# Wood Rounds vs Split Wood



## Jay106n (Apr 1, 2015)

I ordered three cords of wood in the round. Should I expect this to equate to three cords once I split it or is there a +/- for airspace?


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## claydogg84 (Apr 1, 2015)

Jay106n said:


> I ordered three cords of wood in the round. Should I expect this to equate to three cords once I split it or is there a +/- for airspace?



If it's advertised as 3 cords, then you should get 3 when its split and stacked - But keep in mind this is a business where most people estimate.


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## coaly (Apr 1, 2015)

Cord is measured by the space it takes up in the round. Splitting and stacking different ways takes up more or less space, but it's still the same amount of wood. So you are able to fit a cord in less space when stacked tightly. It's still the same cord.


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## Auzzie Gumtree (Apr 1, 2015)

i would think once split and stacked - with the additional spaces - you would expect 10-20% more depending on how tightly you stack. But they might have already accounted for that when they delivery the rounds.....


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## Woody Stover (Apr 1, 2015)

Like Auzzie, I'd expect it to stack out to a bit more when split. I'd also expect it to be wet. If you need it for next year, stack the Oak separate...no way it will get dry. Soft Maple or some other faster-drying types might not be _too_ bad...


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## Jay106n (Apr 2, 2015)

Sorry I guess it was a dumb question. Thanks.

Side note: How long do you guys let your wood season after it is split? I'm new to this, but i figured split in the spring would be good to go in the fall/winter?

I have some seasoned/split now, that I have set aside for early next year.


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## Poindexter (Apr 2, 2015)

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/cross-sectional-area-experiment.136945/ 

BTDT


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## Seanm (Apr 2, 2015)

Jay106n said:


> ote: How long do you guys let your wood season after it is split? I'm new to this, but i figured split in the spring would be good to go in the fall/winter?


That will depend on how soon you c,s,s it and how you stack it and store it, geographical location, elevation, sun, wind etc. What ever you do, once its on your property split it asap and get it off the ground. It wont dry worth a darn in round form. A very big factor will be what kind of wood you are dealing with (sorry if I missed that). Pine, and most other coniferous will be ready in the winter if c,s,s properly in the spring, just dont split to big. Oaks and denser woods will take longer, arguably up to 3 years. There are other wood species that will potentially be ready as well but I will leave comment to those who have dealt with them. Good luck, the fun is in the learning!


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## Jay106n (Apr 2, 2015)

Seanm said:


> That will depend on how soon you c,s,s it and how you stack it and store it, geographical location, elevation, sun, wind etc. What ever you do, once its on your property split it asap and get it off the ground. It wont dry worth a darn in round form. A very big factor will be what kind of wood you are dealing with (sorry if I missed that). Pine, and most other coniferous will be ready in the winter if c,s,s properly in the spring, just dont split to big. Oaks and denser woods will take longer, arguably up to 3 years. There are other wood species that will potentially be ready as well but I will leave comment to those who have dealt with them. Good luck, the fun is in the learning!



I still have about a foot of snow on the ground, I am waiting until the snow melts so I can move my currents green stacks to the other side of the property by wheel barrel  for splitting and  seasoning. It is currently stacked in rounds under shelter, just because it was the best way to get it off my lawn before killing the grass. ( I snow blowed a large portion of my front yard for log drops.)


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## Seanm (Apr 2, 2015)

Jay106n said:


> I still have about a foot of snow on the ground, I am waiting until the snow melts so I can move my currents green stacks to the other side of the property by wheel barrel  for splitting and  seasoning. It is currently stacked in rounds under shelter, just because it was the best way to get it off my lawn before killing the grass.


Yeah its hard to do much until the snow is gone. When I process wood during snow months I have a spot on my patio that I can store it split and stacked and top covered until the weather gives me a chance to find a better location.


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## Bigg_Redd (Apr 2, 2015)

Jay106n said:


> I ordered three cords of wood in the round. Should I expect this to equate to three cords once I split it or is there a +/- for airspace?



Yes, but your chances of receiving 3 cord (by any reckoning) are slim.


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## Ashful (Apr 2, 2015)

Jay106n said:


> How long do you guys let your wood season after it is split? I'm new to this, but i figured split in the spring would be good to go in the fall/winter?


Only if it's a very fast drying wood, primarily softwoods.  In general, expect hardwoods to take more than 18 months (two summers) to be dry enough to burn in an EPA stove.  Most try to target 3 years, which is driven by some of the slow-drying hardwoods (eg. oak and locust).


