# Ok..which do you perfer,face cord or just cord?



## HotCoals (Dec 26, 2011)

Face cord just seems easier to me..lol.
I have seen 1/16th cord,1.62 cord and some other ones tonight...drives me nuts..lol.


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## WellSeasoned (Dec 26, 2011)

A regular cord as far as I know is 4x4x8. Not sure what a face cord its.


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## HotCoals (Dec 26, 2011)

A face cord is 4x8x16"..or 1/3 of a cord...hence,face cord.


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## LLigetfa (Dec 26, 2011)

HotCoals said:
			
		

> A face cord is 4x8x16"..or 1/3 of a cord...hence,face cord.


What if you don't cut your wood to 16"?


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## EatenByLimestone (Dec 26, 2011)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

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Bingo!


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## NH_Wood (Dec 26, 2011)

EatenByLimestone said:
			
		

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+1, although I'm not a fan of 1.875 cord calculations either! Cheers!


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## babzog (Dec 26, 2011)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

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I cut mine to 18" and still call it a face cord.

Actually, I call it a cord, but it's what most people would call a face cord or 1/3 cord. Folks around here call it a cord so that's what I've become used to.


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## WoodpileOCD (Dec 26, 2011)

I've got a big, deep stove so I cut 18-20 inches.  I don't even think in terms of face cords.  Don't see many people with 2-3 years of wood on hand saying "I've got 27 face cords put away"  but I do see that they have 6 cords or 9 cords or in a couple cases "27 cords"   :cheese:


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## Hunderliggur (Dec 26, 2011)

Cord.  How else do you count all the short ends and (oops) slightly longer piece.  I cut mine to about 18" +/-.  When it is stacked in a cord it all averages out.


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## ironworker (Dec 26, 2011)

This is the first year I am measuring and stacked my wood on 4' pallets this year and cut everything 14-16" long so I measure in cords, but I keep a face cord stored in my garage, which last about a week and fits perfectly along a wall near the door, but with all that I prefer to know I have about a years worth no matter how I measure it.


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## SolarAndWood (Dec 26, 2011)

HotCoals said:
			
		

> 1.62 cord and some other ones tonight...drives me nuts..lol.



Drives me just as nuts when someone tells me they have 21 cords in the basement ready to go for the winter.  I converted from face cordism however and am the only one I know that burns true cords.


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## colin.p (Dec 26, 2011)

I'd have to say face cord, as that's what stove-wood sellers sell, around here. Also, if I happen to get longer than 16 inch wood, then three face cords would be a little more than a 128CF cord. Of course, cut shorter, would be less as well. However, either way stacked in my yard, I should still have the same usable amount, cord or face cord.


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## wishlist (Dec 26, 2011)

Around here nobody sells wood by the cord. It's always face cord.  I cut my wood about 18 inches so if I underestimate what I truly have I guess that's a good thing. Currently, my inventory (tks to sav and zap) c/s/s is north of 50 face cords with a bunch still waiting for the splitter.  In the end, it does 2 things. Keeps my family warm and that truck with the round tank doesn't stop at my house!


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## NH_Wood (Dec 26, 2011)

colin.p said:
			
		

> I'd have to say face cord, as that's what stove-wood sellers sell, around here. Also, if I happen to get longer than 16 inch wood, then three face cords would be a little more than a 128CF cord. Of course, cut shorter, would be less as well.* However, either way stacked in my yard, I should still have the same usable amount, cord or face cord*.



If the wood was cut longer than 16", seems like you benefit by getting more than a true cord, but if shorter than 16", you lose. Cheers!


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## zeke (Dec 26, 2011)

Around here face cords are common. That's the face of a cord. 4x8 feet. First question from a responder to my ad is" how long do you cut". I cut my for sale wood from 100" logs delivered, hard maple, so I  cut just over 16" and keep the cookies. Then we discuss how they want it split.


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## Shari (Dec 26, 2011)

I called a CL ad about some 'seasoned' firewood.  Guy said it was 325 pieces for $50. (He COUNTED them????)  Ummmm..... I asked him that might be a deal but are the pieces 6" diameter or 25" diameter.  He said they were all between 16-18".  I asked "You mean diameter?"  He said, "No, tall."  Still trying to figure out what he was offering for $50 I then asked "So, if they were stacked up, how long/deep/tall would the pile be?  He replied, "I don't know.  The bunch will fit in the back of a pickup truck."  Still trying to figure out the quantity he was offering I asked "Then is the box of the truck full up to the top of the sides."  He replied "No, there'd be about 18" of the sides showing."  Considering p/u truck bed is, what, 24" deep I passed.  Sounds like he had twigs. 

I voted for cord, 4x4x8.

But in my area firewood is also sold as face cords (1/3 of a cord).


