces, 16 in deep |
|---|---|
| Full cords (128 cu ft) | 0.33 cords |
| 4 × 8 ft faces ("face cords") | 1; each one is 33% of a full cord at this piece length |
| Heat in the wood | 6.7 million Btu (Not sure / mixed (EIA average cord), 20 million Btu per cord) |
| Heat into the house | about 4.7 million Btu in an EPA-certified stove at 71% efficiency |
A "face cord" or "rick" of 16 in pieces holds only 33% of a full cord. NIST Handbook 130's model regulation, which many states have adopted, says sellers should not use "face cord", "rack", "pile" or "truckload", so ask for the amount in cords or fractions of a cord.
Measure the stack tightly piled, with the pieces parallel and touching. A loosely thrown pile has more air and less wood.
Quick answer
A cord of firewood is 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood, such as a stack 4 ft high, 4 ft deep and 8 ft long. A "face cord" or "rick" is a 4 × 8 ft stack only one piece deep, so with 16 inch pieces it holds 43 cubic feet: one third of a cord.
Cords in common stacks
| Stack (long × high × deep) | Cubic feet | Cords | Heat in the wood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 4 ft × 16 in | 43 | 0.33 | 6.7 million Btu |
| 8 × 4 ft × 3 rows of 16 in | 128 | 1 | 20 million Btu |
| 8 × 4 ft × 24 in | 64 | 0.5 | 10 million Btu |
| 8 × 4 ft × 48 in | 128 | 1 | 20 million Btu |
| 16 × 4 ft × 16 in | 85 | 0.67 | 13.3 million Btu |
| 16 × 4 ft × 48 in | 256 | 2 | 40 million Btu |
Cord = 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood (NIST Handbook 130). Heat at EIA's average of 20 million Btu per cord. Use the calculator above for your exact size.
What a cord is
NIST Handbook 130's Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities, a model rule that many states have adopted, defines a cord as the amount of wood in a space of 128 cubic feet when the wood is "ranked and well stowed": pieces in a row, touching and parallel, and stacked compactly. A stack 4 ft high, 4 ft deep and 8 ft long is one cord. So is a stack 2 ft high, 4 ft deep and 16 ft long. The 128 cubic feet include the air between the pieces.
To measure a stack: length × height × depth, all in feet, then divide by 128. The depth is the length of the pieces, times the number of rows.
Face cords and ricks
Few people burn 4 ft logs, so wood is often sold as a "face cord" or "rick": a stack 4 ft high and 8 ft long, but only one piece deep. Utah State University Extension describes it this way, and it holds only part of a cord:
| Piece length | One 4 × 8 ft face holds | Share of a full cord | Faces to make a cord |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 in | 32 cu ft | 25% | 4 |
| 16 in | 43 cu ft | 33% | 3 |
| 18 in | 48 cu ft | 38% | 2.7 |
| 20 in | 53 cu ft | 42% | 2.4 |
| 24 in | 64 cu ft | 50% | 2 |
NIST's model regulation (section 2.4.4) says the terms "face cord", "rack", "pile" and "truckload" shall not be used when selling firewood, and its consumer flyer says these terms have no legally defined meaning. Under the regulation, bulk firewood is sold by the cord, fractions of a cord or the cubic meter; small packaged bundles are labeled in liters or cubic feet. Rules depend on whether your state adopted the regulation, so ask any seller to state the amount in cords.
Heat in a cord, by wood
Denser wood packs more heat into the same 128 cubic feet. Utah State University Extension lists the heat in a cord of air-dried wood:
| Wood | Million Btu per cord |
|---|---|
| White oak | 29.1 |
| Bur oak | 26.2 |
| Red oak | 24.6 |
| Black locust | 27.9 |
| Beech | 27.5 |
| Apple | 27 |
| Honeylocust | 26.7 |
| Other maples (not silver maple) | 25.5 |
| White ash | 24.2 |
| Black walnut | 22.2 |
| Birch | 20.8 |
| Douglas-fir | 20.7 |
| Cherry | 20.4 |
| Green ash | 20 |
| American elm | 20 |
| Silver maple | 19 |
| Quaking aspen | 18.2 |
| Ponderosa pine | 16.2 |
| White pine | 15.9 |
| Cottonwood | 15.8 |
| Spruce | 15.5 |
EIA uses 20 million Btu for an average cord. A stove turns only part of that into heat for the house: EPA lists an average of 71% for non-catalytic certified stoves and 78% for catalytic stoves (from its Burn Wise program, kept as a historic record since 2025). To compare wood with oil, propane or natural gas, see how much firewood you need for winter.
Worked example
A stack 8 ft long and 4 ft high of 16 inch pieces is 8 × 4 × 1.33 = 43 cubic feet, or 0.33 of a cord. Three of those stacks make one full cord. If a seller quotes a price for that stack as a "face cord", multiply by three to compare it with a price per full cord.
Buying tips
- Get a receipt. NIST's model regulation (section 2.4.5) requires a delivery ticket or invoice with the seller's and buyer's names and addresses, the date, the amount delivered, the price and the kind of wood.
- Stack and measure the wood before you burn any. The consumer flyer from the National Conference on Weights and Measures (on NIST's site) says to contact the seller first, then your state weights and measures office, before you burn any of the wood.
- A pickup truck is not a cord. Utah State Extension says a full-size pickup with a standard bed holds about half a cord when loaded level with the top of the bed.
- Ask how dry it is. EPA says wood burns best at 20% moisture or less, and to store it at least 6 months for softwood and 12 months for hardwood.
- 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.
Frequently asked questions
How big is a cord of wood?
128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood, for example 4 ft high, 4 ft deep and 8 ft long, according to NIST Handbook 130.
How much is a face cord compared with a full cord?
It depends on the piece length. A 4 × 8 ft face of 16 inch pieces is one third of a cord; of 24 inch pieces, half a cord.
Is a rick the same as a cord?
No. A rick is usually a 4 × 8 ft stack one piece deep, so it is a fraction of a cord. MU Extension warns that ricks are often sold as cords: "buyer beware".
How much heat is in a cord of wood?
EIA uses 20 million Btu for an average cord. Utah State Extension lists 29.1 million Btu for white oak and 15.5 million for spruce, air-dried.
How much does a cord of wood weigh?
MU Extension says seasoned oak or other dried hardwood weighs about 3,600 pounds per cord. Utah State Extension lists air-dried weights from about 2,000 to 4,700 pounds by species.
Last reviewed 2026-11-04. See how we calculate for our sources and assumptions.