whats a cord of wood?

Joe IRL

Member
Been reading recent posts recommending various chainsaws depending on how much wood you cut. I was wondering what you guys in the US call a cord is? how do you measure it?

thanks
 
That's a FULL CORD, 3 FACE CORD in a FULL CORD. A FACE CORD is 16",s wide by 4'high by 8'long. $55.00 around here, CENT NY, fresh cut. SEASONED,one years drying time $15.00 more.
 
Hello Joe IRL,

Don't matter how you slice it, one US cord is 128 cubic feet. Usually 4Feet X 4Feet X 8Feet.

Guido.
 
I don't think a face cord is a legal measurement here in Ohio. I know it is not legal to sell wood by anything except by the cord but that law is completely overlooked all the time, unless it has been repealed that I am not aware of.
 
from the net:

A face cord of wood is a stack of wood that measures 4 feet high by 8 feet long. The depth of a face cord will vary depending on the length of the wood. Most firewood is cut to a length of 16 to 18 inches.
 
(quoted from post at 23:37:17 03/09/13) from the net:

A face cord of wood is a stack of wood that measures 4 feet high by 8 feet long. The depth of a face cord will vary depending on the length of the wood. Most firewood is cut to a length of 16 to 18 inches.
eople are always trying to fine a way to dupe others. Another good example is the shrinking pound can of coffee. :cry:
 
Joe There are a lot of Wood Peddlers that sell "Face Cords" It is not a Full cord, Why because most modern Stoves and Fire Places just won't accommodate 2 ft long wood! But these wood peddlers price their wood at a full cord rate.
There are a few who will expand the size of their cords to make up for the shorter wood difference.
I have a man I deal with who still cuts what I call legal length wood, 22 to 26in wood, our price is about 170/Cord.
Later,
John A.
 
Does anyone actually still screw around with "face" cords in the real world? I mean... the wood comes off the back of a porter, goes through a processor and up a belt into a truck that holds anywhere from 2 cord to 15 cord depending on wether they"re using a single axle or a tridem end dump. Anyone I know doing commercial firewood is scaling on the cubic footage of the box as the wood lands off the conveyor... and a cord is simply 128 cubic feet of wood.

Rod
 

A cord of wood needs also to be stacked tightly enough. This is defined as "a squirrel can sneak through a space between pieces but not the cat that is chasing it" This is from our state department of agriculture from some years ago.
 
(quoted from post at 01:55:39 03/10/13) Does anyone actually still screw around with "face" cords in the real world? I mean... the wood comes off the back of a porter, goes through a processor and up a belt into a truck that holds anywhere from 2 cord to 15 cord depending on wether they"re using a single axle or a tridem end dump. Anyone I know doing commercial firewood is scaling on the cubic footage of the box as the wood lands off the conveyor... and a cord is simply 128 cubic feet of wood.

Rod

Where I came from in the central Adirondacks, I'd never even heard of a "face cord". A cord was 4x4x8 stacked as tight as you could. Up here it's face cords and "short face cords" for the guys with tiny stoves. One guy I know had a customer that wanted 13" wood. He paid a premium for less wood. Weird.

Only a few people with processors around here. Most folks buy it log length and cut and split their own.
 
Most folks buy it log length and cut and split their own.

Are they really getting what we call a cord of wood then. If you try to stack 8ft long logs in a 4x4 block you would have a cord. Problem is stacking 8ft long logs leaves alot of air space. So when you cut and split the wood to fireplace length you will have the same amount of wood but it will take up less space.

So what is really a cord of wood?????
 
Like Paul says; usually 3 stacks of 16" length wood 4' high by 8' long.
So......1 face cord is simply one of those three stacks. 1 face cord is 1/3 cord and I can't see anything wrong with selling by the face cord if someone only wants a small quantity.
 
One cord of firewood consists of 3 rank and a rank is wood cut to 16" in length stacked 4 foot heigh and 8 foot long.
 
(quoted from post at 06:25:16 03/10/13) Most folks buy it log length and cut and split their own.

