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Buying Firewood: Cords, Face Cords, Seasoning and Measuring a Delivery

Published October 19, 2026Updated November 2, 2026Last reviewed October 202620 sources

The short version

  • Compare offers per full cord (128 stacked cubic feet), including delivery. See what Massachusetts sellers charge.
  • For a face cord, get the log length and the row’s size; it isn’t always a third of a cord.
  • Ask how long the wood has been split and drying; “seasoned” has no set definition.
  • Stack and measure the delivery before you burn any, and keep the ticket.
The full checklist ↓

What you’re buying

Firewood is sold by stacked volume, so the number that matters is how much space the stacked wood fills. The calculator converts stacks and sellers’ quotes into full cords; this guide covers what to ask for, what the rules say and how to check what arrives.

How much wood is in a cord?

A cord is 128 cubic feet of wood “ranked and well stowed”: pieces placed in a row, touching, parallel and stacked compactly1. Traditionally that’s a stack 4 ft high, 4 ft deep and 8 ft long2, but any shape with the same volume counts: a stack 2 ft deep, 4 ft high and 16 ft long is also 128 cubic feet12.

The measure includes the air between the pieces and the bark. Only about 80 to 90 of those cubic feet are solid wood35; one Lake States average is about 794.

How much is a face cord?

A face cord, rick or short cord is usually a single row 4 ft high and 8 ft long, as deep as one log35. Its size depends entirely on the log length:

Full-cord equivalent of one 4 × 8 ft face cord by log length
Log lengthStacked cubic feetFull cords
12 in320.25
16 in430.33
18 in480.38
24 in640.50

Computed with the calculator for one row 8 ft long and 4 ft high.

Full cord128 cu ft · 8 × 4 × 4 ft
Face cord, 16-inch logs43 cu ft · 0.33 of a cord
Same face, different depth: a full cord is 4 ft deep, a face cord only one log deep. With 16-inch logs that’s 0.33 of a cord. Drawn to the same scale.

Is a loose pile or a truckload a cord?

Not reliably. Thrown wood takes more room than stacked wood: Maine’s law counts a loose cord of 12 to 16 inch wood as 180 cubic feet and of 24 inch wood as 195, against 128 stacked2. That’s about 41% more space for the same wood, before you know anything about the truck. Ask for stacked dimensions instead.

Measure a stack or enter a seller’s quote to see it in full cords, drawn beside a real cord.
Firewood Calculator

How firewood must be sold

Can firewood be sold by the face cord or truckload?

In many places, no. The national model regulation says firewood is sold only by the cord, fractions of a cord or the cubic meter, and that “face cord,” “rack,” “pile,” “truckload” or similar terms “shall not be used”1. Rules differ by state; here is what the New England states say:

How firewood may be sold under the model regulation and in New England states
WhereHow firewood is soldSource
Model regulation (NIST Handbook 130)By the cord, fractions of a cord or the cubic meter; “face cord,” “rack,” “pile,” “truckload” and similar terms can’t be used1
ConnecticutAdopts the model regulation, including the banned terms and the delivery ticket9
MassachusettsOnly by the cubic foot or cubic meter of closely stacked wood; “cord,” “face cord,” “pile” and “truckload” can’t be used68
New HampshireBy the cord or a fraction of a cord; never as a truckload, face cord, rack or pile10
VermontThe cord is the only legal measurement; face cord, rack, stovecord and truckload aren’t allowed11
MaineDefines a standard cord, a loose cord and a face cord (4 × 8 ft, stick length agreed by both parties)2

In Massachusetts, then, a seller should quote something like “128 cubic feet of wood for $…”, not “a cord”8. The calculator accepts cubic feet directly. Check with your own state’s weights and measures office for the rules where you live.

What should be on a firewood delivery ticket?

The model regulation calls for the seller’s and buyer’s names and addresses, the delivery date, the quantity delivered and the quantity the price is based on, the price, and the identity of the wood1. Massachusetts requires the quantity in cubic feet or cubic meters, with fines for sellers who don’t provide a ticket7; Vermont lists the amount in cords and the price per cord11; New Hampshire law requires a receipt or delivery ticket15. Keep it until you’ve measured the wood.

