Firewood Cord Calculator
Cords & face cords from a stack.
Cords & face cords from a stack.
How to use Firewood Cord Calculator
- Enter the stack's length, height, and log depth
- Read the volume in full cords, cubic feet, and metres
- See what a face cord means for your log length
About Firewood Cord Calculator
Firewood is sold by volume, and this calculator turns the length, height and log depth of a stack into full cords, cubic feet and cubic metres. Enter the three measurements once and it also works out the face cord for your log length, so you can measure a delivered pile and check you actually got what you paid for.
A face cord — also called a rick — is only one log deep, so it can be anywhere from a third to a half of a full cord depending on whether the logs were cut at 16, 20 or 24 inches. That gap is exactly where firewood buyers get short-changed, so the tool spells it out instead of leaving you to guess, and gives the result in both imperial cubic feet and metric cubic metres so a quote in either unit makes sense.
Because every cord, face cord and rick ultimately comes back to volume, measuring the stack is the honest way to compare one seller's price against another's. Stack the wood into a neat rectangle before you measure, since a loosely thrown pile reads larger than it really is. It is completely free with no sign-up, and it runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
- How many cubic feet are in a cord of wood?
- A full cord is 128 cubic feet — a stack measuring 4 feet high, 4 feet deep and 8 feet long, all neatly stacked. That works out to roughly 3.62 cubic metres if a seller quotes you in metric.
- What is the difference between a face cord and a full cord?
- A full cord is a 4 x 4 x 8 ft stack (128 cu ft). A face cord is 4 ft high and 8 ft long but only one log deep, so its volume depends on the log length — 16-inch logs make a face cord about a third of a full cord.
- Is a face cord the same as a full cord?
- No — and this is the common firewood trap. A face cord is typically a third to a half of a full cord, so always confirm which one a seller means and check the log length before you pay.
- How do I calculate cords from a wood pile?
- Multiply the stack's length x height x depth in feet to get cubic feet, then divide by 128 for full cords. Enter those three measurements here and the tool does the maths and also converts your log length into face cords.
- How many cubic metres are in a cord of firewood?
- A full cord is about 3.62 cubic metres of stacked wood. The tool shows the volume in cubic metres as well as cubic feet, which is handy when a supplier quotes in metric or in 'steres' (one stere is a cubic metre of stacked wood).
- What is a rick of firewood?
- A rick is another name for a face cord — a 4 x 8 ft stack one log-length deep — so like a face cord its size depends on how long the logs are cut.
- How much firewood do I need for a winter?
- It depends on your climate and how often you burn, but households that heat mainly with wood often go through roughly two to four full cords a season. Measure your stack with this tool to see exactly how many cords you have on hand.
- How much does a cord of firewood weigh?
- Weight varies a lot with species and moisture: a cord of seasoned hardwood like oak can run 3,500 to 5,000 lb, while softwoods like pine are much lighter. This calculator measures volume in cords and cubic feet rather than weight, since volume is how firewood is actually bought and sold.
- How do I convert a pile of logs into cords or face cords?
- Stack the logs into a tidy rectangle, measure its length, height and log depth in feet, and the tool converts that into full cords and, using your log length, face cords. Loose, un-stacked logs always read larger than they measure once they are stacked.
- How do I measure loose or thrown firewood that isn't stacked?
- A loosely thrown pile has more air gaps, so it looks bigger than the same wood stacked — figure roughly two-thirds of the loose volume once it's neatly stacked. For an accurate cord count, stack the wood first, then enter the stacked dimensions here.
- How much firewood will I get from a tree?
- That depends on the trunk's diameter and height, so there is no fixed number until the wood is cut and split. Once you have bucked and stacked it, measure the stack with this tool to get an exact cord count.
- Which firewood gives off the most heat?
- Dense hardwoods such as oak, hickory and ash pack more heat (BTUs) per cord than softwoods like pine or fir, though they cost more and take longer to season. This tool measures how much wood you have by volume rather than its heat output.
- Is there a firewood calculator app to download?
- You don't need one — this calculator runs in any web browser on your phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to install and no sign-up. Everything is worked out on your own device.