How Much Is a Cord of Wood? Convert Any Price to Cost per Cord
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There is no single price for a cord of wood, and this page does not guess one. Prices change with where you live, the species, whether the wood is dry, and whether it is delivered and stacked. What you can do is take any quote you get and convert it to the same unit, so two offers can be compared fairly.
Enter a quote below. It gives the price per full cord and the cost per million BTU, which accounts for the fact that some woods hold much more heat than others.
How the conversion works
A full cord is 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood. Everything else is a fraction of that.
- Cubic feet bought. Full cord = 128. Half cord = 64. A face cord or rick = 4 × 8 × (piece length in inches ÷ 12).
- Share of a cord = cubic feet ÷ 128.
- Price per full cord = price ÷ share of a cord.
- Cost per million BTU = price per full cord ÷ million BTU per cord of your species. Million BTU per cord comes from the BTU chart (Utah State University Extension).
Example: a seller quotes $120 for a face cord of 16-inch red oak.
- Cubic feet: 4 × 8 × (16 ÷ 12) = 42.7
- Share of a cord: 42.7 ÷ 128 = one third
- Price per full cord: $120 ÷ (1/3) = $360
- Cost per million BTU: $360 ÷ 24.6 = $14.63
Why cost per million BTU matters
Two cords at the same price are not the same deal if the wood is different. This table uses a made-up price of $350 per full cord for every species, just to show the effect. The heat values are from the USU table.
| Species | Million BTU per cord | Cost per million BTU at $350 per cord |
|---|---|---|
| Osage-orange | 32.9 | $10.64 |
| Oak, White | 29.1 | $12.03 |
| Oak, Red | 24.6 | $14.23 |
| Pine, White | 15.9 | $22.01 |
| Cottonwood | 15.8 | $22.15 |
The math: cost per million BTU = price per cord ÷ million BTU per cord. At the same price per cord, white pine and cottonwood cost nearly twice as much per unit of heat as red oak. A cheaper cord of a light wood can still be the better deal, so convert both offers before deciding. The same idea is worked through on the BTU chart.
Common ways quotes are worded
- Full cord: 128 cubic feet stacked, usually 4 ft × 4 ft × 8 ft.
- Face cord, rick, rank or stove cord: one 4 × 8 ft face, with a depth equal to the piece length. It is only a fraction of a cord. See face cord vs full cord and what is a rick of wood.
- Half cord: 64 cubic feet, so half the price of a full cord is the break-even.
- Truckload or pickup load: not a standard unit. The amount depends on the truck and how the wood is loaded, so ask for dimensions or stack it and measure with the cord calculator.
Questions to ask the seller
- How long are the pieces? This sets the size of a face cord or rick.
- What species is it? Compare using the heat per cord, not just the price.
- Is it seasoned? Heat values assume dry wood. The DOE gives 20% moisture or less as the standard. See how long to season firewood.
- Will it be stacked or dumped? Stacked wood can be measured. Dumped wood cannot.
- Is delivery or stacking included in the price? If it is not, add it to the total before you convert.
Rules differ by state. Connecticut, for example, requires fireplace and stove wood to be sold only by the cord, fractions of a cord or cubic meters, and says terms such as "face cord," "rack," "pile" and "truckload" shall not be used (Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection). Your state's weights and measures office can tell you what applies where you live.
Sources
- Utah State University Extension, Wood Heating, Table 1: million BTU per cord by species.
- U.S. Department of Energy, Wood and Pellet Heating: stove efficiency range and the 20% moisture standard.
- Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Firewood and Stove Wood Regulations: units firewood may be sold in, and terms that may not be used.