How do I compare prices between sellers?

Convert every offer to a price per full cord, with delivery added when it’s charged. A $180 face cord of 16-inch logs is about 0.33 of a cord, so it works out to $540 per full cord, against $450 for a $450 full cord. Then check that you’re comparing the same species, log length and dryness.

Example prices to show the arithmetic, not market prices. For real ones, see what Massachusetts sellers charge.

Species, seasoning and moisture

What does seasoned firewood mean?

There’s no set definition. Vermont’s weights and measures guide says there are no set definitions for dry, seasoned or green11, and Vermont’s forestry department calls “seasoned” the least well defined of the terms, advising buyers to assume seasoned wood may need more drying16. One New Hampshire guide puts seasoned wood around 30% moisture and kiln-dried around 20%15.

What matters is moisture: wood is ready to burn at about 20% or less171618. Ask when the wood was cut and split, and how it’s been stored.

How long does firewood take to dry?

It depends on the species and how it’s stacked. The EPA says softwoods take about 6 months and hardwoods about 1217; Maine’s forest service says dense hardwoods need several months to at least a year3, and a New Hampshire guide says cut and split wood needs 6 to 8 months15. Green wood bought now may not be ready this winter.

Wood moisture
Ready to burn: ≤ 20%
0%10%20%30%40%kiln-dried“seasoned”
Kiln-dried and “seasoned” as one New Hampshire guide puts them; the 20% line is the EPA’s and Vermont’s.Typical drying time (EPA)
Softwoods: about 6 months
Hardwoods: about 12 months
Moisture, not the word “seasoned,” decides whether wood is ready to burn, and drying takes months, not weeks.

Does the species matter?

It changes how long the wood takes to dry, and sellers may describe it. The model regulation lets a seller declare the species and calls for the identity of the wood on the delivery ticket1, and Massachusetts advises getting the species on the receipt if you were promised one8. If a species matters to you, ask for it in writing.

Checking a delivery

How do I know whether my firewood delivery is short?

Stack it, measure it and compare the volume with the quantity on the delivery ticket. A full cord is 128 cubic feet of closely stacked wood, so a stack that measures less than the ticket says is short.

  • Stack the wood closely, with the pieces aligned in the same direction, not cross-stacked1312.
  • Multiply length × height × depth (the stick length) in feet; divide by 128 for cords1214.
  • Compare that with the quantity on the delivery ticket, which the model regulation and Massachusetts law require17. In Massachusetts the ticket gives cubic feet, so compare cubic feet directly.
  • On an uneven stack, measure the length at the bottom, middle and top and average them, take heights about every two feet, and measure 15 to 30 random sticks for the depth14.
  • Stack it in one stack and measure it before you use any, and photograph it soon after delivery; Massachusetts asks for photos within 72 hours if you complain8.
  • Don’t mix it into wood you already have10, and stack it within about two weeks15.
Length at the bottom, middle and top; average themHeight about every two feet along the stack
Depth = stick lengthMeasure 15 to 30 sticks and average them
L × H × D = cubic feet÷ 128 = full cordsCompare with the ticket
Measure the stack the way New Hampshire’s weights and measures worksheet does, then compare the result with the quantity on the delivery ticket. Illustration, not to scale.

What if the delivery is short?

Talk to the seller first, with your measurements and the ticket. If that doesn’t settle it, contact your state’s weights and measures office: Connecticut’s consumer protection department takes complaints about short cords9. Massachusetts notes that its Division of Standards can’t force a seller to compensate a buyer8, so keep your records.

Enter your stack’s length, height and depth to see what you received in full cords.
Firewood Calculator

Storing and moving wood

How should I store firewood?

Split it, stack it in a single row with the split side down, cover the top and keep it off the ground1718. Air needs to reach the wood to keep drying it, so cover only the top, not the sides.

A covered log rack
A woodshed with open sides
  1. Cover the top only
  2. Leave the sides open so air moves through
  3. Keep it off the ground
  4. Stack one row, split side down
A rack or a shed works the same way: covered on top, open at the sides and raised off the ground, so air keeps drying the wood. Illustrations, not to scale.

Can I bring firewood to a campground or another state?

