Cost of Firewood

The  Cost of Firewood calculator computes the cost of firewood in dollars per cord based on the price of the wood (cost) and the size of the stack (length (L), width (W) and height (H).

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose units and enter the following:

• (L) Length of Firewood Stack
• (W) Width of Firewood Stack
• (H) Height of Firewood Stack
• (C) Price paid for Wood that resulted in Stack

Cost of Firewood:  The calculator will tell you how much wood you have in cords and U.S. dollars per chord that you paid.  VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS

The Math / Science

                                      Unstacked Firewood 
Unless you're willing to pay a high premium, firewood is rarely delivered to your home and stacked.  Many sellers of firewood load the back of a truck and sell loose loads.  However, these loose piles are hard to estimate for their volume.  This calculator will let you know the real cost of that wood in dollars per cord once you've stacked it.  

Directions

Once you've stacked the fire wood, measure the dimensions of the stack, and enter it's

• length (l),
• width (w) and
• height (h).  Then enter the
• price paid (cost) for the wood and this calculator will tell you how much wood you have in cords, and it will tell you the price per cord that you paid.

Considerations: stack the wood in a rectangular shape to make the calculation more accurate.  Consider the age and variety of the wood.  Oak and cherry are very desirable and have lots of heat (energy) stored in them.  Poplar is lighter and has less fuel content.  Older wood is drier, which is better.  However, wood can be too old and lose energy in the process of decay.  Delivery is a significant cost and should be considered in addition to the price of the wood.

Example:  If you have a stack of wood and measure it to be 4 ft high by 6.5 ft wide and 7 ft long, you have 182 cubic feet of stacked firewood.  That's 1.42 cords since a cord is 128 cubic feet.  If you paid $150 for your wood, you divide the $150 by 1.42 to compute the price per cord, which in this case is $105.63. 

Firewood Calculators

• Compute the Cords of Firewood in a stack.
• Compute the Cost of Firewood based on a stack and the paid price.
• Estimate the Time to Stack Firewood
• Estimate the Calories burned Stacking Fire wood
• Energy in a Stack of Firewood (BTUs)
• How Long Firewood will Last
• Firewood Cords in a Loose Pile

Stacking Firewood

A cord of wood is a standard measure of firewood which is defined to be a tightly stacked pile of wood that is 4 ft. by 4 ft by 8ft or 128 cubic feet.  To make the measurement of the stack of wood easier, a cord is usually stacked between straight uprights separated by eight feet, as shown in the picture below, making the calculation a straightforward rectangular volume.

Stacking firewood conserves space which is very important if you store your wood in a shed or barn.  Stacking makes it easier to cover to keep the wood drier, makes it easier to move or load into the stove and generally looks a lot better.  

Firewood Poetry

No doubt the product of restless minds during the labor of stacking firewood: some cute sayings have come out regarding firewood:

• Firewood is the only fuel that will heat you several times: once when you cut and split it, once when you stack it and once when you burn it.  (Hal Ammann's grandfather)
• A cord of wood is 4' high, 4' wide and 8' long and stacked tight enough that the squirrel can climb through it but the puss that's chasing it can not.  (Unknown)