Firewood Cord Volume
How many cords a firewood stack holds: a full (standard) cord is 128 stacked cubic feet (a 4 x 4 x 8 ft rick).
Example
You enter
- Stack length (ft) 8
- Stack height (ft) 4
- Stack depth / log length (ft) 4
You get
- Cords (full cord = 128 ft³) 1
- Stacked volume 128 ft^3
Checked against published worked examples from: NIST Handbook 130 (Method of Sale).
Details, formula, and sources
ScopeHow many cords a firewood stack holds: a full (standard) cord is 128 stacked cubic feet (a 4 x 4 x 8 ft rick), so cords = length x height x depth (log length) / 128. An 8 x 4 x 4 ft stack is exactly 1.00 cord; a 20 x 4 x 4 ft stack is 2.5. This is the legal cord under NIST Handbook 130 - firewood is sold by the cord, not by unregulated 'face cord', 'rick', or 'truckload'. Stacked volume includes air gaps; the state weights-and-measures office governs.
Formula or tablecords = length_ft x height_ft x depth_ft / 128; a full (standard) cord = 128 stacked cubic feet.
Source and editionNIST Handbook 130, Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities (firewood sold by the cord = 128 ft^3).
Free accessNIST Handbook 130 is free at nist.gov.
What governsEstimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.
API field nameslength_ft, height_ft, depth_ft, cords, volume_ft3
- Full cord 128 stacked cubic feet (4 x 4 x 8 ft)NIST Handbook 130
- Legal unit the cord or a fraction of a cord; 'face cord' / 'rick' are not legal unitsNIST Handbook 130
- Stacked volume includes air gaps; solid wood is ~70-90% of the stacked volumestacking practice