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## Jay106n (Apr 2, 2015)

So basically,  the stuff I split now should be for two winters from now and I should buy seasoned split for this coming winter.


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## Ralphie Boy (Apr 2, 2015)

Jay106n said:


> So basically,  the stuff I split now should be for two winters from now and I should buy seasoned split for this coming winter.


Yep, you got it. Be forewarned about buying "seasoned wood" most of it is cut, split and stacked within a couple of months, and sometimes a matter of days, before being sold and, therefore, is in no way seasoned.

Chances are you are going to answer someone's add for seasoned wood; tell the seller that you require the wood to be not more than 20% moisture content and that you will re-split up to 5 pieces chosen at random from his load. If they don't average less than 20% moisture content you will not accept the load. If he agrees to the deal, pat yourself on the back because you've found a reputable firewood dealer. If he says no, you probably don't want to do business with him.

Most folks that sell firewood don't do it full time, year round so they lack both the time and storage space needed to properly season wood.

Good luck!


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## Jay106n (Apr 2, 2015)

Ralphie Boy said:


> Yep, you got it. Be forewarned about buying "seasoned wood" most of it is cut, split and stacked within a couple of months, and sometimes a matter of days, before being sold and, therefore, is in no way seasoned.
> 
> Chances are you are going to answer someone's add for seasoned wood; tell the seller that you require the wood to be not more than 20% moisture content and that you will re-split up to 5 pieces chosen at random from his load. If they don't average less than 20% moisture content you will not accept the load. If he agrees to the deal, pat yourself on the back because you've found a reputable firewood dealer. If he says no, you
> probably don't want to do business with him.
> ...



Thanks, good idea. I do have a moisture meter.


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## Seanm (Apr 2, 2015)

Im fortunate I dont have to buy wood but there are many in my area who sell it. I see adds all the time for dry, seasoned wood. Theres this one that I drive by that has split larch heaped in a field uncovered. I shake my head when I see it covered in snow, getting rained on. There are many threads on hearth about people complaining about getting duped from wood sellers. Buy it now and assume its not going to be dry. As others have said figure out what kind of wood it is before taking the plunge. Its good you have a moisture meter. It can be a fun tool.


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## Bigg_Redd (Apr 2, 2015)

Jay106n said:


> So basically,  the stuff I split now should be for two winters from now and _*I should buy seasoned split for this coming winter*_.



Yes, except seasoned wood for sale is a unicorn, a myth, something we've all heard of but none of us have seen.


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## Jay106n (Apr 3, 2015)

Bigg_Redd said:


> Yes, except seasoned wood for sale is a unicorn, a myth, something we've all heard of but none of us have seen.



I bought some this winter in February that was 15% on my moisture meter.

But yeah I get it, most dealers dont actually sell seasoned wood. But my point is it should be dryer than the green stuff I am splitting now.


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## Lumber-Jack (Apr 4, 2015)

Ralphie Boy said:


> *tell the seller that you require the wood to be not more than 20% moisture content and that you will re-split up to 5 pieces chosen at random from his load. If they don't average less than 20% moisture content you will not accept the load.* If he agrees to the deal, pat yourself on the back because you've found a reputable firewood dealer. If he says no, you probably don't want to do business with him.
> Good luck!


I think you would lose him at " _require the wood be not more than 20% moisture conten_t".      But it would be an interesting conversation none the less.


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## Lumber-Jack (Apr 4, 2015)

Jay106n said:


> I bought some this winter in February that was 15% on my moisture meter.
> 
> But yeah I get it, most dealers dont actually sell seasoned wood. *But my point is it should be dryer than the green stuff I am splitting now*.


Don't count on it.


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## Stelcom66 (Apr 4, 2015)

Most of the snow is gone where I am in Conn., Jay106n you must be in a colder part of the state. I've got 8 month old wood that needs to be split, nice to be able to get to it now. Unfortunately I had to burn some recently - far from ideal but it was adequate. Even putting some pieces near the stove (only when I'm home) seems to help dry it out.
Lately many ads I've seen for firewood include the word 'wanted'.


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## DougA (Apr 4, 2015)

I live across the road from a firewood dealer. I have my own wood so I do not buy anything from him. I think the definition of 'seasoned' is that it has been cut and set out in his yard for a season.  Technically, that would be 3 months. I guess 'well seasoned' is 2 seasons or more.
And all the used cars I buy have only been driven by little old ladies to church on Sundays.


