Cord vs face cord: how much firewood you're actually buying

A full cord is 128 cubic feet. A face cord depends on the length of the pieces. Here's how to compare prices and check a delivery.

Figures from supplier listings checked 2026-09-27

A full cord is a stack of firewood 4 feet high, 4 feet deep and 8 feet long. That's 128 cubic feet, and it's the only firewood measurement with a legal definition in most states.

A face cord (often called a rick in the Midwest and South) is one row 4 feet high and 8 feet long. Its depth is the length of the pieces, so its size changes with how the wood was cut.

Full cord compared with a face cord, drawn to scale Both stacks are 4 feet high and 8 feet long. A full cord is 4 feet deep, 128 cubic feet. A face cord of 16 inch pieces is 16 inches deep, about 42.7 cubic feet, one third of a cord. 8 ft 4 ft 4 ft deep Full cord 128 cu ft 8 ft 4 ft 16 in deep Face cord, 16 in pieces 42.7 cu ft · 1/3 cord
Drawn to scale. Both stacks are 4 ft high and 8 ft long; only the depth changes.
What you're quoted Stack size Cubic feet Share of a full cord
Full cord 4 ft × 4 ft × 8 ft 128 1
Half cord 4 ft × 2 ft × 8 ft (or 4 × 4 × 4) 64 1/2
Face cord, 16-inch pieces 4 ft × 8 ft × 16 in 42.7 1/3
Face cord, 12-inch pieces 4 ft × 8 ft × 12 in 32 1/4
Quarter cord varies 32 1/4

Compare prices per full cord

A $150 face cord and a $400 full cord aren't comparable until you convert them. Divide the price by the share of a cord: a $150 face cord of 16-inch wood works out to $450 per full cord.

That's what the prices on this site do. When a supplier states the size of what they sell (a half cord, or a face cord with its piece length), we convert it to a price per full cord. When they sell a "load", "rack" or "truckload" without a size, we show their price as listed and don't guess.

Across the 218 suppliers here that post a price we could convert, the middle price is $432 per full cord.

Ask these before you pay

  1. "Is that a full cord, 4 by 4 by 8?" Some sellers say "cord" and mean a face cord.
  2. "How long are the pieces?" You need this to size a face cord and to know it fits your stove.
  3. "Is it stacked or thrown?" Thrown wood in a truck bed takes up more room than the same wood stacked, so a truck that looks full may hold less than a cord.
  4. "Is delivery included? Stacking?" Many suppliers charge for both.

Check the delivery

Stack the wood tightly, then measure length, height and depth in feet and multiply. A full cord should come to about 128 cubic feet. A stacked cord is part air: the solid wood in it is roughly 70 to 90 cubic feet, depending on how straight and tightly the pieces sit.