Firewood Cord Calculator

Turn a firewood stack's dimensions into full cords and face cords.

Inputs
ft ×
ft
in
Results update as you type — no submit
ResultsLIVE
Full cords
0.33 cords
≈ 1.6 cu yd stacked
Face cords
1 faces
at this log length
Face cords (this depth)1
Stacked volume42.7 cu ft = 1.6 cu yd
Formula
cords = 42.7 cu ft ÷ 128 = 0.33 · faces = 8×4 ft ÷ 32 = 1
Diagram — stack elevationNTS
8′ 0″4′ 0″16″ logsELEVATION · DASHED = LOG ROWSMEASURESHEDFIREWOOD 8×4 FTCORDS: 0.33
MeasureShedmeasureshed.com/calculator/firewood-cord-calculator
Firewood — material listUNITS: FT · SCALE: NTS
Inputs
Stack size8 × 4 ft
Log length (depth)16″
Results
Full cords0.33
Face cords (this depth)1
Stacked volume42.7 cu ft
Stack elevationNTS
8′ 0″4′ 0″16″ logsELEVATION · DASHED = LOG ROWSMEASURESHEDFIREWOOD 8×4 FTCORDS: 0.33
Shopping list
☐ 0.33 cord of seasoned firewood
Formula
cords = 42.7 cu ft ÷ 128 = 0.33
faces = 8 × 4 ft ÷ 32 = 1
Estimates for planning only — verify before purchaseSHEET 1 OF 1
How it works

A cord is a legally defined unit of firewood: `128` cubic feet of stacked, ranked wood — the volume of a pile `4` feet high, `8` feet long, and `4` feet deep. The calculator takes the three dimensions of your stack, multiplies them for the stacked volume, and divides by `128` to report how many full cords you actually have. Measure the pile as it sits, ranked and reasonably tight, since air gaps are part of the legal measure.

The tool also reports face cords. A face cord is a stack `4` feet high and `8` feet long but only as deep as the logs are long — so its size depends entirely on log length. Three face cords of `16`-inch logs make one full cord, because `3 × 16 in` equals the `48`-inch depth of a real cord. That is why "face cord," "rick," and "rack" are not standardized: always pin them to a log length.

Because volume scales with all three dimensions, a stack that looks generous can fall short once you do the math. Running your delivery through this calculator is the quickest way to check whether you received the full cord you paid for.

Worked example
Stack `8 ft` long · `4 ft` high · logs `16 in` deep
stacked volume = 8 × 4 × (16 ÷ 12) = `42.7 cu ft` (about `1.6 cu yd`)
full cords = 42.7 ÷ 128 = `0.33` cord · face cords = `1.0`
Questions about cords
A full cord is 128 cubic feet — classically a stack 4 ft high, 8 ft long, and 4 ft deep. Any arrangement that adds up to 128 cubic feet of ranked wood qualifies, so a longer, lower stack can still be a full cord.
SOURCES — NIST Handbook 130 §2.20 (firewood) · US Forest Service measuring-firewood references
Estimates for planning only — verify before purchase
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