Have you ever bought something, only to see it on the shelf at another store down the road for half the price?
When buying firewood, it’s even easier to pay more than you should. This is because you don’t go to a store with pre-advertised prices. Don’t pay more for a cord of wood than it’s worth!
Read on for help discovering exactly what firewood is worth.
How Much Does A Cord of Wood Cost?
That depends whether you use your own chainsaw to cut the wood and haul it yourself. Or whether you purchase a cord from someone else who did the work. Ultimately, cutting your own wood will save you big bucks. However, don’t forget to include the price of your saw when you calculate startup costs.
We’ll show you exactly how to calculate how much a cord of wood should cost.
Purchasing Wood
If you want to purchase a cord of wood, you need to know if it is a full cord before you pay.
How many pieces of wood in a cord, you ask? Typically cords are measured by cubic feet, not pieces. But typically a full cord could contain between 600 and 800 pieces.
Depending on how the vendor has split the wood it could also contain far less or far more pieces. Those above are just typical amounts.
You can measure whether you’re buying a full cord of wood with this calculator. Or you can easily do the math yourself, just calculate the number of cubic feet in your stack.
A full cord is 128 cubic feet that’s 4′ x 8′ x 4′
As long as the wood is stacked neatly (“ranked and well stowed”), according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Uniform Laws and Regulations, a full cord is 128 cubic feet. Anything less is usually called a face cord or a kitchen cord.
Generally, wood is stacked in 4-foot by 8-foot “ricks”. In order to be a full cord, the length of the pieces must also measure 4 feet.
What is a face cord?
Most of the wood you’ll find for sale has been cut to 16 inches in length. This is to make it easier to fit in a fireplace.
Many buyers are also happy just to purchase the front ‘face cord’ for reasons of transportation, storage, and cost. A face cord is approximately a 3rd of a full cord at 4′ x 8′ x 16″.
A face cord is also known as a rick, furnace or stove cord. Furthermore many sellers will sell firewood by how much you can fit in your truck. They call this a face cord too. Even though the difference in size of truck might be significant.
Ultimately a face or rick of wood is a fairly informal measurement. In fact, only a full cord is an officially recognized measurement.
So, what’s the price of a full cord?
The price varies from state to state. In Missouri, typically a customer might pay anywhere from $70 to $120 for a full cord. But it can even cost up to $225 or more for a full cord. Especially if it has already been cut.
What factors affect the price of a cord of wood?
- Location – where you are and how far the lumbar has traveled will impact the price
- Whether the wood is seasoned or has already been storage dried or even kiln-dried
- The type of wood, longer burning hardwood will cost more
- Current demand, everyone wants wood in the winter so the price is higher. If you can buy in the summer and store you’ll get it cheaper and the wood will also be drier
- If the cord has already been cut into 16″ lengths, ready for burning
In the Know
Here’s a tip for finding out a seller has a full cord in their rick. Pace off the length of the cord (if you know how long your stride is), or take a tape measure with you. You can measure exactly what the dimensions are, and calculate the cubic feet before you make your purchase.
If the wood has been cut and split already, you might expect to pay more than you would pay for neatly stacked logs in a rick. This is because of increased labor.
If you decide it’s too much money, and you would like to save by cutting your own wood, we have the perfect guide to get you started – happy chainsawing!
