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Firewood Measurements - A cord of firewood is how big?A cord of firewood is the most commonly used unit of firewood measurement. It measures the volume of the wood and is 128 cubic feet. Most commonly it measures 8'x4'x4' when the firewood is stacked well.
But what are the other firewood measurements? You asked for it, so you got it!
Face CordA face cord is another commonly used measurement when buying firewood. A face cord is the face of a cord of wood without the depth. Normally, when you buy a face cord you are buying a stack of wood that is 8 feet long by 4 feet tall but is only one piece of firewood deep.
That means that if you are buying a face cord where the wood pieces are cut to 16" lengths, you are getting exactly 1/3 of a cord of firewood. For that reason, it is important that you ask what length the firewood is cut before purchasing a face cord.
What about fractions of a cord?Fractions of a cord are exactly what you think. They are often times sold because people don't want to buy in large quantities. A person who only burns wood in their fireplace or at campfires probably doesn't need quite as much firewood as the person heating their house with wood.
The normal sizes that wood are sold are 1/4 cord and 1/2 cord but they can be found in other sizes as well. As I mentioned before, the fractions represent exactly how much wood you will be getting. Therefore a 1/4 cord will yield 37 cubic feet and a 1/2 cord will be 74 cubic feet.
Should I buy a truckload?Sure, if you know how much you're getting. Make sure you know exactly how much wood your truck will hold before buying a truckload. The only way to do this is to fill up you truck and then stack the wood.
A normal passenger truck with an 8' bed will hold between 1/4 and 1/2 of a cord of firewood depending on how you load it and whether you have a toolbox.
RecommendationNo matter how much firewood you order, you should always convert it to a full cord to determine if you are getting a fair price.
It's likely that you'll pay a little bit more for a lesser quantity but it should be somewhat comparable. If you keep that in mind when ordering firewood, you'll always get a fair deal.
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