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## Manitoulin Maples (Dec 26, 2011)

Everyone uses face cord around here but I've learned on here what the true definition of a cord is.  Even so, talking to anyone about wood in these parts, or trying to buy wood here, is always discussed in terms of face cords.


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## LLigetfa (Dec 26, 2011)

Some wood mongers sell by the face cord because less sounds like more.  The law forbids selling in units called "face cords" and since my wood monger cuts his 8 feet long, his face cords are 256 cu ft.  Why then would he risk getting fined for selling by the face cord if a face cord is more than a legal cord?


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## LLigetfa (Dec 26, 2011)

In the old days, much of the wood was cut to 8 foot length as that was about as long of a log that could be manhandled and that length carried well.  Even today, around here 90% of the wood transported to the mills are cut to 8 foot length.  The other 10% comes in tree length which then gets cut to 8 foot at the mill.  Most of the machinery at the mill is designed to accept 8 foot length.

The legal cord here is measured as 4' x 4' x 8 foot long, so a "face" of that would be 4' x 4'.  Tree length "face cords" would give you the most bang for the buck.


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## Hass (Dec 26, 2011)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> Some wood mongers sell by the face cord because less sounds like more.  The law forbids selling in units called "face cords" and since my wood monger cuts his 8 feet long, his face cords are 256 cu ft.  Why then would he risk getting fined for selling by the face cord if a face cord is more than a legal cord?


This ^^

Many state laws forbid selling anything other than a cord, or a deviation of a cord. (1/3 cord, 2/3 cord)
I'll tell ya, I posted up a CL ad saying I'm looking to buy 2 cords of wood for $250-350 depending on type, as long as it's 16% or less MC
The emails rolled right in with people saying they've got what I'm looking for. How many ya think are going to bring by their 1/2 ton with a load of wood saying it's 2 cords?


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## michburner (Dec 26, 2011)

How would you feel if the gas station sold you a "face gallon"?  How bout a "Face pound" of pork chops?  It makes no sense.  Firewood is cut to all different lengths by different people.  Stick to a cord, at least then everyone is talking the same language.


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## zeke (Dec 26, 2011)

What po's me is ads that interchange cord and face cord. I see ads for "cords" for $60, cut and split. I paid $87/cord for  9 full cords of 8' hard maple in Sept. I'm tempted to order a few $60 "cords" and send them away when they show up with 1/3 cord face cords.


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## Bigg_Redd (Dec 26, 2011)

HotCoals said:
			
		

> Face cord just seems easier to me..lol.
> I have seen 1/16th cord,1.62 cord and some other ones tonight...drives me nuts..lol.



I had never heard of a face cord or a rick or anything else but a cord before I joined up here. . .


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## JustWood (Dec 26, 2011)

michburner said:
			
		

> How would you feel if the gas station sold you a "face gallon"?  How bout a "Face pound" of pork chops?  It makes no sense.  Firewood is cut to all different lengths by different people.  Stick to a cord, at least then everyone is talking the same language.


Therefor the term cord is irrelevant . I've NEVER cut a cord of wood all 16",,, ever.


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## colin.p (Dec 26, 2011)

I think the bottom line is: as long as the seller and buyer agree what the measurement is, face cord for so much money, or a cord for so much money, then they both are happy. As I said, no one and I mean no one in Eastern Ontario, who sells cut and split wood, sells by the cord, only face cord. One can argue till blue in the face, but there is no point in asking for a cord of wood, when all call face cords, cords.
Now if I was to purchase a logging truck load, then it would be cords, not face cords. And that's the way it is, right or wrong. Confusing to be sure, but again, as long as both parties are on the same "dictionary" page, then all is well.

edit: I just thought of an analogy, metric and imperial measurements. We in Canada, in our "infinite wisdom", use the metric system, however, anyone over the age of 30, still tries to convert to gallons, Fahrenheit, miles, pounds etc.


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## bogydave (Dec 26, 2011)

Don't really care what a amount of wood is called unless I'm buying it.
Call it pile, rick, truckload, > but if you sell it, most standards sell fire wood by "cord" measure. 
If buying or selling, & both parties are happy with the deal, good deal.

More important is the BTUs of a specific species of wood,  a cord (128 cubic ft) has.
We know what a cord is (128 cubic ft) Been argued here for years., " Face cord" volumes vary by split length.
I'll call my fire wood measure "cord", but I'm "old school"

For buying & selling, most use "cord".  For your own use, call it "a years stack of fire wood"
Might buy a "Face ton" of coal though,  or a bucket full, a scoop, bin full,   LOL


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 26, 2011)

Cord or face cord? 

A goose is a goose, dress it as you will. But it remains a goose still.


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## Kenster (Dec 27, 2011)

babzog said:
			
		

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And you would be wrong in doing so.



