Firewood Cord Calculator
Measure a firewood stack and get full cords, face cords, cubic feet, cubic metres and the cost per cord.
Measure the stack as it sits: length along the row, height off the ground, and the length of the logs (that is the depth). Results update as you type.
- Full cords (128 cu ft)
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- Face cords (4 × 8 ft face)
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- Stacked volume (cu ft)
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- Stacked volume (m³)
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- Cost per full cord
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- Value at your price/cord
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A cord is a measure of stacked wood, so measure the pile as it is stacked, not thrown loose in a truck bed. Air gaps mean the same cord can hold anywhere from about 70 to 100 cubic feet of solid wood depending on how straight the pieces are and how tightly they are stacked.
How it works
A full cord (also called a standard or bush cord) is legally defined as
128 cubic feet of neatly stacked wood — the classic 4 ft × 4 ft × 8 ft pile.
This calculator multiplies your stack's length × height × log length to get cubic feet, then
divides by 128: cords = length × height × depth ÷ 128. Metric measurements are
converted first (1 m = 3.280839895 ft), and the cubic-metre figure uses the exact conversion
1 cu ft = 0.028316846592 m³, so one full cord is 3.625 m³.
A face cord (rick, rank or run) is only the visible face of the stack — 4 ft
high by 8 ft long, or 32 square feet — with the depth left to whatever the logs happen to be.
That is why a face cord of 16-inch logs is exactly one third of a full cord (8 × 4 × 1.333 ft
= 42.7 cu ft), a face cord of 12-inch logs is a quarter, and a face cord of 24-inch logs is a
half. The calculator reports face cords as length × height ÷ 32 sq ft, so you can
check a seller's claim against the wood actually delivered.
Enter what you paid and you get a cost per full cord — the only fair way to compare quotes when one seller sells ricks and another sells cords. Enter a price per cord instead and you get what your stack is worth. Everything is arithmetic done in your browser: no uploads, no sign-up and no ads.
Frequently asked questions
How many cubic feet are in a cord of firewood?
A full cord is 128 cubic feet of neatly stacked wood, the classic pile 4 ft high, 4 ft deep and 8 ft long (4 × 4 × 8 = 128). In metric that is 3.625 cubic metres, using the exact conversion of 0.028316846592 m³ per cubic foot. Because a cord measures stacked volume, air gaps count: the same cord typically holds only about 70 to 100 cubic feet of solid wood depending on how straight the pieces are and how tightly they are stacked.
What is the difference between a face cord and a full cord?
A face cord (also called a rick, rank or run) is only the face of the stack, 4 ft high by 8 ft long, or 32 square feet, with the depth left at whatever length the logs were cut to. A full cord is a fixed 128 cubic feet. So a face cord of 16-inch logs is 8 × 4 × 1.333 = 42.7 cubic feet, exactly one third of a cord; 12-inch logs give a quarter cord and 24-inch logs give a half cord. Always ask a seller for the log length before comparing a rick price with a cord price.
How do I work out the cost per cord of wood I bought?
Divide what you paid by the number of cords you actually received. Measure the delivered stack, multiply length × height × log length in feet, divide by 128 to get cords, then divide the price by that figure. Pay 100 for a face cord of 16-inch logs and you received 0.333 cords, so you paid 300 per full cord. Enter the total price in this calculator and it does the division for you, so quotes for ricks, cords and truckloads become directly comparable.