Cord of Firewood Calculator
| Order | Face cord (16 in) | Full cord | Winter it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cord | ~3 face cords | 4x4x8 ft | occasional weekends |
| 2-3 cords | 6-9 face cords | 8x4x8 ft | most winter evenings |
| 5-8 cords | 15-24 face cords | primary heat | the wood-stove house |
A cord of firewood is a volume with a legal definition - 128 cubic feet, stacked as a four-by-four-by-eight pile - and the industry's favorite trick is selling you a face cord: one row of the same stack, a third of the wood for two-thirds of the price, distinguished only by which words the seller picked.
Bottom line: a wood-burning fireplace used most winter evenings burns two to three cords a season; a wood stove as primary heat wants five to eight; the occasional-weekend fire runs one. Seasoned hardwood is the other half of the math - wood bought this fall burns next winter unless you like paying green-wood prices for smoke.
The honest part: the stack's tightness changes the math - loosely thrown wood buys air at cord prices, and the seller who 'generously' rounds the pile is charging you for spaces between sticks. Measure the stack, count the dollars per cubic foot, and the hardwood-versus-softwood question answers itself in burn hours per dollar.
How to use
- Pick your fireplace habit - occasional weekends, regular winter evenings, or wood as primary heat - and read the season's cords.
- Compare sellers by dollars per cubic foot of stacked wood, and ask whether the price is a full cord or a face cord before anything is loaded.
- Buy seasoned or buy a year early: green wood burns at half the heat and double the creosote, and the moisture meter that proves it costs less than one cord.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a cord and a face cord?
A full cord is 128 cubic feet stacked - four feet high, four feet deep, eight feet long. A face cord is one row of the same stack: same length and height, but only as deep as one log, typically 16 inches - about a third of a full cord, often priced at two-thirds. Ask for the stack's depth in inches; the word 'cord' without a number is where the margin lives.
How many cords do I need for winter?
A fireplace burned most winter evenings runs two to three cords; a wood stove heating a house as primary heat wants five to eight depending on climate and insulation; the occasional weekend fire needs one. The first winter is an estimate - log the burn rate and next year's number stops being a guess.
How long does firewood need to season?
Six to twelve months stacked off the ground with the bark side up and air moving through - dense oak wants the full year, softer maple and birch can be ready in six. Seasoned wood rings hollow, shows cracks in the end grain, and reads under 20 percent moisture on a meter; green wood hisses, smokes, and coats the chimney in creosote.
Is it cheaper to burn wood or gas heat?
Only if the wood is free or nearly: at 300 dollars a cord for seasoned hardwood, wood heat costs about what gas heat costs per delivered warmth, before the chainsaw time. Where firewood is genuinely cheap - rural, self-cut with a permit - it wins outright, and the calculation everyone forgets is the chimney sweep and the insurance-friendly stove, which are annual costs with opinions.