Cord of Wood Calculator

How many cords are in a stack of wood?

A cord of wood calculator measures a firewood stack as a box and compares it with the standard cord of 128 cubic feet. Cords = stack length × depth × height (all in feet) ÷ 128. A stack 8 ft long, 4 ft deep, and 4 ft high is exactly 1.00 cord. A single row of 16 in logs, 8 ft long and 4 ft high, is only 0.33 cord.

Use it to check a delivery before you pay, to see how much you have left in the shed, or to compare sellers who quote cords, face cords, and ricks.

The formula in plain words

1. Measure the length of the stack along the ground, in feet.
2. Measure the depth, front to back, in feet. For one row this is the log length; 16 in is 1.33 ft.
3. Measure the average height, in feet.
4. Multiply them for cubic feet, then divide by 128.

Worked examples

A full cord delivered and stacked: 8 × 4 × 4 ft

• Volume: 8 × 4 × 4 = 128 ft³
• Cords: 128 ÷ 128 = 1.00 cord

A “face cord” sold off a trailer: 8 ft long, 16 in logs, 4 ft high

• Depth: 16 ÷ 12 = 1.333 ft
• Volume: 8 × 1.333 × 4 = 42.67 ft³
• Cords: 42.67 ÷ 128 = 0.33 cord

If a face cord costs a third of the local full-cord price, it is a fair deal. If it costs half, you are paying more per cubic foot.

Two-row stack against a fence: 12 ft long, 2 ft deep, 5 ft high

• Volume: 12 × 2 × 5 = 120 ft³
• Cords: 120 ÷ 128 = 0.94 cord

Common firewood measures compared

Name	Typical dimensions	Cubic feet	Fraction of a cord
Full cord	8 × 4 × 4 ft	128	1.00
Face cord / rick (16 in logs)	8 ft × 16 in × 4 ft	42.7	0.33
Face cord (18 in logs)	8 ft × 18 in × 4 ft	48	0.38
Face cord (24 in logs)	8 ft × 24 in × 4 ft	64	0.50
Half cord	8 × 4 × 2 ft or 4 × 4 × 4 ft	64	0.50
Single row, 24 ft long (16 in logs)	24 ft × 16 in × 4 ft	128	1.00

“Face cord,” “rick,” “rank,” and “stove cord” have no single meaning across all regions. Ask the seller for length, height, and log length before agreeing on price.

How to measure a stack accurately

• Measure height in three places, at each end and in the middle, and use the average. Stacks slump at the ends.
• For a stack with sloping ends, measure length halfway up.
• Push a tape through to the back of the stack to check true depth.
• For a loose heap tipped from a truck, stack it first. Thrown wood takes up much more space than stacked wood, so a heap measurement overstates what you got.

Many US states regulate firewood sales and treat the cord as 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood. Your state’s weights-and-measures office can help if a delivery falls short.

Common mistakes

• Treating a face cord as a cord. It is usually one third to one half of a cord.
• Measuring loose wood. A truck bed of thrown wood looks bigger than it stacks.
• Ignoring gaps. Crooked, knotty logs leave bigger gaps, so the same stack holds less solid wood.
• Buying green wood for this winter. Unseasoned wood shrinks as it dries, so a green cord stacks smaller once seasoned.

To estimate how much firewood a heating season needs, try the firewood calculator. For odd-shaped woodsheds, the rectangular prism volume calculator gives cubic feet, and for sawn lumber by volume use the board foot calculator.