Cord of Wood Calculator (cords, face cords & cubic metres of a firewood stack)

Understanding the cord of wood calculator — concept and principle

This calculator converts a stack of firewood into cords, face cords and cubic metres, and works out a fair price from the price of a full cord. Use it to check a delivery, compare sellers who quote in different units, or estimate how much wood fits in your shed.

How much of a cord?: with the default inputs the result is 0.667 cord (2 face cords · $200).

How it is calculated

Stacked volume (ft³) = stack length × stack height × piece length (piece length is the depth of the stack). Metric inputs are converted with 1 ft³ = 0.028316846592 m³.
Full cords = volume ÷ 128 ft³.
Face cords = stack face area ÷ 32 ft² (a 4 × 8 ft face of whatever piece length).
Value of stack = cords × price per full cord.
Fair price of one face cord = price per cord × piece length (in) ÷ 48.

The principle

A cord is a legal volume of stacked wood: 128 cubic feet "ranked and well stowed", a pile 4 ft high, 8 ft long and 4 ft deep, air spaces included. A face cord (also called a rick) has the same 4 × 8 ft face but only one row of pieces. With common 16 in logs, that row is 16 ÷ 48 = one third of a cord deep. Because the face looks the same whatever the piece length, many US states forbid selling firewood by "face cord", "rick" or "truckload" and require the cord or its fractions. In metric countries wood is sold by the stacked cubic metre (stere); one cord is about 3.62 m³.

Worked example

Default inputs: feet and inches, stack 16 ft long × 4 ft high, pieces 16 in, $300 per cord.

Volume = 16 × 4 × 16 ÷ 12 = 85.3 ft³, shown as 85.
Cords = 85.33 ÷ 128 = 0.667.
Metric = 85.33 × 0.0283 = 2.42 m³.
Face cords = 16 × 4 ÷ 32 = 2.
Value = 0.667 × $300 = $200.00; one face cord of 16 in wood = 300 × 16 ÷ 48 = $100.00.

Each point is the calculator re-run with only “Stack length (ft or m)” changed; the gold point is the default example. Change the inputs above and this chart follows your numbers.

Stack length (ft or m)	Full cords
4	0.167
8	0.333
12	0.5
16	0.667
20	0.833
24	1
32	1.333

How to read the result

If a seller offers a face cord for more than the fair price shown, you are paying more per cubic foot than the full-cord price. Measure a delivered stack after you stack it tightly; loosely thrown wood takes up much more space. The calculator measures volume, not energy. Dense, dry hardwood gives more heat per cord than softwood or wet wood.

Common mistakes

Treating a face cord as a full cord.
Measuring a loose, thrown pile instead of a neat stack.
Using the stack depth as 4 ft when the pieces are only 16 in long.
Ignoring moisture; wet wood burns poorly and smokes.

Keep in mind: Legal units and labelling rules for firewood vary by state and country. Check local weights-and-measures rules if you are buying or selling commercially.

Frequently asked questions

How big is a cord of wood?

128 cubic feet of neatly stacked wood, such as a stack 4 ft high, 8 ft long and 4 ft deep.

How many face cords are in a cord?

With 16 in pieces, three. In general, 48 divided by the piece length in inches.

How many cubic metres is a cord?

About 3.62 stacked cubic metres (steres).

Sources: NIST Handbook 130, Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities, §2.4 Fireplace and Stove Wood · NIST Special Publication 811 (2008), Appendix B (1 ft³ = 0.028316846592 m³)

Checked 9 Nov 2026. NIST Handbook 130, Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities, §2.4 Fireplace and Stove Wood (cord = 128 ft³ ranked and well stowed; “face cord”, “rack”, “pile”, “truckload” not to be used), as reproduced by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. 1 ft³ = 0.028316846592 m³ (exact).

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