explainer
What Is a Cord of Wood? Full Cord vs Face Cord (and How Not to Get Shorted)
By the LazyTools team · Published 2026-07-14 · Updated 2026-07-14 · 5 min read
A full cord of firewood is a tightly stacked pile measuring 4 feet high × 4 feet deep × 8 feet long — exactly 128 cubic feet of wood and air. That’s the only measurement legally defined in most places. The confusion — and the way people get shorted — comes from the “face cord” (also called a rick), which is 4 feet high and 8 feet long but only one log deep, so it’s usually just a third to a half of a full cord.
The full cord: the only real standard
A cord is a unit of volume for stacked firewood, standardized at 128 cubic feet. The classic arrangement is 4 feet high, 4 feet deep, and 8 feet long (4 × 4 × 8 = 128), but any tightly stacked pile totalling 128 cubic feet is a cord. In the US, the cord is the legally defined firewood measure, and many states prohibit selling firewood by vague terms like “truckload” or “pile”.
The key phrase is tightly stacked. A cord is a stacked measure that includes the unavoidable air gaps between split logs — but a wood pile thrown loosely into a truck bed holds far more air and far less actual wood than the same apparent volume stacked. Always measure, or have delivered wood stacked, before you judge the amount.
The face cord (rick): where people get shorted
A face cord — also called a rick — is a stack 4 feet high and 8 feet long, but only one log deep. That “depth” therefore depends entirely on how long the logs are cut:
| Log length | Face cord depth | Fraction of a full cord | Approx. volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 inches | 1.0 ft | ~1/4 | ~32 ft³ |
| 16 inches | 1.33 ft | ~1/3 | ~42.7 ft³ |
| 24 inches | 2.0 ft | ~1/2 | ~64 ft³ |
So if someone advertises a “cord” but delivers a face cord of 16-inch wood, you’re getting roughly a third of a full cord — for what might be full-cord money. Because “face cord” and “rick” aren’t standardized volumes, the only safe question is: how many cubic feet, or what fraction of a full cord, is this?
How to measure a firewood delivery
- Stack it tightly in a neat rectangle — rows straight, gaps minimized.
- Measure the stack’s length, height and depth in feet.
- Multiply the three for the volume in cubic feet.
- Divide by 128 for the number of full cords.
For example, a stack 8 ft long × 4 ft high × 2 ft deep is 64 cubic feet — exactly half a cord. Our firewood cord calculator does this instantly and also shows the face-cord equivalent, so you can check a delivery against what you paid for.
Buying firewood without getting burned
- Get the price per full cord in writing, and the log length.
- Be sceptical of “cord” prices that sound too cheap — they’re often face cords.
- Prefer wood sold by the cord or fraction of a cord over “ricks”, “truckloads” or “piles”.
- Stack before you accept if you can, or measure the stacked wood on arrival.
- Remember seasoning: green (unseasoned) wood is heavier and burns poorly; a cord is a volume, not a moisture guarantee.
Frequently asked questions
How many cubic feet are in a cord of wood?
Exactly 128 cubic feet. The standard stack is 4 feet high, 4 feet deep and 8 feet long (4 × 4 × 8 = 128), but any tightly stacked pile totalling 128 cubic feet counts as one full cord.
What is the difference between a cord and a face cord?
A full cord is 128 cubic feet (4 × 4 × 8 ft). A face cord (or rick) is 4 ft high × 8 ft long but only one log deep, so its volume depends on the log length — for 16-inch logs it’s about one-third of a full cord. “Face cord” is not a fixed, legal volume.
How much is a face cord of 16-inch wood?
About 42.7 cubic feet — roughly one-third of a full cord. It’s a 4 ft × 8 ft stack about 1.33 ft (16 inches) deep. Always confirm the log length, since that sets how much wood a face cord actually contains.
Is a rick the same as a face cord?
Usually yes — “rick” is another name for a face cord: 4 ft high and 8 ft long, one log deep. Like face cord, it isn’t a standardized volume, so ask how deep (how long the logs are) to know what you’re getting.
How do I know if I got a full cord?
Stack the wood tightly, measure its length, height and depth in feet, multiply them for cubic feet, and divide by 128. If the result is close to 1.0 you got a full cord; well under that means you were short-changed. A calculator makes this a ten-second check.
Why does loosely piled wood look like more?
A thrown pile is full of large air gaps, so it takes up more apparent space than the same wood stacked neatly. Because a cord is a stacked measure (128 ft³ stacked), always measure firewood stacked — a loose heap “measuring” a cord contains noticeably less wood.