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## Stelcom66 (Apr 4, 2015)

I can only wish I had access to so much wood. As stated here, when wood is defined as 'seasoned' it doesn't necessarily mean ready to burn. I also have used vehicles, a 12 year old SUV and a 13 year old truck. The truck has been useful for woodstove purposes, such as transporting the stove home and many trips to/from my neighbor's yard to bring the trees cut down last June. Fortunately he has no interest in burning wood.


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## gyrfalcon (Apr 4, 2015)

Jay106n said:


> So basically,  the stuff I split now should be for two winters from now and I should buy seasoned split for this coming winter.


Depends.  If you get at it, now, split fairly small, 4 or 5 inches, have a windy place to stack it loosely in single rows in full sun, most stuff will dry well enough to burn by fall.  Lighter woods will definitely be ready.  It will all be wonderful by the winter after that, though.

Folks here are fond of saying oak needs three years, but I assume they mean white oak, with which I have no experience.  Red oak I do have, and it takes no longer than any other of the similar hardwoods like rock maple.

If you have to stack close together in a shady, humid spot where the wind doesn't penetrate much, yeah, you'll need 2 to 3 years for just about anything.

And in most of the country, "seasoned" to a firewood seller means they cut the tree down in the spring, then haul it out of the woods sometime over the summer and cut/split it to order in the fall.  It's only marginally dryer than green and not worth the premium they usually ask for it.  The majority of woodburners in this country are either burning in fireplaces or old pre-epa "smoke dragons" that can burn very green wood, so the sellers aren't cheating anybody, they're just supplying their market with what it wants using the time-honored definition.

You might take the time to look around on the Internet for an operation that sells kiln-dried firewood.  It's more expensive, but usually dried to between 15 and 25.  There's a slowly growing number of them in my state, responding no doubt to the slowly growing number of EPA stove owners.


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## Jay106n (Apr 4, 2015)

Yes Stellcom66, I am in the northwest hills, but the snow finally melted today. YAY! I got out into the muddy grass and split about half a cord by hand and stacked it up on pallets. This is green stuff that I scrounged last week. I used the moisture meter and it is generally between 25% and 30%.

Also my wood order never came as scheduled.... Stood up.


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## Stelcom66 (Apr 4, 2015)

Thought you were northwest or northeast hills Jay106n. I don't mind snow but have to admit after this winter it's good to see it gone! That's a lot of wood you split - I started to outside but it was so windy, brought some in the garage to split.

Too bad about the wood order. I think I saw somewhere on this site how to use am ohm-meter as a wood moisture meter, I'll need to see if I can find that.


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## Ralphie Boy (Apr 6, 2015)

Lumber-Jack said:


> I think you would lose him at " _require the wood be not more than 20% moisture conten_t".      But it would be an interesting conversation none the less.


You're probably correct. But if one plans to burn the wood he/she is trying to buy, in and EPA stove, in the same season the wood is purchased, then the 20% requirement is necessary I would think.


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## Ashful (Apr 6, 2015)

Ralphie Boy said:


> ... if one plans to burn the wood he/she is trying to buy, in and EPA stove, in the same season the wood is purchased, then the 20% requirement is necessary I would think.


The, "a failure to plan on your part does not create an emergency on my part," phrase comes to mind, here.  Get your wood, whether scavenged or purchased, CSS'd with adequate time to dry before you need it.


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## Lumber-Jack (Apr 6, 2015)

Ralphie Boy said:


> You're probably correct. But if one plans to burn the wood he/she is trying to buy, in and EPA stove, in the same season the wood is purchased, then the 20% requirement is necessary I would think.


Your advice was right on Ralphie, I was just poking fun at how firewood dealers haven't really caught on to the concept of what constitutes "seasoned" firewood yet, and likely never will because it would make marketing and selling their wood that much more difficult. Imagine a firewood dealer showing up to someone's house, who needs some firewood right now, and telling the person that they can't burn that wood right away because it needs to it stacked and dry for another year or two. I don't think that would go over very well.


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## CTYank (Apr 10, 2015)

Another comment on cords of wood delivered as rounds:
Those rounds will be wet. Once split and air-dried down to the point where all the free (inter-cellular) water is gone, the splits will commence shrinking. Just the nature of wood. You can expect to see volume reduction up to ~10%, before it's over..
So, if the rounds were 1.0 cords, then you'd have ~.9 cords in the stack, ferinstance.

And, definitely red oak, specifically northern red oak, really benefits from three years of outdoors air-drying. BTDT "Seasoned" really has NO meaning, except in cooking.


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