> but it's what most people would call a face cord or 1/3 cord. Folks around here call it a cord



And they would be wrong also.  "Most people" DO NOT call it a face cord.  There is no legally recognize measurement call a Face cord.   It's bad enough making up arbitrary terms like "Face cords" but to erroneously apply the term to a legitimate measurement is pretty ridiculous.  

Even the generally recognized definition of Facecord is NOT 1/3 of a cord or  4x8x16 inches.   It's 4x8x whatever length you care to cut it. 
You want ten inch splits?  Stack em' 4x8x 10 inches and call it a Face cord.   By this definition, you could cut a sheet of 1/2 inch plywood 4x8 and call it a face cord.  

Most people on this forum with more than a couple of posts to their name KNOW the correct use of the word "cord" and use only "cord" or fractions thereof to describe volume of cord wood.  

By the way, my F150 gets 60 Face miles to the gallon!


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## pen (Dec 27, 2011)

Around here, a sign will commonly say: 60 dollars per face, 150 per cord.  It's also common to ask how long the face is cut.  

It also also common to hear people call a creek a "crick."  Point is, stuff like this varies w/ language from area to area.  Also, if you ask for mangoes on your sandwich you'll get green peppers.  Hanna or no?  

Here are the most common web definitions.  Sorry if they haven't made it to webster's yet but these seem to be in pretty good agreeance as a face cord being anything 4x8 that is no more than 4 foot in length....

In all, if there is confusion about what you are buying I think it is your responsibility to be clear with your expectations regarding what you are being sold.  Otherwise, you got a bunch of wood for X dollars.

_*Web definitions

    The cord is a unit of measure of dry volume used in Canada and the United States to measure firewood and pulpwood. A cord is defined as , corresponding to a woodpile wide, high and long. Any other arrangement of linear measurements that yields a volume of is acceptable. ...For example, a face cord commonly consists of wood that is 16 inches (41 cm) long. [6] The volume of a face cord therefore is 1/3 of the volume of a full cord even though it is 8 feet (244 cm) long and 4 feet (122 cm) high.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_cord

    Sometimes used in measuring firewood, a face cord is 4 feet high by 8 feet long but only as deep as the length of the individual firewood pieces. Thus a face cord may be 4 feet by 8 feet by 16 inches and contain one-third the wood volume of a pulpwood or standard cord (12).

www.timberbuyer.net/glossary.shtml

    a unit of wood 4 feet high, 8 feet long, and less than 4 feet wide. See "cord."

edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr063

    (also Stove cord or Furnace cord) wood piles 4 ft high and 8 ft long and as wide as the length of the individual pieces, usually between 12 in and 20 in.

www.selkirkuniversity.com/university/commonfiles/glossary.asp*_



pen


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## Kenster (Dec 27, 2011)

The thing is, yes, you can call your firewood whatever you like, just as you can speak pig latin or your own made up language at home but when you converse with people in public you need to speak the same language.    When we talk about having ten cords stacked out back, or that we burn nine cords a year or that we c/s/s three cords before lunch yesterday,  we need to know what you're talking about.  Saying you have 30 face cords on hand, to most of us, is just downright silly - like saying your car holds 80 quarts of fuel. (At least a "quart" means something.)  There is no point in even discussing volumes of wood if we can't agree on the standard of measurement.  If you want to talk to the members  here about cutting thirty gallons of fire sticks yesterday, you might as well be speaking Swahili.  

No one should ever have to reply with  ...."Is that a "real" cord or a "face cord."    I confess that a few years ago I wouldn't have known a cord from a pine cone.   I've learned a great deal from being an active member of this forum.  And one of the things I learned is what a 'cord' is.  

I'll betcha that most of the guys that are checking "face cord" on the above poll are fairly new burners and/or new members of this forum.   Or firewood vendors who use the term "face cord" to screw their customers.


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## rdust (Dec 27, 2011)

inevitabLEE said:
			
		

> Therefor the term cord is irrelevant . I've NEVER cut a cord of wood all 16",,, ever.



You can say this to you're blue in the face it won't matter.  I try to talk in cords here since that's what everyone wants but in Michigan a "face" cord is far more common.  To me a cord measurement only has meaning when buying in 8' log lengths.  Once it's cut to firewood length I'd say it's very rare that someone has cut their wood all the same lengths, I know I don't.  Even worse if you're a scrounger.


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## babzog (Dec 27, 2011)

Kenster, you might well be "technically correct" (TC), but TC does not necessarily equate to reality in a given region. I can attest to what colin.p states about eastern Ontario. When you call the farmer up the road for wood, if you order three cords, you'll get a hay wagon with a loose pile on it. Stacked, it'll be three 4x8' rows, cut anywhere from 16"-18" in length. Departing from his experience though, the loggers I've called will deliver you a load with "18-22 cords" on board. They're also not talking about 4x4x8' cords. A cord around here is a single 4'x8' row, otherwise known as a face cord.  What are referred to on this forum as cords are known regionally as full cords or bush cords and it's rare to find anyone dealing in those around here. 

