You’re standing in your driveway, staring at a massive, messy pile of oak and maple that some guy in a pickup truck just dumped. He says it’s a cord. You look at it and think, "There is no way." Or maybe you think, "Wow, that's a lot of wood." But how do you actually know? Understanding what is the size of a cord of firewood is basically a rite of passage for anyone who heats with a woodstove or just loves a backyard fire pit that doesn't fizzle out in twenty minutes.
It’s surprisingly easy to get ripped off in the firewood world. People throw around terms like "face cord," "rick," "truckload," or "unit" like they mean the same thing. They don't. Not even close. If you don't know the math, you're basically handing over cash for a pile of air.
The Standard Definition: 128 Cubic Feet
Let's get the textbook answer out of the way first. A standard cord is a stack of wood that measures 4 feet high, 4 feet wide, and 8 feet long. If you multiply those numbers—$4 \times 4 \times 8$—you get 128 cubic feet.
That sounds simple. It isn't.
See, that 128 cubic feet includes the wood, the bark, and the air pockets between the logs. If you stack your wood like a game of Tetris with zero gaps, you’re a wizard, but you’re also changing the density of the cord. Most state weights and measures departments, like the ones in Maine or New Hampshire where firewood is a serious business, strictly regulate this. They require wood to be sold by the "standard cord" or fractions of it.
Honestly, if someone tries to sell you a "truckload" for a flat price, you should be wary. A standard pickup truck bed—even a long bed—cannot hold a full cord of wood. Not even if you stack it over the cab. A full-size pickup with an 8-foot bed filled to the top of the rails is only about 80 cubic feet. That’s roughly two-thirds of a cord. If it’s a short bed? You’re looking at maybe half a cord.
The "Face Cord" Confusion
This is where the drama starts. You'll see ads on Facebook Marketplace for a "cord of wood" at a price that seems too good to be true. Usually, it's because they are selling a face cord.
A face cord is technically a stack that is 4 feet high and 8 feet long, but the depth is only as long as a single log. Since most people cut firewood to 16 inches, a face cord is usually only one-third of a full cord.
Imagine three stacks of wood sitting side-by-side. Each stack is 16 inches deep, 4 feet high, and 8 feet long. Together, those three "faces" make one full cord. If you pay full cord prices for a face cord, you just paid a 300% markup. It happens every day.
Why the 16-Inch Cut Matters
Most modern wood stoves are designed to take 16-inch logs. It’s the industry standard. If your wood is cut to 24 inches, your "face cord" is suddenly half a full cord instead of a third. This is why depth is the most important variable when you're trying to figure out what is the size of a cord of firewood in a real-world setting.
Measuring the Messy Pile
Unless you’re buying from a very high-end supplier who delivers wood in neat, shrink-wrapped pallets, your wood is going to arrive "thrown." This is called a loose cord.
Logically, wood takes up more space when it’s tossed into a pile than when it’s stacked neatly. There’s more air. Professional loggers and the University of New Hampshire Extension generally agree that a loose pile needs to be about 180 cubic feet to equal one stacked cord of 128 cubic feet.
If a guy pulls up with a dump truck, and the bed measures 10 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 3 feet deep, that’s 180 cubic feet. If that bed is full and loose, you’ve got yourself a cord. If it’s only 150 cubic feet and loose? You’re getting shorted.
The Air Factor and Stacking Technique
You can actually change the volume of a cord by how you stack it. We call it "stacking for profit" in the industry, though it's a bit of a shady practice. If you stack logs loosely, with big gaps and crisscrossed ends, the pile hits that 4x4x8 mark way faster.
A "tight" stack is what you want.
Parallel logs. Minimal gaps. If you can fit a basketball through a hole in your woodpile, it wasn't stacked right. Interestingly, even the bark matters. Thick-barked species like Cottonwood or certain Oaks will naturally create more air space than smooth-barked Birch or Beech.
Then there’s the "green" vs. "seasoned" factor. As wood dries, it shrinks. It’s not a huge amount—maybe 5% to 8%—but a cord of green wood stacked in May will technically be slightly less than a cord by the time December rolls around. It’s just physics. The water leaves, the fibers collapse, and the pile settles.
Green Wood vs. Seasoned Wood Weight
While we're talking about size, we have to talk about weight, because that’s how many people "feel" if they got a good deal.
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A cord of green Red Oak weighs about 4,800 pounds. That’s over two tons. If you try to put that in a half-ton F-150, you’re going to snap an axle.
Once that same cord is seasoned (meaning it has a moisture content below 20%), it drops to about 3,700 pounds. It’s the same amount of wood, the same volume, but it’s literally lost half a ton of water. This is why you can’t judge the size of a cord by how much the truck seems to be struggling.
Regional Names That Will Confuse You
Depending on where you live, people use weird terms.
- The Rick: Common in the Midwest and South. Usually synonymous with a face cord (4x8xDepth of log).
- The Run: Often used in parts of Canada and the Northeast. Again, usually refers to a face cord.
- The Unit: This is a big one in the Pacific Northwest and is actually larger than a cord. A unit is 200 cubic feet.
- The Thrown Cord: This is specifically for loose wood, usually measured by the bucket of a front-end loader. Two 90-cubic-foot buckets equals one cord.
How to Protect Your Wallet
If you’re buying wood this season, don't just say "I want a cord."
Ask the seller specifically: "What are the dimensions of the stack when it’s piled tight?"
If they can’t answer, or if they say "It fills my truck," ask for the dimensions of the truck bed. Do the math yourself. Length x Width x Height. If the total cubic feet is significantly less than 180 for a loose pile or 128 for a stacked pile, you are being overcharged.
Also, watch out for the "cross-stacking" trick at the ends of the pile. Sellers often stack the ends in a chimney style (alternating directions) to stabilize the pile. That’s fine, but it creates huge air gaps. If the whole pile is 8 feet long but includes two 12-inch wide "chimneys" at the ends, you’re losing a lot of actual wood fiber.
Hardwood vs. Softwood: Does Size Change?
Nope. A cord of Balsa wood is the same size as a cord of Ironwood.
However, the heat value is wildly different. This is the "hidden" part of the size equation. A cord of Hickory provides about 28 million BTUs of heat. A cord of White Pine? About 14 million.
You would have to burn two full cords of Pine to get the same heat as one cord of Hickory. When you’re thinking about what is the size of a cord of firewood, you also need to think about the "energy size." Buying a "large" amount of cheap, soft wood is often a bad move compared to buying a "small" amount of dense hardwood.
Practical Steps for the Firewood Buyer
Don't let the terminology intimidate you. It’s just math.
- Measure your space first. If you have a wood shed that is 8 feet wide and 6 feet deep, and you want to store two cords, you need to know that your stack will be about 5.3 feet high across that whole area.
- Request a delivery ticket. Reputable sellers will give you a receipt that specifies the species of wood and the volume sold in cords.
- Stack it immediately. The only way to truly verify the volume is to stack it yourself. If you stack it and it only measures 4x4x6, call the seller. A good seller will bring you the missing 32 cubic feet. A bad one won't pick up the phone.
- Check moisture. Buy a cheap $20 moisture meter. Split a log and test the center. If it’s over 20%, it’s not seasoned. This doesn’t change the size, but it changes how much of that "cord" is actually usable fuel versus water you're trying to boil off.
Getting a true cord is about being informed. Most firewood sellers are honest people working a grueling job, but "firewood math" has a way of leaning in favor of the person holding the chainsaw. Keep your tape measure handy.