“ Face Cord “- What is it?

I must admit when I ordered wood for the first time, I had to ask what a cord was. I had expected the quote to be in trailers or tons etc. Unfortunately not the answer I received was how many Face cord of wood do you want.

After research I found out that a Face cord is a 4ft high 8 ft wide stack of wood. A Face Cord only corresponds to the facial area of the stack not the depth. Typically a face cord is one log deep so between 16”-18”. It is important to know the difference because if you ask for a “full cord” you will get a 4ft high 4ft deep 8 ft wide amount of wood. This can be 4 times the amount of a “face cord”

When buying wood always check if it is a “full” or a “face” cord you are buying. To ensure your getting the correct quantity. When comparing your wood supplier I suggest you take a tape measure to check the length of the log.

There are numerous names for wood stacks and sizes and different sellers may cut their logs to different lengths so please use the example below as a method of comparing prices.

Typically all stacks are 4ft high by 8ft wide. (confirm this with your seller)

The main issue is how deep is the wood stack or how long is the log.

3 different vendors could provide the wood in either 12,16 or 18 inch lengths.

Assuming you are going to buy a “full Cord” i.e. 4ft x 4ft x 8ft.

Divide the 48” of the full cord depth by the length of the log. Then multiply by the price.

E.g. 48” / 12” = 4 multiplied by $50 = $200

Compared to a vendor selling 18” logs at $90

48”/ 18” = 2.67 multiplied by $90 = $240

By using this method you can see that the 12” logs are cheaper than the 18” logs.

It is also important if you are buying a firewood rack to ensure that it is to the correct dimensions of either a face or a full cord. Check the details on the site you buy from it should highlight the measure.

Once you have found a reliable vendor, stick with them. Certainly compare pricing to other companies using the technique shown. A good lumber seller, that provides a good price and a good quality log is someone you should stay with.

So to recap.

1. Check whether you are buying “face cord “ or “full cord”
2. If selling in a different format do the calculation to compare price.
3. Check what size your firewood rack is.

If you have advice or question on the topic of face cords please add a comment below.