Not even going to get into "stove cords".  LOL. For me, anything less than 14" is a "chunk".


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## curber (Dec 27, 2011)

Never even heard face cord tell I heard it hear! Tru cord is all I know but then again I've never paid for wood! Pat


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## Constrictor (Dec 27, 2011)

there is no legal or otherwise known description of a face cord. There is on a cord.


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## firefighterjake (Dec 27, 2011)

Bigg_Redd said:
			
		

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Same here . . . I suspect if someone tried to sell a "fake cord" up here and pass it off as a cord of wood there would be some harsh words spoken and action taken . . . a cord is a cord is a cord -- 4 x 4 x 8 feet or 128 cubic feet . . . end of story . . . this way you always know what you're getting.


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## zeke (Dec 27, 2011)

No kidding... had a "tourist" ask for a pop when he wanted a soda, he was lucky to get out alive. Another fella at the mall asked for a water fountain, I shoved his face in the bubbler. MY WAY OR NO WAY We have militias, a KKK chapter, and a bunch of bikers around here.We don't need to "rip you off on a face cord". I want your money I take it.


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## Duetech (Dec 27, 2011)

Backwoods said:
			
		

> A regular cord as far as I know is 4x4x8. Not sure what a face cord its.


 As stated earlier a face cord is 1/3 of a cord but that is looking at it from the wide side. Looking at it from either of the narrower ends one has to determine if it is a head cord or a butt cord. The two are basically identical. Since there is a trend with many to turn to government to make decisions for us maybe we should, ship a full cord to W'DC, ask them if they can tell the difference between the head and the butt..er...cord? A reminder may need to be sent so that they know that the term cord is relative. It is not a rope so one might pull the head or butt in any given direction, as it were, to pull in to or out of...er..something. Also in a full cord there are trhee face cords and viewed from either the head or the butt one face will look right and another will look left and of course one is buried right in the middle and that the face cord will extend from the tip of the head cord to the bottom of the butt cord and there is no demarcation to help one determine where one starts and the other ends. Alas that is possibly the dilemma that we now face "cordially". I mean perhaps some well meaning soul has already sent them a cord of wood with the questions duly expressed and they are so fully engrossed the the head and butt issue that they cannot find time to determine a budget for the nation? What's that? Oh..I see. Yes you are right ... that could be another stack of wood entirely. My bad. :roll:


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## Constrictor (Dec 27, 2011)

Cave2k said:
			
		

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The government did not make up the dimensions of a cord.


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## zeke (Dec 27, 2011)

Fire wood is not a tax. If you don't like the deal, DON'T BUY IT! Geeze, talk about anal...


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## firefighterjake (Dec 27, 2011)

So in the last face day (that's about half a day -- only the time of day when there is sunlight so I can do things outside without a flashlight) I've had quite the time . . . split up several face cords . . . but I did use up 25 face gallons (that's the amount of fuel I store in my small gas can) of fuel in the splitter.

In any case, I felt as though I deserved a little treat so I hopped in the car and drove 100 face miles (I go by the number of telephone poles I pass by and then round up to the nearest 100th) to the local store and picked up 2 face pints of ice cream (the amount of ice cream I can eat before getting an ice cream headache) and 25 face liters of Coke Zero (the amount of cups of soda I pour out of the bottle since everyone here only drinks out of cups, never from the whole bottle). 

I then spent 1 1/2 face hours watching TV (the amount of time actually spent watching the TV program, not the commercials) . . . I tell ya . . . between eating like a pig and just lounging around I figure I might gain 122 face pounds (well I exaggerate . . . I figure it's more like 10 face pounds.)

  

I still maintain that using the dictionary definition of a cord is the easiest way to compare apples to apples . . . but what they hey . . . if folks know what a face cord is before they purchase the wood then there is no harm or foul . . . I just know up here if I made a deal to buy a cord of wood and found out it was one of these fake cords I would not be pleased and would be asking for more wood . . .


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## zeke (Dec 27, 2011)

so a "face retard" would be less than fully retarded then?...


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## eclecticcottage (Dec 27, 2011)

Locally, I call what we buy (when we have to buy it) a cord, although in reality it is a face cord.  When posting here, I call it what it is-a face cord.  I think I've seen one person advertising "cords" that actually were-all others are really face cords.

If that makes sense.


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## pen (Dec 27, 2011)

this is not, and never does, go anywhere good.

Buyer beware w/ wood.  

<closed>

pen


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