How to Stack Firewood So It Dries, and How Much Space You Need
On this page
Stacking is part of seasoning. Wood dries because air and sun carry water out of it, so a stack should help that happen, not trap water in. The U.S. EPA's Burn Wise guidance, which is still online as an archive, gives the short version: wood should be stacked off the ground, with only the top covered, because covering the sides traps moisture in. Burn it at a moisture content below 20 percent, and season it for at least six months.
(EPA stopped updating the Burn Wise site on October 30, 2025; the guidance remains online as an archive.)
The rules
- Split first. Smaller pieces have more surface for water to leave from. See the seasoning guide.
- Get it off the ground. Use pallets, rails or poles so the bottom row is not sitting on wet soil.
- Cover the top only. A tarp or roof that reaches down the sides traps moisture in the wood.
- Leave the sides open to the air.
- Check with a meter, not the calendar. Six months is the EPA's minimum, but drying time depends on the wood. Test split faces with a moisture meter and look for readings under 20 percent.
How much space does a stack take?
Space comes from the size of a cord: a full cord is 128 cubic feet of stacked wood. For a single row of wood stacked to a given height, the length you need is:
length (ft) = 128 × cords ÷ (height in ft × piece length in ft)
A stack 4 feet high, using 16-inch pieces (1⅓ ft deep):
| Full cords | Length of a single row |
|---|---|
| ½ cord | 12 ft |
| 1 cord | 24 ft |
| 2 cords | 48 ft |
| 3 cords | 72 ft |
With 24-inch pieces (2 ft deep), 1 cord at 4 feet high is 128 ÷ (4 × 2) = 16 ft long. Shorter, deeper rows save length but not volume: a cord is always 128 cubic feet. The cord calculator converts any stack you measure into cords.
Check your math
Take a stack 24 feet long, 4 feet high and 16 inches (1⅓ ft) deep: 24 × 4 × 1⅓ = 128 cubic feet, exactly one full cord. That is also three face cords of 16-inch wood side by side, as explained in face cord vs full cord.
What this page does not cover
The EPA guidance used here covers off the ground, top cover only and the moisture target. It does not give a safe stack height, a distance from the house or a number of weeks, so this page does not either. For those, ask your local fire department or extension office.
Sources
- U.S. EPA, Burn Wise: Best Wood-Burning Practices (archived): moisture below 20 percent, season at least six months, stack off the ground, cover only the top.
- Cord geometry: 1 full cord = 4 ft × 4 ft × 8 ft = 128 cubic feet.