cord of wood

[Cornelis]

Experience will tell you how much.
I use about 5 cord/year with an old airtight stove. Some here with newer stoves use a similar amount.
Some however, use about 3.
It's actually a big mystery until you've gotten a couple seasons under your belt.
How big the house is, how well it's insulated, do you burn 24/7 or just nights and weekends, do you like it 68 or 75 in the house are all factors. There are more, but that should give you an idea how tough it is to answer the question.
Knowing what you have is the only way to know how much you've used, and how much to get ready for next year.

I never kept track on how much wood I used but it would be nice how much so I can plan ahead.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Keep things simple. Just figure out how many cubic feet (length x height x depth) of wood you have then divide it by 128. A child could figure this out quite fast.

As for how much wood to plan on, in CT, 3-4 cord would be a good start. Depending on size of house, if it is well insulated or drafty and how good the stove is. For example, we used to burn 6 cord per year; now we burn 3. The reason is first the new stove. Second is when we added on a room we also put in more insulation, new doors and new windows. Makes a lot of difference. We also keep our home 80 degrees or higher in the winter months. Some are happy with 68 degrees but we are not and we want to be relatively comfortable and we also like to see the ladies with less clothing rather than all bundled up.

 

[StihlHead]

In all the western states, only 'true' cords measuring 4'x4'x8' = 128 Cu. ft. or the equivalent volume can be used to sell cordwood (or by the cu ft for smaller bundles like at the grocery store). Terms like face cords, ricks, PU loads, etc. are not allowed (legally) because they are not consistent or otherwise equivalent measurements of volume. As stated above, a face cord is 4'x8' x "X", where X can be any depth or length of logs. Hence it is a variable measurement of volume, and you can get ripped off buying wood that way.

Now, with that said there are tight and loose 'true' cords. I can stack them either way, depending on if they are wet or dry. I stack greenwood loose so more air gets in there and they dry better and faster. When I re-stack dry wood I stack them tightly to reduce the volume and space that they take up. No need for more airflow to dry them any more. The variable amount space between splits in a cord of stacked wood makes even a true cord a variable unit of measure (and you can still get ripped off by a wiley wood seller). Also the density of the wood species make a huge difference in the amount of heat that you will get out of a cord of wood. Oak generally has up to 2x the amount of heat value as cottonwood does around here in the same volume of wood. For that reason is sells for more money. Moisture content is also a factor, as wood will shrink when it dries out. So a cord of greenwood will likely be less when it dries out. My stacks all settle a few inches in height drying here over the summer months.

Clear as mud?

 

[Paulywalnut]

Like everyone said, a cord is 4' x 4' x 8'. But one thing I have learned is that very few folks have 24" (or two foot long splits). The norm is much closer to 18 inch long wood. So if you have 18" long wood splits, you would need 2 and 2/3 racks that are 8 feet long and 4 feet high to equal one cord.

Yes, I stack my 16 or 17 inch pieces in 3 stacks 8 feet long. What ever it takes to get your 4 foot width.

 

[HDRock]

It's actually a big mystery until you've gotten a couple seasons under your belt.

Isn't that the truth, just starting out last year, I got a rough idea what I used but don't know for sure

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

I read a few of the responses and came across one that spoke about the dealers with their loose cords, meaning bucket loaded and placed into a truck for delivery. We assume they pre-measure what a bucket holds prior to delivery, BUT, are they responsible if I , the consumer, ask them to stack and measure what they sent me?

I have heard stories of the loads being short and the dealer having to return and bring what is owed but should it come to that? About 5 years ago I had a dealer deliver me a load of 2.5 cords, he told me that all his rack body would hold. When he got here it was all neatly stacked in the back of the truck and he brought me around back to see it. He measured the rack body for me and added it all up, it was a true 2.5 cords. He also told me he ran into so many customers asking, when he was loose loading, how much was actually back there. Trips that took him out of town started to cost him money in time and fuel so he just started to stack his loads.

So I guess I'm ultimately asking if the wood retailers are supposed to stack the wood and measure it for the customer or not? for a true measure

 

[Coog]

Yes, I stack my 16 or 17 inch pieces in 3 stacks 8 feet long. What ever it takes to get your 4 foot width.

