How much is a cord of firewood? Real prices, and why nobody sells you a full one
A cord is a legal unit, 128 cubic feet of stacked wood, and almost nobody who says cord is selling you one. Here is what a real cord, a half cord, and a face cord cost around Virginia, DC, Maryland, and North Carolina, and how to compare any two quotes without getting played.
Every fall I get the same question in a dozen forms: how much is a cord of firewood, how much should I pay, is $250 a good price. The honest answer is that the question is the wrong size. Here is the right one.
Short answer
A full cord is 4 ft by 4 ft by 8 ft, 128 cubic feet. Kiln-dried hardwood in our area costs well over $1,000 a full cord, and almost no household needs one. A third of a cord (a 4x8 stack, about 80 fires) is $360 for Mixed Hardwoods or $420 for Oak, delivered for $25 to $60. Compare any quote on cubic feet and dryness, not on the word "cord."
What a cord actually is
A cord is a stack 4 feet tall, 4 feet deep, and 8 feet long: 128 cubic feet, including the air between the logs. That is a lot of wood. A full cord of oak weighs around two tons dry and does not fit in a pickup bed. If someone pulls up in a half-ton truck and calls the load a cord, it is not.
Two other words matter:
- Face cord (or rick): 4 ft tall by 8 ft long by one log deep. With 16 inch logs, that is one third of a cord. This is the unit most "cord" ads are actually selling.
- Half cord: 64 cubic feet. Rarely sold as such; usually a face cord and a half.
We skip the confusion and sell by the stack: 2x4, 4x4, 4x8, and 4x16 feet, all 16 inch splits. A 4x8 is a face cord, one third of a cord. A 4x16 is two thirds. The cords, racks, and stacks guide has the pictures.
What firewood costs around here
Our prices, kiln-dried and delivered across Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, and North Carolina:
| Stack | Share of a cord | Mixed Hardwoods | 100% Oak | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2x4 ft | 1/12 | $140 | $175 | ~20 |
| 4x4 ft | 1/6 | $220 | $300 | ~40 |
| 4x8 ft (face cord) | 1/3 | $360 | $420 | ~80 |
| 4x16 ft | 2/3 | $700 | $800 | ~160 |
Delivery is $25 to $60 by zone and shows at checkout by zip. Stacking is a small add-on. So a 4x8 of Mixed Hardwoods lands at a bit under $400 to $420 at the door, which works out to around $5 a fire.
You will see cheaper numbers on Craigslist and on roadside signs. Some are honest seasoned wood from someone with a splitter and a woodlot. A lot are a face cord called a cord, short-logged so the stack is a foot shallower than it looks, and far wetter than "seasoned" implies. Which brings us to the real way to compare.
How to compare two quotes
Force both quotes into one number: dollars per cubic foot of dry wood.
- Get the stacked dimensions. Height, length, and log length. Multiply. If the seller cannot tell you, that is your answer.
- Divide the price by the cubic feet. A $250 "cord" that is really 4x8 by 14 inch logs is about 37 cubic feet, or $6.75 a cubic foot. Our $360 4x8 of 16 inch splits is about 43 cubic feet, or $8.40.
- Adjust for water. Wood at 30 percent moisture wastes a chunk of its heat boiling off water and part of the load will not catch at all. Kiln-dried wood burns nearly all of itself. Call it a 20 to 30 percent haircut on the wet quote's value.
- Add what you cannot see. Insects and mold you bring inside, creosote in the chimney, the evenings spent coaxing wet logs. None of that is on the invoice.
Run that math and the cheap quote usually is not. The full version, with worked examples, is in firewood prices explained and is kiln-dried worth it.
How much you actually need
Nobody buys firewood by the cord because they want a cord. They want fires. Weekend fires through a winter are about 80, which is one 4x8 stack. A few fires a week is a 4x16. Daily stove heat is two 4x16s or more. The how much firewood do I need guide matches sizes to habits.
When you are ready, the firewood for sale page has everything in one place, and your zip at checkout gives the exact delivered price.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a full cord of firewood?
In Virginia, DC, Maryland, and North Carolina, a full cord of kiln-dried hardwood runs well over a thousand dollars, and most households never need one. We sell by the stack instead: a 4x16 ft stack (two thirds of a cord) is $700 for Mixed Hardwoods or $800 for 100% Oak, and a 4x8 (one third of a cord) is $360 or $420.
How much is a half cord of firewood?
A half cord is 64 cubic feet. Our closest size is the 4x16 stack at two thirds of a cord ($700 Mixed, $800 Oak), or two 4x8 stacks. Priced per cubic foot, kiln-dried hardwood in our area lands around $8 to $9 a cubic foot delivered.
What is a face cord?
A face cord is a stack 4 ft tall by 8 ft long by one log deep. With 16 inch logs that is one third of a cord, exactly our 4x8 stack. Sellers who quote a "cord" at a face-cord price are the most common reason people think they got a deal and did not.
Why is kiln-dried more expensive than seasoned?
Kiln-drying costs fuel, labor, and time, and it produces wood that is lighter, drier, bug-free, and consistent. Per fire that actually burns clean, it usually costs less than cheaper wet wood, because none of it is wasted on boiling off water or thrown out for not catching.
Does the delivery fee change the price much?
Our delivery is $25 to $60 depending on your zone and shows at checkout when you enter your zip. On a $360 stack that is a small share of the total, and the driver stacks the wood for a small add-on if you want it placed.
Clark started splitting and selling firewood on his family farm in Upperville, Virginia at age 11. Today Clark's Firewood delivers premium kiln-dried hardwood to homes across Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, and North Carolina, and Clark personally guarantees every order.
