In this cord of wood size guide you’ll find the standard 1/4, 1/2, full, and face stack dimensions, what size rack to use & tarp that will cover each pile.
One full cord of wood will have between 600 and 800 pieces of firewood. A cord is the standard unit of measure of dry volume for measuring pulpwood and firewood in the US and Canada. But fireplace or fire pit owners will receive up to 800 pieces of firewood if the logs are cut shorter and 600 pieces if they’re cut longer.
Homeowners with a wood-burning fire pit or fireplace in their home or outdoor living area will need firewood supply, so they don’t need to go back to the store to pick up a bundle of wood when they want to light it up.
Doing so will also be more expensive and cause inconvenience when they have impromptu gatherings. That’s why it’s more advisable to buy in bulk and store it properly.In this case, they’ll have firewood on hand when they need a fire. For storage, they’ll need a rack, tarp, or another solution.
What Is The Size Of A Firewood Cord?
A cord is the standard measurement of firewood. Typically, it is 128 cubic feet, meaning it is about 4 feet high, 4 feet deep, and 8 feet long.
Size For A Face Cord Of Wood
Full and face cords have the same measurement in length and height, but they differ in depth.
A face cord measures 4 feet by 8 feet and 16 inches deep. It measures just a third of a full cord, meaning it’s a third of a log. It is equal to a single stack measuring 4 feet by 8 feet, however deep the firewood’s depth is. The log length in a face pile has no standard length, so it varies in size.
Some sellers use full and face terms interchangeably. It means that the face pile’s wood volume is the same as a full. Check that you’re getting what you paid for. Count the logs.
To do that, here is the math. Four feet is 48 inches, and a common log is cut to be 16 inches. To check you’re getting a full cord, you should get three rows of 16-inch firewood.
1/2 Cord Of Wood Size
Firewood’s half cord is four by four and four feet deep (width, height, depth). Every piece of firewood in a ½ cord is cut to 4-ft lengths. You’ll then have to cut each of them down depending on fireplace dimensions.
According to the U.S Forest Service a 1/2 cord of wood will fit in the bed of a small 1/4 ton pickup truck. A 1/2 cord will also fit in the back of a short bed 1/2 ton pickup. A long bed pickup with a 1/2 ton capacity with racks can fit 1 cord. Always consult with your truck owner’s manual to determine how much weight capacity you can safely carry without overloading the amount.
1/4 Cord Of Wood Dimensions
While a cord is a common measurement, they can still buy either ½ or ¼ piles. You can get this from local firewood suppliers, but its price may vary from one place to another. Homeowners who don’t need as much firewood buy a ¼ cord.
One-fourth cord of wood measures four feet tall by six feet wide and 16 inches deep. Its volume is 32 cubic feet, which equals 12 bundles of wood.
Cord Wood Size Chart
| Size | Length | Height | Width |
| 1/2 Face | 8 feet | 2 feet | 16 inches |
| Face | 8 feet | 4 feet | 16 inches |
| ½ | 12 feet | 4 feet | 16 inches |
| Full Cord (Three rows) | 8 feet | 4 feet | 16 inches |
Woodpile Calculator
A cord of wood measures 4ft x 4ft x 8ft and contains 128 cubic feet in total. If you have a stack of wood in your yard, you can use this woodpile calculator to determine its volume in total cubic feet, and how many cords you have in your supply.
What Size Rack For A Cord?
Buying a full, quarter, or half cord of wood depending on household size and needs, homeowners will also need some form of storage solution. One of the most common for this is a firewood rack, which can keep the logs off the ground, organize them, and make stacking easier.
Using a rack for firewood is also one of the most convenient and easiest ways of storing firewood. They’re also affordable and easy to find and are available in a wide range of styles and sizes.
A cord measures 128 cubic feet or 2 feet wide by 4 feet tall and 16 feet long of stacked firewood. Typically, rectangular racks measuring 45 to 48 inches long can accommodate ¼ cord of firewood, 87 to 96 inches for ½ cord, and 16 feet for one cord.
While these are the standard sizes for firewood racks, homeowners can find other manufacturers that make racks with added length.
So, even if typical rack sizes would be four feet long for a ¼ stack, racks are available at five feet long for a ¼ stack of logs. Homeowners who want more room in their racks can opt for this kind of rack. On the other hand, there are also smaller racks available from some sellers for homeowners who need a few logs for their fire pit or fireplace.
Homeowners who don’t have a rack keep their firewood off the ground by building a foundation using cinder blocks, bricks, scrap firewood, pallets, and 2x4s. But for those who can’t build a foundation, they instead lay gravel before stacking to enhance drainage and keep the wood dry.
The rest stack their wood on a paving stone patio, concrete, or brick, which don’t hold moisture and keep the logs dry. If you’re doing the same, remember this may cause staining on the hardscape under your firewood stack.
Instead of dragging wood through the house, you can stack it in the storage area from the outside, and you’ll have extra firewood on hand when you need it without having to go out in the cold. – Log Home Living, September 1999
What Size Rack For Half Cord?
The standard size is 87-96 inches for a ½ cord rack for that amount of firewood. Many of them will feature heavy-duty steel tubing, and some will have dimensions of 4 feet by 8 feet and 14 inches deep for a half cord of wood.
Storage is important for firewood to keep it from rotting while keeping the dirt out of it, too. Some manufacturers sell outdoor racks with covers to lift the timber off the ground. This will prevent the wood from rotting and getting soggy from touching ground dirt. A rack is a good investment to protect the bottom row of logs from having these issues.
You’ll find units with a seasoning cover to cover the top log row so that it doesn’t get wet while still allowing airflow throughout the pile or stack of wood. A seasoning cover may also help reduce fungal growth.
What Size Tarp Will Cover A Cord?
Using a tarp to cover firewood is one of the easiest storage solutions for every homeowner. It is cheap and easy to build while protecting the firewood from rain, snow, and other elements.
Fireplace or fire pit owners only have to stack the logs and cover the top of the stack with a tarp, but covering only the top and letting 1 or 2 inches hang down.
For airflow that helps dry the wood out, they don’t cover the sides of the stack. Then, they use a stake and rope to secure the tarp in place, while the others set some pieces of logs or bricks across the top of their tarp.
The industry standard for tarp sizes is cut sizes, with the finished size about 3-inch shorter on each side. Some sellers sell a finished cut size of 5 feet six inches by 23 feet six inches.
Others offer log covers for woodpiles measuring 8 feet in diameter and 4 feet in height, capable of accommodating up to two cords of firewood.
What Size Tree Equals A Cord?
For the number of trees needed for a cord of wood, it depends on the size of the trees. To make a cord of wood, it would need 50 4-inch trees, three 14-inch trees, or 10 8-inch trees (in diameter).
Green wood, which is freshly cut and not yet dried, is not advisable to be used immediately. It has to be seasoned or aged, typically six months after the tree is cut; only after this time will the wood be properly dried out and ready to burn.
Green wood, when burned, will produce less fire and heat and more smoke. If used in a fireplace, freshly-cut or improperly dried wood can increase creosote buildup. This can be dangerous, especially if the wood is burned indoors, because it can increase carbon monoxide levels.
Seasoned/dried firewood will also cause the same issues if exposed to excess moisture. That’s why using a storage solution, like a tarp or rack, can be a good idea.
Visit our outdoor fireplace dimensions guide for more related content.