What is a cord of wood?
A full cord is the standard US measure of stacked firewood: a pile 4 ft high, 4 ft deep, and 8 ft long, or 128 cubic feet. That volume includes the bark and the air gaps between pieces, so the wood must be stacked tightly and neatly (ranked and well stowed) for the measurement to be fair.
In metric terms a cord is about 3.62 cubic meters of stacked wood. In France and other countries that sell by the stere, 1 stere is 1 m3 of stacked logs, so one full cord is roughly 3.6 steres. This firewood cord size does not change with log length - only the face cord does.
Face cord vs full cord
A face cord has the same 4 ft x 8 ft face as a full cord but is only one row of pieces deep, so its volume depends on how long the pieces are cut. Sellers often call it a rick, but neither term has one fixed volume, so always ask for the stack length, height, and depth.
- 12-inch pieces: 1 face cord = 32 ft3, so 4 face cords make 1 full cord.
- 16-inch pieces (a common stove length): 1 face cord = 42.7 ft3, so 3 face cords make 1 full cord.
- 24-inch pieces: 1 face cord = 64 ft3, so 2 face cords make 1 full cord.
Example: a 4 x 4 x 8 ft stack is exactly 1 cord
Multiply the three stack dimensions: 8 ft x 4 ft x 4 ft = 128 ft3. Divide by 128 to get 1.000 full cord, or multiply by 0.0283168 to get 3.62 m3. If those pieces are 16 inches long, the same stack holds three rows, which is 3 face cords. To check a delivery, measure the stack after it is neatly stacked rather than as a loose, thrown pile, which takes up more space for the same wood.
How this calculator works
Stack volume = length x height x depth, converted to cubic feet. Full cords = volume / 128 ft3 (a 4 ft x 4 ft x 8 ft stack). Face cords = volume / (32 ft2 x piece length in feet), because a face cord is a 4 ft x 8 ft face only one piece deep. Cubic meters = cubic feet x 0.0283168 (1 cord = 3.62456 m3); steres = stacked cubic meters. Cost = full cords x your price per cord.
Worked example
A stack 8 ft long, 4 ft high, and 4 ft deep is 128 ft3: exactly 1.000 full cord, 3.62 m3 (3.62 steres), or 3 face cords of 16-inch pieces. A metric stack 2.4 m x 1.2 m x 1.2 m is 3.456 m3, or 0.954 cords.
Assumptions to check
- Volumes are stacked (ranked) volumes including air gaps, matching how cords and steres are defined - the solid wood content is lower and varies with piece shape and stacking.
- Loosely thrown wood occupies noticeably more space than the same wood stacked; measure only a tidy, compact stack.
- For an uneven stack, use the average height; for a stack that is not rectangular, measure and add sections separately.
- Firewood prices vary by region, species, seasoning, and delivery - the cost result uses only the price you enter, not a market price.