So I gotta ask; on a 4x4 pallet, are you guys stacking 3 rows or 2? I stack rows at about 18" to 20" lengths each. Leaves a small gap in the middle, which I think accelerates the drying process. At 18" split lengths, the peices hang off the end, which exceeds a full cord. I figure I am probably getting a three quarter cord at 2 rows but prefer that over the alternative.

I could cut to 14" or 16" but that just seams short to me sice I burn East/West. Just curious.

 

[WellSeasoned]

I use4- 48"x48" pallets, on the ground with a 4" gap in between them. The vertical sides are also 48"x48"
My rows are 18' long and I go 6'high
I use 3 rows, however, the front and rear rows overhang the pallets by around 3" with the middle being obviously, in the middle. I try and leave around 3"gap between rows. I can fit alittle over 3 cords on a rack. Here is one I just started.

 

[Ashful]

So I gotta ask; on a 4x4 pallet, are you guys stacking 3 rows or 2?

I use4- 48"x48" pallets, on the ground with a 4" gap in between them. The vertical sides are also 48"x48"

Where do you guys find 48 x 48 pallets? Around here, they're all 40" x 48", with very few exceptions. I lay them out in pairs, making a platform 40" x 96", and stack in two rows with my 20" long splits.

 

[Coog]

I use4- 48"x48" pallets, on the ground with a 4" gap in between them. The vertical sides are also 48"x48"
My rows are 18' long and I go 6'high
I use 3 rows, however, the front and rear rows overhang the pallets by around 3" with the middle being obviously, in the middle. I try and leave around 3"gap between rows. I can fit alittle over 3 cords on a rack. Here is one I just started.

Here is the story; I do not have a good spot by the house to stack my wood so I stack it down the drive way bit. I plan to start stacking single pallets that I can move with the tractor forks into the garage during the winter without having to handle the wood again.

In doing so, I want to maximize what I stack on a pallet. I think I need to start stacking in three rows instead of 2. Sounds like it dries the same?

 

[Coog]

Where do you guys find 48 x 48 pallets? Around here, they're all 40" x 48", with very few exceptions. I lay them out in pairs, making a platform 40" x 96", and stack in two rows with my 20" long splits.

Kind of a mixed bag around here. I do get some that are 40" but probably 2/3rds are 48 x 48.

 

[WellSeasoned]

Where do you guys find 48 x 48 pallets? Around here, they're all 40" x 48", with very few exceptions. I lay them out in pairs, making a platform 40" x 96", and stack in two rows with my 20" long splits.

I get them at work. They are drum skids, heat treated and strong. Lots on craigslist.

 

[WellSeasoned]

Here is the story; I do not have a good spot by the house to stack my wood so I stack it down the drive way bit. I plan to start stacking single pallets that I can move with the tractor forks into the garage during the winter without having to handle the wood again.

In doing so, I want to maximize what I stack on a pallet. I think I need to start stacking in three rows instead of 2. Sounds like it dries the same?

The more air gap between rows the better they will dry, like 2 rows as opposed to 3. 1 pallet should work for 3 rows, maybe ratchet strap the rows down right before you transport them, I see no problem with that. Wish I had forks....

 

[bogydave]

Cord . . . a real cord. Until I came here I had never even heard of a face cord. Up here no one talks about face cords.

+1

 

[Ashful]

Now, with that said there are tight and loose 'true' cords. I can stack them either way, depending on if they are wet or dry... The variable amount space between splits in a cord of stacked wood makes even a true cord a variable unit of measure (and you can still get ripped off by a wiley wood seller).

Clear as mud?

Good luck keeping that loose stacked cord "loose", if stacked in the back of a delivery truck.

 

[StihlHead]

So I guess I'm ultimately asking if the wood retailers are supposed to stack the wood and measure it for the customer or not? for a true measure

By state law here the wood is suppose to measure out when stacked. They can be stacked and measured before or after they are delivered. Usually they are estimated though, and that is where the problems occur. My ex bought a cord of oak when I was living with her (she freaked when the wood supply was low one winter) and the guy showed up with a trailer full of muddy wet oak. Most of it was 2 inches in diameter crap. Anyway, I stacked it and it was barely over a half cord. The guy was not happy with the outcome when the ex called him on it, but he brought another trailer load to make it a cord.

Good luck keeping that loose stacked cord "loose", if stacked in the back of a delivery truck.

