Firewood Cord Calculator

SettingsSettings for this calculationUS

Market

Imperial · sales tax

Stack Length

The length of the stacked woodpile.

Measure along the row of stacked wood.

Tools needed: Tape measure

Stack Width (depth of stack)

The front-to-back depth of the stack — usually the length of one log.

Most firewood is cut to about 16 in (0.4 m) long, so a single-row stack is about that deep.

Stack Height

The height of the stacked pile.

Measure straight up from the ground to the top of the stack.

Tools needed: Tape measure

Estimated firewood cord needed

1 cord

High confidence

Stack volume: 128 ft³

Then change the inputs to see how far the answer moves.

Show calculation logic

How this was calculated

Formula source(s)

A standard (full) cord is a stacked pile measuring 4 ft x 4 ft x 8 ft, equal to 128 cubic feet

Inputs used

Stack Length: 8 ft
Stack Width (depth of stack): 4 ft
Stack Height: 4 ft

Intermediate steps

Stack volume: 128 ft³

Final result1 cord

What this calculation does not cover

It treats the pile as a rectangular block of length by width by height. A row that tapers, leans, domes at the top or stands on uneven ground holds less wood than the block implies, and a height taken from the ground rather than from the underside of the lowest log adds the bearers or pallet to the answer.
The result is stacked volume with the air gaps included, which is how a cord is defined — it is not a measure of solid wood. Nothing here corrects for how tightly the row was built, for crooked or knotty rounds, or for a thrown load that has not been stacked at all; a loose pile of the same outer dimensions holds substantially less wood than a ranked one.
Species, density and moisture content are not inputs, so a cord of pine and a cord of oak return the same figure. This sizes volume, not heat: it says nothing about usable heat output, burn hours, or whether the wood is dry enough to burn.
It reports the stack as measured on the day. Wood shrinks across the grain and the pile settles as it seasons, so the same wood re-measured after a season reads as fewer cords, and this calculation does not project that change.
This is not a determination of what was sold. It converts three measurements into cords; it cannot tell you whether a delivery matched the order, and it does not resolve terms such as face cord, rick or truckload, which carry no fixed depth and vary between sellers.

Estimated cost — your price

Price per cord ($)

This site holds no price list for this material — local prices vary too much to publish honestly. Enter your supplier's price and the result is costed with it.

Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.

Sources checked 2026-09-02 · in the site-wide review of 2026-09-06 · v1.0.1

Regulatory standards & verification citations1

A standard (full) cord is a stacked pile measuring 4 ft x 4 ft x 8 ft, equal to 128 cubic feet

Cite this page

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Now that you have the number

These guides cover the work this quantity is for — the first ones run this calculator inside the section that raises the question.

Fitting a Wood Burner into an Existing Fireplace Openinguses this calculator

The stove is bought and the opening measured. What decides the job now is the hearth under it, the timber near the flue, and the air the room can spare.

Installing a Freestanding Wood Stove and a New Flueuses this calculator

A stove is only as good as the opening framed around its flue, the air the house is willing to spare it, and the fuel stacked a year ahead.

Clearing and Grubbing a Wooded Lot

How to calculate firewood cord in 4 steps

Stack LengthThe length of the stacked woodpile.

Stack Width (depth of stack)The front-to-back depth of the stack — usually the length of one log.

Stack HeightThe height of the stacked pile.

Read the resultThe tool computes the result from those figures and shows the formula, its sources, and a confidence rating alongside it.

Stack Length	cords
4 ft	0.484
6 ft	0.727
8 ft	0.969
10 ft	1.21
12 ft	1.45
14 ft	1.7

Stack Length

cords

4 ft

0.484

6 ft

0.727

8 ft

0.969

10 ft

1.21

12 ft

1.45

14 ft

1.7

Frequently asked questions

Does a cord shrink while it seasons?

The stack does, and the heat in it goes the other way. Wood loses most of its water in the first season under cover and the pieces shrink across the grain as it goes, so a tightly built stack settles noticeably by the time it is ready — one reason a cord measured on delivery and the same cord measured in spring do not agree. Buy on the stacked volume at delivery, and stack it yourself where you can watch it done: a loosely thrown pile occupies roughly a third more space than the same wood ranked. The gain is on the other side of the ledger, because dry wood delivers far more usable heat per volume than green — none of the fire's energy is spent boiling water out of it first.

What's a 'face cord'?

A stack 4 ft (1.2 m) high by 8 ft (2.4 m) long but only one log length deep, commonly 16 in (41 cm), which makes it roughly 1/3 of a full cord for 16 in logs. It is also called a rick, and is often confused with a full cord in casual sales.

Does wood species affect how much heat a cord provides?

Yes — dense hardwoods (oak, hickory) provide significantly more heat per cord than softer woods (pine, fir), even though they occupy the same stacked volume.

Does stacking tightness affect the count?

Yes — a loosely stacked or round (unstacked, thrown) pile contains noticeably less actual wood than a neatly stacked one of the same outer dimensions, due to air gaps.