Often not. Moving firewood can carry invasive forest pests; buy it where you’ll burn it, buy certified heat-treated firewood, or gather it on site where that’s allowed1918. Massachusetts prohibits moving firewood into state parks, an area around Worcester is under federal quarantine for the Asian longhorned beetle, and Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont restrict firewood coming into their states20.

Before you buy: checklist

  • Work out how much you need in full cords or cubic feet, and what your rack or shed holds.
  • Ask each seller for the quantity in cords or cubic feet, the log length, the species and how long it’s been drying.
  • Compare offers per full cord with the same delivery terms; ask whether stacking is included.
  • Ask for a delivery ticket with the quantity, price and a description of the wood.
  • Clear a spot off the ground where the wood can be stacked in a single row with the top covered.
  • When it arrives, stack it tightly with the pieces parallel and measure it before you burn any.
  • Buy wood cut near where you’ll burn it; don’t carry firewood to campgrounds or across state lines.
Compare up to four offers per full cord and copy a request with your quantity and preferences.
Firewood Calculator

Sources

  1. Handbook 130 (2026 edition), Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities, §2.4 Fireplace and Stove Wood, National Institute of Standards and Technology — §2.4.1.2: a cord is “128 ft3 when the wood is ranked and well stowed” (pieces in a row, touching, parallel and stacked compactly); §2.4.3: sold by the cord and fractional parts of a cord or the cubic meter; §2.4.4: “face cord,” “rack,” “pile,” “truckload” or similar terms “shall not be used”; §2.4.5: a delivery ticket with the quantity, price and identity of the wood.
  2. Maine Revised Statutes Title 10, §2302(1): Cord, Maine Legislature (Maine Weights and Measures Law) — standard cord 4 ft wide, 4 ft high and 8 ft long, or its equivalent, 128 cubic feet ranked and well stowed; a loose cord of 12 or 16 inch wood is 180 cubic feet, 24 inch is 195; a face cord is 4 ft high and 8 ft long with stick length “agreed upon by both parties”.
  3. Firewood Facts (January 2017), Maine Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry — a cord’s 128 cubic feet holds 80 to 90 cubic feet of solid wood, the rest mostly air and bark; a face cord is 4 ft high and 8 ft long and some variable depth: 24-inch pieces make 0.5 cord, 16-inch pieces 0.33 cord; a thrown (loose) cord is 180 cubic feet of 12 or 16 inch wood, 195 of 24 inch; seasoning “usually requires several months to at least a year for dense hardwoods”.
  4. What Is A Cord? (Forestry Facts No. 44), University of Wisconsin–Madison, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology (August 1989) — cords = height × width × length ÷ 128; a standard cord is 128 cubic feet of wood, bark and air; Lake States average about 79 cubic feet of solid wood; a face cord is 4 ft high and 8 ft long with pieces under 4 ft, commonly 16 inches (industry source).
  5. Measuring Timber Products Harvested from Your Woodland (EC 1127), Oregon State University Extension Service (revised December 2009) — “the rick or short cord” is 4 ft high and 8 ft long of pieces under 4 ft; with pieces averaging 16 inches it is 42 cubic feet, one-third of a cord; a cord rarely exceeds 90 cubic feet of solid wood (industry source).
  6. General Laws Chapter 94, Section 298: Sale of cordwood; standard units of measure, Massachusetts Legislature — firewood is “advertised, offered for sale and sold only in terms of cubic feet or cubic meters” of closely stacked wood; “cord”, “face cord”, “pile”, “truckload” or similar terms “shall not be used”.
  7. General Laws Chapter 94, Section 299: Delivery ticket or sales invoice for cordwood or firewood, Massachusetts Legislature — a delivery ticket at delivery with the seller and purchaser, the quantity in cubic feet or cubic meters, the date and the price; fines of $50, $200 and $500 for violations, and up to $1,000 for an altered ticket.
  8. Firewood Sales, Massachusetts Division of Standards (mass.gov; checked October 19, 2026) — wood can only be advertised and sold by the cubic foot or cubic meter, for example “128 cubic feet of wood for $XX.00”; “truckload,” “face cord” and “pile” have no legally defined meaning; stack it in a single stack and measure it before using any; take photos within 72 hours; the Division can’t force a seller to compensate a buyer.
