Cord of Wood Calculator

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Stack Length (ft)

Stack Height (ft)

Wood Length / Stack Depth (ft)

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Cords of Wood

1

cords (1 cord = 128 cubic feet)

Total Stack Volume	128 cubic feet
Full Cords	1

What Is a Cord of Wood?

A cord is the standard unit for measuring stacked firewood. A full cord equals exactly 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood — traditionally a neat stack measuring 4 feet high, 8 feet long, and 4 feet deep (\(4 \times 8 \times 4 = 128\)). This calculator converts any stack's measured dimensions into cords so you can verify a delivery or estimate how much wood you have on hand.

A full cord is a stack measuring 4 ft high by 8 ft long by 4 ft deep — 128 cubic feet.

How to Use It

Measure your stacked wood and enter three values in feet: the length (how far the stack runs), the height (how tall it is), and the width — which is the length of the cut logs, also called the stack depth. The calculator multiplies them to find total cubic feet, then divides by 128 to give cords. Stack the wood tightly with rows neatly aligned for the most accurate reading.

The Formula Explained

The math is straightforward: $$\text{Cords} = \frac{\text{Length (ft)} \times \text{Width (ft)} \times \text{Height (ft)}}{128}$$ The numerator is simply the volume of a rectangular stack in cubic feet, and 128 is the fixed number of cubic feet in one full cord. Because the unit is volumetric, only consistent feet measurements matter — there is no need to count individual logs.

Multiply length by width by height, then divide the volume by 128 to get cords.

Worked Example

Suppose you stack wood 12 feet long, 4 feet high, with 16-inch logs (\(16 \text{ in} = 1.333 \text{ ft}\) deep). Volume $$= 12 \times 1.333 \times 4 \approx 64 \text{ cubic feet}.$$ Cords $$= \frac{64}{128} = 0.5,$$ so you have half a cord. A standard \(8 \times 4 \times 4\) stack gives \(128 \div 128 = 1\) cord exactly.

FAQ

What is a face cord? A face cord (or rick) is one stack 4 ft high and 8 ft long but only as deep as the log length, so it is usually one-third to one-half of a full cord. This tool computes full cords from your actual depth.

Do measurements have to be in feet? Yes. Convert inches to feet first (divide by 12). For example, 18-inch logs are 1.5 ft.

Why 128 cubic feet? It comes from the traditional \(4 \times 4 \times 8\) foot stack, which has been the legal definition of a cord in the US and Canada for centuries.