Firewood Cord Calculator
Enter the dimensions of your stacked firewood to find how many cords it holds.
A full cord of firewood is a stack measuring 128 cubic feet — typically 4 feet high, 4 feet deep and 8 feet long. To find cords, multiply the stack's length, height and depth in feet and divide by 128. A face cord is one-third of a full cord when logs are 16 inches long.
How to Use This Calculator
Enter the length and height of your stacked firewood in feet, then the depth — which is the length of the logs — in inches or feet. Firewood is stacked in a rectangular pile, so these three measurements give its volume.
The calculator returns the volume as a fraction of a full cord. Because logs are often cut to 16 inches, a common single-row stack four feet high and eight feet long comes out to one-third of a cord, known as a face cord or rick.
How the Calculation Works
A full cord is defined as 128 cubic feet of stacked wood — the volume of a pile 4 feet high, 4 feet deep and 8 feet long (4 × 4 × 8 = 128). To find how many cords a stack holds, you work out its volume in cubic feet and divide by 128.
The depth is usually the log length. A 16-inch log length is 16 ÷ 12 = 1.33 feet, which the calculator converts for you when you choose inches.
cords = (length × height × depth ft) ÷ 128
Worked Example
A stack 8 feet long and 4 feet high, with logs cut to 16 inches (1.33 feet deep): the volume is 8 × 4 × 1.33 = 42.7 cubic feet.
Divide by 128: 42.7 ÷ 128 = 0.33 cords. That is one face cord — a third of a full cord — which is exactly what you would expect for a single 16-inch-deep row four feet by eight feet.
Assumptions and Limitations
- A full cord is 128 cubic feet of neatly stacked wood, not loose or thrown wood
- A 'face cord' or 'rick' is one row deep and varies with log length — only equal to 1/3 cord at 16-inch logs
- Loosely thrown wood contains more air and less actual wood than a tight stack
- Result is the stacked volume; actual solid wood is roughly 70–90% of it
When to Use a Firewood Calculator
Firewood buyers and sellers use this to convert a stacked woodpile's dimensions into full cords and face cords. Measure the length, height, and depth of a stack before you buy, so you can confirm you are getting the volume you paid for and compare prices fairly between sellers. It also helps sellers price a load honestly and lets homeowners estimate how much wood a winter's heating will take.
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Open calculator →Frequently Asked Questions
How many cubic feet are in a cord of firewood?
A full cord is 128 cubic feet of stacked wood, traditionally a pile 4 feet high by 4 feet deep by 8 feet long. Dividing a stack's volume by 128 gives cords.
What is a face cord?
A face cord, or rick, is a stack 4 feet high and 8 feet long but only one log deep. With 16-inch logs it equals about one-third of a full cord; with longer logs it holds more.
Is a face cord the same as a full cord?
No. A full cord is 128 cubic feet. A face cord is only as deep as the logs are long, so it is usually a third to a half of a full cord. Always confirm which you are buying.
How much does a cord of firewood weigh?
It varies widely by species and moisture, from roughly 2,500 pounds for softwoods to over 5,000 pounds for dense, seasoned hardwoods per full cord.
Does loosely piled wood equal a cord?
No. A cord is measured stacked and tight. Loosely thrown wood contains far more air, so a truck bed of loose wood holds less actual wood than a neatly stacked cord.
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