I rarely see wood stacked when delivered around here. Usually it is a pile in a truck or trailer, and about as loose as you can get. The outfit up the road here uses metal cages and they toss the wood in willy-nilly. I doubt that anyone gets a true cord from them. You can stack the splits alternately in a stake-side truck or trailer and make them really loose as well. Similar to stacking them green to dry fast (every row the splits are 90 degrees rotated). They will be a lot tighter when stacked parallel.

There are people that sell non-nonsense cordwood here though. When I bought my last cord of Doug fir/DF here the guy showed up with a stake side trailer that holds one or two cords, with a divider between. He is a retired forestry worker and stacks the wood from a barn where he dries the wood for 2 years. He shows up and you can see the amount of wood, stacked tight and parallel, and then he unloads it and you stack it. No BS that way. Its a real cord or two.

 

[Ashful]

I rarely see wood stacked when delivered around here. Usually it is a pile in a truck or trailer, and about as loose as you can get.

Yeah. That was my poor attempt at what comedians refer to as a "callback." Apparently, I need to work on my delivery.

About 5 years ago I had a dealer deliver me a load of 2.5 cords, he told me that all his rack body would hold. When he got here it was all neatly stacked in the back of the truck and he brought me around back to see it.

 

[Trooper]

It may not stack to 48x48x96 inches, cut at 20" lengths, but it damn well better be 128 cu.ft.

I couldn't help but imagine a stack of 12 inch splits, 128 feet high, 1 foot long.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

I have to imagine that a firewood dealer that has been around for a good many years has created himself a good reputation through word of mouth and general good business practices. The dealers that fly under the radar do not last. In the past I used to look for off season deals, usually on green c/s and tree length. It ended up being more work for me to get what was advertised and I ultimately decided to do the work myself, in the long run I was happier for it.

 

[StihlHead]

Unfortunately here that is just not the case. Many survive here that are math challenged and have sub-standard product. I was rather amazed when I got the last cord of wood that I bought here. I did not expect a tight stacked cord loaded in a trailer that I could see before it was unloaded and paid for. Nor an educated older guy delivering it that used to work for the forestry service. In my racks it came out of a cord plus 1/8. He sells out every year by December though. He processes about 200 cords a year. He does it because his wife insisted on having a heated pool near here, and so he started processing firewood in order to heat it. Then he figured he may as well process more and make money while he is at it. If I have to buy again, I will buy from him. Not likely though, I am a cord ho' these days.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

Unfortunately here that is just not the case. Many survive here that are math challenged and have sub-standard product. I was rather amazed when I got the last cord of wood that I bought here. I did not expect a tight stacked cord loaded in a trailer that I could see before it was unloaded and paid for. Nor an educated older guy delivering it that used to work for the forestry service. In my racks it came out of a cord plus 1/8. He sells out every year by December though. He processes about 200 cords a year. He does it because his wife insisted on having a heated pool near here, and so he started processing firewood in order to heat it. Then he figured he may as well process more and make money while he is at it. If I have to buy again, I will buy from him. Not likely though, I am a cord ho' these days.

Great story, around here he may be one of the few. Don't get me wrong, there are some good reputable dealers around here but I'm not looking for C/S hardwood at a premium price when I can do the work myself. It's the shady CL deals that make guys like that shine. As long as my body is able and I still enjoy the work, I will do it myself.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I read a few of the responses and came across one that spoke about the dealers with their loose cords, meaning bucket loaded and placed into a truck for delivery. We assume they pre-measure what a bucket holds prior to delivery, BUT, are they responsible if I , the consumer, ask them to stack and measure what they sent me?

I have heard stories of the loads being short and the dealer having to return and bring what is owed but should it come to that? About 5 years ago I had a dealer deliver me a load of 2.5 cords, he told me that all his rack body would hold. When he got here it was all neatly stacked in the back of the truck and he brought me around back to see it. He measured the rack body for me and added it all up, it was a true 2.5 cords. He also told me he ran into so many customers asking, when he was loose loading, how much was actually back there. Trips that took him out of town started to cost him money in time and fuel so he just started to stack his loads.

So I guess I'm ultimately asking if the wood retailers are supposed to stack the wood and measure it for the customer or not? for a true measure

Normally if a seller has to stack the wood there will be an extra charge and rightly so. But no matter what, if they tell you there is a certain amount of wood, if it were short I'd be on him fast!