Are they really getting what we call a cord of wood then. If you try to stack 8ft long logs in a 4x4 block you would have a cord. Problem is stacking 8ft long logs leaves alot of air space. So when you cut and split the wood to fireplace length you will have the same amount of wood but it will take up less space.

So what is really a cord of wood?????

The guys I know selling deliver by the truck load of logs. I forget what the guaranteed volume of wood is, but I know my next door neighbor always has at least a half cord more than the minimum promised. I think it's 3 full cord. I'll try to remember to ask him.
 
FWIW: Rick used to be loosely "defined" as 1/4 cord, 32 cu..ft. (Early 1950s): 2'Hx4'Wx4'L. Think it was because it approximated an of the era pickup bed full with gate closed.
 
Laws of the State of Georgia define a cord of wood, if I recall, tightly stacked 4 ft x 8 ft x 2 ft deep. Only other legal units of measure for firewood is the metric ton (2200 lbs) or portions thereof.

Charles
 
(quoted from post at 02:05:23 03/11/13) Laws of the State of Georgia define a cord of wood, if I recall, tightly stacked 4 ft x 8 ft x 2 ft deep. Only other legal units of measure for firewood is the metric ton (2200 lbs) or portions thereof.

Charles
" if I recall"
you don't
 
Rod, Been gone all day just got in. Our trees in this part of the world are not processed with or by a large mechanical machine. A chain saw and a gas powered log splitter is all that is used. All Hand work, piece by piece! Yes Face cords are sold quite regularly to city people!
Later,
John A
 
The only way you can buy wood around here is by the face cord. Nobody sells full cords because it would be $150-$250, and the price scares people off.
 
(quoted from post at 08:33:34 03/11/13) The only way you can buy wood around here is by the face cord. Nobody sells full cords because it would be $150-$250, and the price scares people off.
f you put enough of your 'face cords' together to make a real 'cord', then what is the price? More than the 150-250?
 
Kinda doesn't sound like there's a large amount sold for actual heating.... more towards the 'fireplace' market. Around here probably 70% of firewood sales are cut/split and of that probably 70% of that is done with processors. We still do some oversize with a chainsaw and splitter but try to avoid it if possible. The face cord is never used tho...

Rod
 
Joe,
Here in Michigan, buying a "cord of wood" means face cord as defined in other posts and usually goes for around $55 or so, depending on dry time and species ("mixed" hardwood is the most common) and delivery. Why isn't it sold in FULL cords? Well, a lot of the wood is sold to people w/ fireplaces in suburban homes. They use it mostly on weekends and a face cord is all most will need for a full winter.That brings up the storage issue. A face cord will stack neatly against an outside wall of a surburban house whereas a FULL cord would take up a lot more space on a suburban or city sized lot. Plus paying $100+ more for something you won't need until next year.
 
(quoted from post at 07:58:59 03/11/13) Joe,
Here in Michigan, buying a "cord of wood" means face cord as defined in other posts

In Michigan the legal definition of a cord of wood is 128 cubic feet. There is legally no such thing as a "face cord". Technically/legally wood needs to be sold by the cord or fraction of a cord or by weight.

In the UP here a cord of wood is generally a loggers cord of 8' long logs stacked on a truck. Scaled and sold the same way a cord of pulpwood is sold to the paper mill.
 
(quoted from post at 06:09:35 03/11/13)
(quoted from post at 08:33:34 03/11/13) The only way you can buy wood around here is by the face cord. Nobody sells full cords because it would be $150-$250, and the price scares people off.
f you put enough of your 'face cords' together to make a real 'cord', then what is the price? More than the 150-250?

No, it's $150-$250 like I said. That's what a FULL cord of wood would cost.

Face cords are anywhere from $50 to $80, sometimes more than that. Depends on who is selling the wood, and if it's stacked in your garage or dumped in your driveway.

People would rather buy 3 face cords than 1 full cord. They feel like they are getting more for their money. Seriously. People are THAT dumb.

