Cord Wood Calculator: How Much Firewood Do You Need? 🪵
✍ Written & fact-checked by Dr. Irfan Mansuri
| Last Updated: August 2026
Think of buying firewood like buying milk. You would never let a store sell you a “jug” without knowing if it holds a gallon or a quart. Yet every year, thousands of buyers pay full-cord prices for a face cord — roughly one-third the wood. This calculator ends that confusion. Enter your stack’s length, width, and height, and you get full cords, face cords, ricks, and an optional cost estimate instantly.
A full cord of wood is a stacked pile measuring 4 ft × 4 ft × 8 ft = 128 cubic feet. To find cords in any stack, divide its cubic feet by 128. A face cord is typically one-third of a full cord (~42 cu ft). Average US price: $150–$500 per full cord depending on species and region.
- 🪵 A full cord = 128 cubic feet (4 × 4 × 8 ft).
- 📐 Formula: Cords = (L × W × H) ÷ 128.
- 🔪 A face cord is one log deep (~16 in), about 1/3 of a full cord.
- 💰 Cost ranges from $150 to $500 per full cord in the US.
- 🌳 Hardwoods (oak, hickory) burn longer than softwoods (pine, fir).
Cord Wood Calculator
Stack dimensions → full cords, face cords & cost
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How to use this cord wood calculator
- Pick a mode: "Stack Dimensions" for cord count; "Cost Estimator" to add a price per cord.
- Measure your stack in feet: length along the ground, width (how deep one log is), and height.
- Enter the number of stacks if you have more than one pile (Stack Dimensions mode only).
- Click Calculate — the result card shows full cords, face cords, ricks, and a numbered solution.
- For cost mode, add the quoted price per full cord and get your total estimate instantly.
What is a cord of wood?
A cord of wood is the official US unit of firewood volume, defined by law in most states as 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood, including the wood itself and the air gaps between pieces. The standard stack is 4 feet high, 4 feet wide, and 8 feet long.
The analogy I use when explaining this to homeowners: imagine a standard door (roughly 4 ft × 8 ft). A full cord is a wall of firewood as tall and wide as that door, stacked 4 feet deep. That mental image makes it easy to spot whether a delivery truck is carrying one cord or two.
The cord wood formula and variables
The formula is straightforward. Every calculation this tool makes traces back to one equation:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ CORD WOOD FORMULA │ │ │ │ Volume (cu ft) = Length × Width × Height × Stacks│ │ │ │ Full Cords = Volume ÷ 128 │ │ │ │ Face Cords = Full Cords × 3 (for 16-in logs) │ │ │ │ Cost = Full Cords × Price per Cord │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| L | Stack length | feet (ft) |
| W | Stack width (log depth) | feet (ft) |
| H | Stack height | feet (ft) |
| S | Number of stacks | dimensionless |
| V | Total stacked volume | cubic feet (cu ft) |
| C | Full cords | cords |
| 128 | Cubic feet per full cord (legal US standard) | cu ft / cord |
SI note: 1 cord = 128 cu ft ≈ 3.625 m³. To convert, multiply cubic feet by 0.0283168.
Worked examples that match the calculator's steps
Stack: 8 ft long × 4 ft wide × 4 ft high, 1 stack.
- Volume = 8 × 4 × 4 × 1 = 128 cu ft
- Full cords = 128 ÷ 128 = 1.00 cord
- Face cords = 1.00 × 3 = 3.00 face cords
Stack: 8 ft long × 1.33 ft wide (16 in) × 4 ft high, 1 stack.
- Volume = 8 × 1.33 × 4 = 42.67 cu ft
- Full cords = 42.67 ÷ 128 = 0.33 cords
- Face cords = 0.33 × 3 = 1.00 face cord
Stack: 16 ft long × 4 ft wide × 4 ft high, price $280/cord.
- Volume = 16 × 4 × 4 = 256 cu ft
- Full cords = 256 ÷ 128 = 2.00 cords
- Total cost = 2.00 × $280 = $560
Full cord vs face cord vs rick: what's the difference?
| Type | Dimensions | Cu Ft | Fraction of Full Cord | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full cord | 4 × 4 × 8 ft | 128 | 1/1 | Primary heating, bulk purchase |
| Face cord / rick | 4 × ~1.33 × 8 ft | ~42.7 | ~1/3 | Occasional use, campfire wood |
| Half cord | 4 × 4 × 4 ft | 64 | 1/2 | Short winter, supplemental heat |
| Sheldon cord | 4 × 4 × 16 ft | 256 | 2/1 | Commercial / bulk mill use |
Most guides stop at "a face cord is one-third of a full cord" — but that is only true when logs are exactly 16 inches long. If your supplier cuts 18-inch logs, a face cord is actually closer to 37.5% of a full cord (not 33%). Always ask for the log length before comparing prices. A $200 face cord of 18-inch logs is a better deal than a $200 face cord of 12-inch logs, even though both are sold as "one face cord." Plug the actual log length as your width in this calculator to get the precise fraction.
Common mistakes when buying cord wood
The "milk jug" analogy breaks down when sellers use vague terms. Here are the most costly errors I have seen homeowners make:
- 🚫 Paying cord price for a "truckload" — a pickup truck holds roughly 1/3 to 1/2 a cord, not a full cord.
- 🚫 Assuming a "rick" equals a cord — a rick is a face cord (about 1/3 of a full cord).
- 🚫 Not measuring log depth — sellers sometimes cut logs longer than 16 inches, changing the face-cord fraction.
- 🚫 Buying green wood at seasoned prices — green wood has up to 50% moisture and delivers far less heat per cord.
- ✅ Fix: Always measure L × W × H in feet, divide by 128, and compare that number to the price quoted.
In my experience helping homeowners with energy calculations, the single biggest firewood mistake is not measuring log depth. Sellers know that "face cord" sounds like "full cord" to an untrained ear. I always tell people: bring a tape measure when the wood is delivered, stack three logs end-to-end, and measure. If it is not 48 inches (4 feet), you are not getting a full cord's depth. This calculator lets you enter the real depth and see exactly what fraction of a cord you are buying — use it before you hand over any cash.
Quiz: test your cord wood knowledge 🎯
Q1. How many cubic feet are in a full cord of wood?
Q2. A stack measures 8 ft × 4 ft × 2 ft. How many full cords is that?
Sources & References
Written and fact-checked by Dr Irfan Mansuri. External links open in a new tab and are provided for further reading and verification.