Firewood Calculator

Cord vs. face cord vs. rick — what's the difference?

A cord is the only one of the three with a legal, standardized definition: a tightly stacked pile measuring 4 ft high × 4 ft deep × 8 ft long = 128 cubic feet of stacked wood (wood, bark, and the air between pieces). If someone sells you a "cord," this is what the word means in most state laws.

A face cord is a stack with the same 8 ft × 4 ft face, but only one log deep. Its volume depends entirely on log length: at the common 16″ log length it's 8 × 4 × 1.33 ft ≈ 42.7 cu ft — exactly ⅓ of a cord. With 24″ logs it's half a cord. A face cord is not a cord, and the price difference should reflect the log length.

A rick is a regional, informal term with no standard definition. In much of the Midwest and South a rick means the same stack as a face cord (8 ft long, 4 ft high, one log deep); elsewhere it can mean other depths. Because it isn't standardized, the calculator reports ricks on the face-cord basis and, more importantly, the real number is always the stack dimensions — ask for length × height × log length and you'll know exactly what you're getting, whatever it's called.

How the math works: stack volume = length × width × height in cubic feet. Cords = volume ÷ 128. Face cords = volume ÷ (32 × log length in feet). Loose, thrown wood is a different story — a cord of wood tossed loose occupies roughly 180 cu ft, so this calculator only applies to stacked wood.

Frequently asked questions

How many face cords are in a cord? Three, when the logs are 16″ long — the most common cut. With 12″ logs it's four face cords to a cord; with 24″ logs, two.

Is a pickup truck load a cord? Almost never. A standard full-size bed stacked level holds roughly ⅓–½ cord (about a face cord's worth at 16″ logs); heaped and racked high it can approach ⅔. Measure the stack, not the truck.

A seller quotes a "rick" — how do I compare prices? Ask for the stack dimensions and log length, run them through this page, and compare cords to cords. That converts any regional name into the one standardized unit.