Most people think that a (full) cord is the same as a (face) cord. They won't pay $150 for a full cord but they'll pay $240 for 3 face cords.
 
You could have corrected me with the specifics rather than saying "you don't"

I see now I was off on the dimensions, it is 8 ft x 4 ft x 4 ft (not 2ft as I previously stated).

The main point is that there are legal definitions of a cord and other units of measure for selling firewood. The GA Dept of Agriculture a number of years ago did an article in the "Market Bulletin" about this and that is "what I recall". They were emphatic that a "face cord" was not a legal unit of measure, and they had cited people selling firewood by the "face cord" or the "truckload".

Charles
 
(quoted from post at 15:24:16 03/11/13)
(quoted from post at 06:09:35 03/11/13)
(quoted from post at 08:33:34 03/11/13) The only way you can buy wood around here is by the face cord. Nobody sells full cords because it would be $150-$250, and the price scares people off.
f you put enough of your 'face cords' together to make a real 'cord', then what is the price? More than the 150-250?

No, it's $150-$250 like I said. That's what a FULL cord of wood would cost.

Face cords are anywhere from $50 to $80, sometimes more than that. Depends on who is selling the wood, and if it's stacked in your garage or dumped in your driveway.

People would rather buy 3 face cords than 1 full cord. They feel like they are getting more for their money. Seriously. People are THAT dumb.

Most people think that a (full) cord is the same as a (face) cord. They won't pay $150 for a full cord but they'll pay $240 for 3 face cords.
do understand & about what I expected the case to be. People?
 
I can remember putting the racks on the old F250 and stuffing a full cord on the back, real heavy on white birch 'cuz "it's pretty" and delivering it for $25.00. I'd stack it for another $5.00. I thought I was making money. :lol:

Had an uncle that lived in northern NJ. He come up and stuff the trunk of the Buick with split white birch. Take it back home and sell it by the piece to his neighbors who liked to display it in a rack on the front porch, like they were pioneers or something!
 
Ya gotta love processing firewood to do it for a living. There's a lot of work that goes into even a "face cord" and $65 doesn't go very far in this day and age.
 
In all the 50 years that I have been cutting,selling,buying and burning firewood,I have never heard the word cord mentioned in my part of the country. Everything is bought or sold by the truckload. Price depends on the size of the truckbed and whether it is thrown in or stacked.
 
Cut that 128 cubic foot cord in to stove length and it will make 100 cubic feet.Wood can only be sold by the cord in Maine.No face cords or truck loads.
 
My 77 chevy C 20 pickup would take on 1/2 cord of oak edgings from a pipe rack that measured 4x4x4 feet.My trailer has a floor that measures 4x8, sides are 2 feet high.Cant understand all the confusion about what a cord should measure.Sawed to stove length wood will take up less space.A 10 cord load of tree length wood will shrink to 8 cords when sawed to 4 foot length.
 
IME when you're selling stove length wood by the cord, it's 4x4x8 when it's cut and split, not when it's in the log. A log length cord is naturally going to shrink when cut and split because split wood stacks a lot tighter than in the log. Every cut of the saw takes about 3/8" out of the log and makes it into saw dust.

Theres an old story about a Vermont Yankee that ordered a cord of cut and split wood from a local man. Agreed price was $5.00 and included stacking. When the load was delivered and stacked the old Yankee took one look and handed the seller $6.00. The seller asked why the extra dollar and the old Yankee said, " You put so much work into finding the crookedest sticks you could and stacking it so you could throw a cat between any 2 pieces that my conscience demands I pay you for all that extra work!" :lol:
 
I should keep my camera out and ready as I'm driving down the road. Yesterday I did a bunch of running around and saw no less than a dozen places with a 4'x8'x16" stack of firewood out front with a "for sale" sign on it.

One place had a frame with three measured sections in it, a 2' wide, a 4' wide, and an 8' wide. All 4' high. Selling by the 1/4 "face cord", 1/2 "face cord" and full "face cord."

Here's an enterprising individual selling some really premium stuff:
http://buffalo.craigslist.org/grd/3687006495.html
 

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