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Category Household Calculators

Stack Length ft Along the longest side

Stack Depth ft Log length / pile depth

Stack Height ft From ground to top

Packing Efficiency %

80%

Account for air gaps between logs

Wood Species For weight & BTU estimates

Seasoning

Price per Cord $ Optional — for cost analysis

Quick Presets:

Enter stack dimensions and press Calculate

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About

A full cord of firewood measures 4 ft × 4 ft × 8 ft, totaling 128 ft³. Sellers frequently advertise non-standard units: face cords, ricks, stove cords, and "truckloads" with no regulated volume. Overpaying by 30% or more is common when buyers cannot verify stack dimensions against the legal cord definition. This calculator converts your measured stack into precise cord fractions, then cross-references 40+ North American species for green and seasoned density to estimate delivered weight and heating value in BTU. Assume 15 - 25% airspace in a typical stacked cord; the tool applies a configurable packing efficiency factor to account for irregular log shapes.

Weight and BTU figures assume air-dried wood at approximately 20% moisture content for seasoned values and 45 - 60% for green. Actual heating performance depends on stove efficiency, draft, and moisture. Pro tip: always measure the stack yourself before paying. A cord is a legal unit of measure in the United States and Canada, and short-selling is a finable offense in most jurisdictions.

Formulas

The core calculation converts a measured woodpile into fractional cords. A legal full cord is defined as a neatly stacked pile occupying 128 ft³.

V = L × W × H

V_eff = V × P100

C = V_eff128

Where L = stack length ft, W = stack width (depth) ft, H = stack height ft, P = packing efficiency % (typically 75 - 90), V_eff = effective solid wood volume ft³, and C = number of full cords.

Weight estimation uses species-specific density:

W_total = ρ × V_eff

Where ρ = wood density lb/ft³ for the selected species and seasoning condition. BTU output is derived from published per-cord heating values scaled to the computed cord fraction.

BTU = C × BTU_cord

For metric inputs, conversion applies: 1 m = 3.28084 ft, 1 kg = 2.20462 lb.

Reference Data

Species	Density (Seasoned) lb/ft³	Weight per Cord lb	BTU per Cord (millions)	Split Difficulty	Smoke	Spark
White Oak	47	3,757	29.1	Moderate	Low	Few
Red Oak	44	3,528	27.3	Easy	Low	Few
Sugar Maple	44	3,577	29.0	Moderate	Low	Few
Red Maple	38	2,924	24.0	Easy	Low	Few
Black Cherry	36	2,880	20.4	Easy	Low	Few
White Ash	43	3,440	24.2	Easy	Low	Few
American Beech	45	3,604	27.5	Hard	Low	Few
Black Walnut	39	3,120	22.2	Easy	Low	Few
Hickory (Shagbark)	50	4,000	30.6	Hard	Low	Few
Black Locust	48	3,840	29.3	Hard	Low	Few
Birch (Yellow)	44	3,528	26.2	Moderate	Low	Few
Birch (White/Paper)	37	2,960	20.3	Easy	Medium	Moderate
Elm (American)	35	2,872	20.0	Very Hard	Medium	Few
Douglas Fir	33	2,611	20.7	Easy	Medium	Moderate
Eastern White Pine	25	2,085	15.9	Easy	Medium	Moderate
Ponderosa Pine	28	2,240	16.2	Easy	Medium	Many
Lodgepole Pine	29	2,320	17.7	Easy	Medium	Many
Red/Norway Pine	31	2,536	17.1	Easy	Medium	Moderate
Spruce (White)	27	2,160	15.5	Easy	Medium	Moderate
Eastern Red Cedar	33	2,632	18.2	Easy	Medium	Many
Western Red Cedar	23	1,840	12.6	Easy	Medium	Many
Balsam Fir	25	2,000	14.3	Easy	Medium	Moderate
Tamarack (Larch)	37	2,960	21.8	Moderate	Medium	Many
Cottonwood	28	2,272	15.8	Easy	Medium	Moderate
Aspen (Quaking)	26	2,120	14.7	Easy	Low	Few
Basswood	26	2,000	13.8	Easy	Medium	Few
Hackberry	37	2,960	21.0	Moderate	Low	Few
Sycamore	35	2,808	19.5	Hard	Medium	Few
Black Ash	35	2,800	19.1	Easy	Low	Few
Osage Orange	54	4,320	32.9	Hard	Low	Many

Frequently Asked Questions

A full cord is the only legally regulated unit: 4 ft × 4 ft × 8 ft = 128 ft³. A face cord is 4 ft high × 8 ft long but only one log deep, typically 16 in, making it roughly one-third of a full cord. A rick is a regional synonym for face cord. Since face cord depth varies by seller, always measure the actual depth of the stack before purchasing.

A stacked cord contains both wood and air gaps between logs. Tightly stacked, uniform-diameter logs achieve roughly 85 - 90% packing. Loosely thrown or crooked pieces may drop to 60 - 70%. This calculator defaults to 80%. Adjusting packing efficiency directly scales the effective solid wood volume and all downstream estimates (weight, BTU, cost per cord).

Green wood contains 45 - 60% moisture. Evaporating that water consumes roughly 970 BTU/lb of water removed, energy that goes up the chimney instead of heating your space. Seasoned wood at 20% moisture delivers net heat closer to its published BTU/cord rating. Species BTU values in this calculator assume seasoned condition.

Weight estimates use published average densities for each species at seasoned moisture content. Actual weight varies by ±10 - 15% depending on exact moisture content, heartwood-to-sapwood ratio, growth conditions, and whether bark is included. Treat the figure as a planning estimate for transport capacity and structural load, not a scale-verified measurement.

Yes. The claim that softwoods cause dangerous creosote buildup is overstated when wood is properly seasoned below 20% moisture. Softwoods burn faster and produce fewer BTU per cord than hardwoods, so you consume more volume per heating season. They also tend to spark more due to resin pockets. Use a spark screen and clean your chimney annually regardless of species.

Enter your dimensions in meters and select the metric unit toggle. The calculator converts internally: 1 m = 3.28084 ft. A full cord of 128 ft³ equals approximately 3.625 m³. Weight output can be toggled between lb and kg (1 lb = 0.4536 kg).