  9. Firewood and Stove Wood Regulations, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection — adopts NIST Handbook 130 §2.4: the 128 cubic foot cord, the ban on “face cord,” “rack,” “pile” and “truckload,” and the delivery ticket.
  10. Things to Know Before Purchasing Firewood (January 7, 2022), UNH Cooperative Extension, relaying the NH Division of Weights & Measures — firewood “may only be sold by a cord or a fraction of a cord and may never be sold as a ‘truckload’, ‘face cord’, ‘rack’, or ‘pile’”; ask for a receipt with the species, volume and price.
  11. Guide to Buying & Selling Firewood, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, Weights & Measures — “The only legal measurement in Vermont is the cord”; “face cord,” “rack,” “stovecord” and “truckload” are not allowed; for dry, seasoned and green “there is not set definitions”.
  12. Avoid Getting Burned When Buying Firewood (consumer flyer), National Conference on Weights and Measures, hosted by NIST — stack the wood with pieces touching and parallel; if width × height × length equals 128 cubic feet, you have a cord; “truckload,” “face cord,” “rack” and “pile” have no legally defined meaning (industry source).
  13. Avoid Getting Burned When Buying Firewood (June 30, 2017), Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (since removed from mass.gov; Internet Archive copy of September 1, 2025) — wood must be closely stacked and aligned in the same parallel direction, not cross-stacked; multiply the length times the width times the height of the stack to get the cubic foot content.
  14. Calculating a Cord Measure of Firewood, New Hampshire Division of Weights & Measures (September 2013; linked from the NH Department of Agriculture’s Firewood & Timber Products page) — volume = length × width (stick length) × height; measure the length at the bottom, middle and top and average; measure 15 to 30 random stick lengths; heights at about two-foot intervals; divide cubic feet by 128 for cords.
  15. How to Purchase Your Wood Supply (New Hampshire firewood brochure), UNH Cooperative Extension with the NH Department of Agriculture Weights & Measures and NH Division of Forests and Lands — New Hampshire law requires a receipt or delivery ticket; stack the wood within 2 weeks; cut and split wood needs 6 to 8 months of drying; kiln-dried about 20% moisture, seasoned around 30%, green over 50% (industry source).
  16. Burning Dry Firewood Saves Money and Improves Air Quality (October 19, 2020), Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation — green, seasoned, dried and kiln-dried are relative terms; wood is ready to burn at 20% moisture or less; “seasoned wood” is the least well defined term.
  17. Wet Wood Is a Waste: Four Easy Steps to Dry Firewood (EPA-456/F-10-003), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (revised 2015) — split, stack, cover, store; softwoods take about 6 months to dry and hardwoods about 12; properly dried wood reads 20% or less; stack in a single row with the split side down.
  18. Best Wood-Burning Practices (Burn Wise, archived), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (program ran 2009–2025; page no longer updated) — season wood for at least six months; wood burns best below 20 percent moisture; store it off the ground with only the top covered; buy and burn locally cut firewood to reduce the risk of moving invasive forest pests.
  19. Don’t Move Firewood, Don’t Move Firewood campaign — don’t move firewood long distances; buy it where you’ll burn it, buy certified heat-treated firewood, or gather on site where permitted (industry source).
  20. Massachusetts firewood rules (as of September 2025), Don’t Move Firewood campaign — Massachusetts prohibits moving firewood into state parks; an area around Worcester is under federal quarantine for the Asian longhorned beetle; CT, ME, NH, NY and VT restrict firewood moving into their states (industry source).
Last reviewed:
October 2026
Published:
October 19, 2026
Last updated:
November 2, 2026
Guide version:
1.0

Definitions and sale rules come from NIST Handbook 130 and the laws or weights-and-measures guidance of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine; measuring advice from the New Hampshire Division of Weights & Measures, Massachusetts consumer agencies and the National Conference on Weights and Measures; drying and storage from the EPA, Vermont Forests, Parks & Recreation, the Maine Forest Service and UNH Extension; moving firewood from the Don’t Move Firewood campaign. Rules vary by state; check with your state’s weights and measures office. CalcBrite doesn’t recommend a seller or a species.

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