You're standing in the driveway. A truck just pulled away, leaving a sprawling, messy mountain of oak and hickory behind. It looks huge. But as you start stacking it against the fence, that mountain starts looking more like a molehill. You start wondering if you actually got what you paid for. It's the age-old question for anyone who heats with a stove: how many cubic feet is in a cord of wood, and why does it never seem to look the same twice?
Standard math says a full cord is 128 cubic feet. That’s the magic number. If you stack wood 4 feet high, 4 feet wide, and 8 feet long, you’ve got it. Simple, right? Honestly, it’s rarely that clean in the real world.
Wood isn't Lego bricks. It’s bumpy. It’s twisted. It has bark that sticks out at weird angles. Because of all that "character," you aren't actually getting 128 cubic feet of solid cellulose and lignin. You're getting a mix of wood and air. A lot of air. Depending on how tightly that wood is stacked, you might only have 70 to 90 cubic feet of actual, burnable biomass. The rest is just the space where the spiders live.
Why 128 cubic feet is the number you need to know
The 128-cubic-foot measurement is the legal standard in most of the U.S. and Canada. If you buy a "cord," that is what the invoice should represent. State departments of weights and measures, like those in Maine or New Hampshire—places where firewood is practically a religion—are very strict about this. They don't care if the wood is "loose tossed" or "hand-stacked" in the truck; the final volume must hit that 128 mark when properly ranked and well-stowed.
Think about the "face cord" for a second. This is where people get ripped off the most. A face cord is also 4 feet high and 8 feet long, but the depth is only as long as a single stick—usually 16 inches. That’s only one-third of a full cord. If a seller tells you a face cord is "basically a cord," they are lying to your face. You're getting roughly 42.6 cubic feet. Do the math before you hand over the cash.
Then there’s the "thrown cord." Loggers often sell wood by the bucket load. They know that if they toss loose wood into a truck bed or a trailer, it occupies more space because it isn't nested together. A standard rule of thumb used by the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is that a "loose" or "thrown" cord needs to occupy about 180 cubic feet to settle down into a standard 128-cubic-foot stack. If someone backs up a truck with a 130-cubic-foot bed and tells you it's a full cord, but the wood is just tossed in there loosely? You’re getting cheated. You’re likely getting about 0.7 cords.
The air gap problem: How stacking changes the volume
Not all stacks are created equal.
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If you hire a teenager to stack your wood and they do it quickly, leaving big "mouse holes" between the logs, that stack is going to hit the 8-foot mark way faster than it should. You're paying for air. Conversely, if you have someone who stacks like they’re playing a high-stakes game of Tetris, you might actually fit more than a cord’s worth of energy into that same 128-cubic-foot footprint.
The diameter of the logs matters too. Small, round "pole wood" leaves huge gaps. Large, split "bolts" or "quarters" can be fitted together much tighter. It’s basically physics. The smoother the surface, the less air.
Wood species plays a role in how it sits. Shaggy bark like you find on Shagbark Hickory or older Silver Maples creates natural stand-offs. The bark itself takes up volume but provides very little heat. On the flip side, smooth-barked beech or ironwood stacks beautifully tight. You get more "wood" per cubic foot with smooth-barked species than with the rough stuff.
The weight vs. volume debate
Can you measure wood by weight? People ask this all the time.
The short answer is: absolutely not.
Freshly cut "green" wood is incredibly heavy because it’s full of water. A cord of green Red Oak can weigh over 5,000 pounds. Once that same cord seasons (dries out) for a year, it might drop to 3,500 pounds or less. The volume stays almost the same—though it shrinks slightly as it dries—but the weight changes drastically. If you buy wood by the ton, you're mostly paying for water. Always buy by volume. Always.
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When we talk about how many cubic feet is in a cord of wood, we are talking about a measurement of space, not mass. This is why the 4x4x8 rule exists. It’s the only way to keep sellers honest across different species and moisture levels.
Real world examples of firewood math
Let's look at some common scenarios you'll run into.
You have a standard pickup truck. A "short bed" is about 6 feet long. If you pile wood up to the top of the bed rails, you’re looking at maybe 40 to 45 cubic feet. That’s roughly one-third of a cord. Even if you heap it up high in the middle, you’re still not hitting a full cord. You’d need three of those truckloads to make one true cord.
What about those "holzhaufen" or circular stacks? They look cool in the yard. They shed water well. But measuring them is a nightmare. To find out if your circular stack is actually a cord, you have to use the formula for the volume of a cylinder ($V = \pi r^2 h$). If your stack is 7 feet across (a 3.5-foot radius) and 4 feet high, you’ve got about 154 cubic feet. Account for the fact that the middle is often hollow or loosely packed, and you’re probably right around a cord.
- Standard Cord: 128 cubic feet (stacked).
- Face Cord: ~43 cubic feet (stacked).
- Loose/Thrown Cord: 175–190 cubic feet.
- Green Wood: Heavier, same volume, harder to burn.
- Seasoned Wood: Lighter, better heat, slightly less volume due to shrinkage.
The seasoning factor and "The Shrink"
Wood shrinks. As moisture leaves the cells, the wood fibers pull closer together. It’s not a massive change, but a cord of green wood stacked tightly will often have noticeable gaps after a summer in the sun. It might "settle" by 5% to 10%.
This is why seasoned wood is more expensive. Not just because the seller did the work of drying it, but because seasoned wood is more "dense" in terms of heat value per inch. You’re getting more actual fuel and less water weight. If you buy a cord of green wood in the spring and stack it, don't be surprised if the stack looks a little shorter by November. You didn't lose wood; you just lost the water that was padding the volume.
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Avoid the "Bagged" and "Bundle" Trap
If you're buying those little bundles at the grocery store or gas station, you are paying a premium that would make a billionaire blush. Those bundles are usually about 0.75 to 1 cubic foot. If you're paying $7 per bundle, you're effectively paying nearly $900 for a cord of wood.
In most parts of the country, a delivered cord of seasoned hardwood should run you between $250 and $450 depending on your location and the time of year. Buying in bulk is the only way to make wood heat economical.
Actionable steps for your next delivery
When the truck shows up, don't just point to the driveway and walk away.
First, ask the seller how they measured it. If they say "it's a full truckload," ask for the dimensions of the truck bed. If the bed is 8 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 2 feet deep, that’s only 64 cubic feet—exactly half a cord.
Second, stack it as soon as possible. You can't truly verify how many cubic feet is in a cord of wood until it is "ranked and well-stowed." If it turns out to be significantly short—say, you only get to 6 feet long instead of 8—take a photo with a tape measure visible. Most reputable sellers will make it right because they want your repeat business next year.
Third, check the moisture. Buy a cheap $20 moisture meter. Split a piece of wood and press the pins into the fresh face. If it’s over 20%, it’s not seasoned. It’s "green" or "semi-seasoned." Green wood doesn't just burn poorly; it creates creosote in your chimney, which leads to chimney fires. If you paid for seasoned wood and got green wood, you didn't get what you paid for, regardless of the cubic footage.
Finally, keep your pallets ready. Never stack your wood directly on the ground. The bottom layer will soak up moisture from the earth and rot, effectively wasting about 10 to 15 cubic feet of your cord. Use old shipping pallets or 2x4s to keep the wood off the dirt and keep the airflow moving.
Knowing the math protects your wallet. A cord is 128 cubic feet. No more, no less. If you remember that one number, you're already ahead of most folks buying firewood this winter. Stack it tight, keep it dry, and measure it yourself.