Short answer: A full cord of wood is 128 cubic feet of stacked firewood, which works out to roughly 700 to 900 pieces of wood at 18 inches long. Many suppliers sell less than that and still call it a cord, so understanding cubic foot volume is the only way to know you're getting a fair deal.

If you're stocking up for personal use or keeping your restaurant well-supplied, you'll need to understand what a cord is and how to use that information to measure the amount of wood you'll receive. One of our most frequently asked questions is how much firewood makes up a cord, so allow us to help you better understand what to consider. It's important to understand cord of wood measurements, as many vendors attempt to sell cords of wood that are not a true full cord, often causing consumers to overpay for firewood.

What is a Cord?

Adopted by the United States Department of Agriculture, a cord of wood is 128 cubic feet, with the wood being stacked as tightly together as possible and each piece of wood running parallel to one another. A cord of wood is based on three dimensions: length, width, and height. After recording the cord's volume, we can determine that a typical cord of wood can range from 700 to 900 pieces of firewood, assuming each piece is 18" long.

While the regulations of what is considered a cord can vary depending on the country, in the United States, the Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures division determined a full cord of wood is 128 cubic feet. The NIST Handbook 130 backs this up as the official volume measurement standard. When you shop with ButlerWood, our full cords are 128 cubic feet and measure out to 4' x 21.3' x 18".

As Austin Butler, ButlerWood Co-Owner, puts it: 

"A cord of wood is 128 cubic feet, period. Length, width, height. We learn that in our sixth grade math class. If you want to know how much of something you have, you've got to measure it in 3 dimensions by volume."

Misconceptions of Measuring Cords

Many wood suppliers market their wood products by the cord, however, it's important to understand the length, width and height of the wood stack in order to verify the cord is a full 128 cubic feet.

Many suppliers consider a 4' x 16' stack of wood as a cord. This is actually a face cord as it does not include the length of the wood. A 4' x 16' stack of wood must be 2' long to be considered a full cord. Industry standard for cooking wood is typically 18" long. Therefore, in order to have a full cord of wood, the wood stack must measure 4' x 21.3' x 18".

This is where the firewood industry gets loose. Plenty of online sellers display a half cord pallet that's actually only 16 cubic feet of wood and charge the same price ButlerWood charges for a true 64 cubic foot half cord. The trick is they never list the cubic footage on the product page.

According to Austin Butler:

"My competitors are not going to say the cubic footage, because what they're doing is they're displaying this product as a pallet, but it's really only like 16 cubic feet. For the same price, you can come over to my website and get 64 cubic feet delivered and shipped."

When buying a full cord of firewood, ask the supplier these three questions:

1. What's the cubic foot total? A real firewood supplier will give you an exact number. If they dodge it, walk.

2. What length is the wood cut to? Most cooking wood is 18 inches; firewood for home heating is often 16 inches. The length affects how the cord stacks but not the total volume.

3. What's the moisture content? Properly aged firewood sits at 10 to 15 percent moisture content. Anything higher and you're paying for water weight.

Other Measurements

While 128 cubic feet is the standard for the U.S., there are a few other terms of measurement you may need to know when determining how much firewood makes up a cord of wood.

• Face Cord/Rick Cord: A stack of wood 16 feet wide by 4 feet high by 18 inches long. Put another way, a face cord is 96 cubic feet at most. Though typically smaller than a full cord, a face cord may be preferred if you're shopping for personal use.

• Half and Quarter Cords: As the names imply, these are lesser amounts of firewood with logs that are typically shorter in length than a full cord. A half cord is 64 cubic feet, and a quarter cord is 32 cubic feet.

• Bush Cord: Another name for a full 128 cubic foot cord, used mostly in Canada and parts of the northern United States.

• Stove Cord: A cord cut to shorter wood lengths (12 to 14 inches) to fit smaller wood stove fireboxes.

• Thrown Cord: A loose, unstacked pile that often gets advertised as a cord but contains far less wood once properly stacked. Avoid these unless the individual seller can prove the volume.

If you're unsure how much wood is in a certain kind of cord, you need only ask your supplier to clarify. This practice is important to ensure you know exactly how much wood you're getting, and as a supplier, we're happy to help you learn the different terms and get you the exact cord you need.

Storing Cords

So, how do you properly store and protect a cord of wood? If the wood has already been split and dried, you usually only need to stack the wood in a place that is convenient and sheltered from the weather. If your wood is not split and wet, you'll want to first convert the logs into more manageable splits. Once you've chopped the wood, keep your splits in a spot with good airflow so they can air dry. Just make sure it's not so windy that your stack gets blown over.

The conditions you give your wood splits will affect how efficient the drying process is. Keep them raised off the ground using bricks or pallets so the wood isn't sitting in mud or pooled water. Stack the wood in a row, place stakes at each end to secure it, and if the stack needs to be more than one row deep, leave enough space between rows for air circulation. Cover the top with a tarp or other protective covering to keep your wood safe from weather. Even if you've stacked your logs within a shelter, a tarp over the top is still a good safety precaution.

Be aware that if you're air drying a cord of wood, it may take six to nine months for the wood to reach below 20 percent water content. Once it has, the wood can be considered sufficiently "seasoned" and is ready to be burned. For this reason, it's a good idea to buy cords from a supplier such as ButlerWood if you're in immediate need of wood. All of our wood is pre-seasoned and ready for use upon purchase, making it more convenient for customers, such as restaurants, who require a consistent supply.

Gauging How Much Wood You Need

If you intend to buy a cord for personal use, it may make sense to buy a half or quarter cord unless you plan to use your fireplace or build fires frequently. Most fireplaces hold two to three logs at a time, so those are good numbers to consider when gauging how much wood you want and how often you anticipate using the wood. If you want to stock up for the winter season, a full cord of wood may be your best option to make sure you're well equipped.

For commercial purposes, such as open-fire cooking in restaurant kitchens, full cords will be much more economical because you'll be using the wood on a consistent basis. If your business is going through cords at a quicker pace than anticipated, upgrading to full pallets or full truckload deliveries usually drops your per-cubic-foot price.

 

Why ButlerWood Cords Are True Cords

ButlerWood operates as a vertically integrated firewood supplier, which means we control every step from land clearing in Central Texas to in-house trucking and delivery. That control is what keeps our cubic foot measurements honest and our quality consistent through all 12 months of the year.

Every full cord, half cord, and quarter cord we ship is built on a 48 by 40 inch pallet with custom braces, stacked to exact volume measurement specs. The wood is naturally aged in the Texas sun, then heat-treated in our kiln to a minimum interior temperature of 160 degrees F for 75 minutes per USDA schedule T314-c. That process holds moisture content at 10 to 15 percent and meets compliance for shipping wood products across all 50 states.

To learn more about the cords we have to offer, get in contact with us today or browse our cooking wood, firewood, and retail product collections. We source all of our wood from our own land clearing services right here in Texas, and with it, we've been able to provide the entire country with quality cooking wood of all types to create delicious meals that bring Southern hospitality across the nation.