Hey man,

How Much Ya Got?

(How much

firewood, that is.)

Here's a close up of my ash. (Talking about the wood, remember?)

How much firewood do you suppose is on that load? How do you measure a load of firewood to make sure you're getting what you're paying for?

Gravel and cement are sold by the “yard,” or “cubic yard.” Here’s a spreadsheet, incidentally, to help you determine how much you might need of such material:

Wood, however, is often sold by the infamous "face cord." How much wood is that? You won’t know until you stack it and get an idea how long the pieces are. If you have a 4' x 8' stack sixteen inches wide, you have a third of a cord. If it's twelve inches wide, it's only a fourth of a cord. If it's eight inches wide, it's only a sixth of a cord. I realize I'm pushing the scenario a little, but imagine someone selling you a "face cord" of eight-inch long pieces for $50. That's $300 a cord. If he sells you sixteen-inch pieces, he's charging $150. That's a big difference. And the problem is, looking at the "faces" of the stacks, you may think they're nearly the same amount!

So you need to be very concerned with the volume of wood you're being sold. Here's a major problem: Wood volume can't be conveniently measured unless it's stacked tightly into a shape resembling a rectangular solid. A "cord" of wood is the standard unit of measurement for firewood. It is a rectangular stack measuring 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet. That is 128 cubic feet of wood. It's 221,184 cubic inches. It's a lot of wood, and most of the time, it's not going to fit on a pickup truck; not even one with an eight-foot box and sideboards. If you go by approximate foot-long measurement rather than inches, you're going to get "burned.” Measure those inches. And remember to subtract from your total at least one to two cubic feet, 2000 to 3500 cubic inches or so, for the wheel wells in a truck box. They can take that much space or more.

Think about a solid cord of wood for just a minute. Imagine you've cut down a gigantic Sequoia. (Don't do it; that would be sinful. Just imagine it.) Imagine a block of wood cut out of its trunk measuring 4' x 4' x 8'. That is the only true cord of wood you're ever really going to see.

Alternatively, imagine a steel container measuring precisely 4' x 4' x 8'. Fill it with sawdust. That's very close to a cord of wood, but there's some air in that box, I hope you realize. Unless it's squeezed out, it's not a true cord of WOOD. Put glue in it to hold it together. It's still not a cord of WOOD. It's GLUE and wood; it's fiberboard, and you probably won't want to burn that in your stove or fireplace. I understand some nifty stoves now burn a sawdust product. I haven't researched it, and I'm not sure how the prices compare with the cost of wood. It would be valuable to know how much heat you can get from a cord of sawdust product as compared to a cord of firewood, but I don't hear too many people bragging about it, so I doubt it could be called a "cheap" means of heating your house.

Imagine stacking standard lengths of fireplace wood as tightly as you can inside that 4' x 4' x 8' container. More air space, right? Even that stack is not quite a cord of wood, although it is accepted as such.

Yes, yes, I'm getting mighty anal about this, I know. But I tend to be anal about my ASH, OK? The point is this: A fair wood merchant isn't going to dump a pile of wood in your driveway and leave it there for you to stack unless he first shows you clearly how much wood you're getting and guarantees it. In other words, if he tells you it's half a cord of wood, and you stack and measure it and discover it's less, he owes you wood or money next time he comes around.

I've included a chart here and another little spreadsheet you can use to determine wood volume. It has some fascinating information in it. Look hard at the "interesting pile." Imagine walking up to a stack that's pretty close to a cord in length and width. It's just a little short, right? WRONG. See the actual volume measurement? It's just over half a cord! That's how important volume is when you buy firewood. Measure the stack!

Take your calculator and your measuring tape out to that wood merchant's truck and measure the load before he dumps it. The true volume of an unstacked load might amount to as little as half the volume of the container you measure, and he owes you some consideration if he's not going to stack it for you. If the load isn't stacked, offer to pay half price. If he agrees, then let him dump it in your driveway. Measure your stack after you've stored it to find out how you did on the deal. Huge blocks might sit cockeyed in an unstacked load so that it leaves big empty spaces. You could well end up with less than the amount you anticipated. Smaller pieces should yield larger true volume after it is stacked.

The best wood merchant will do this: At no extra cost, he or she will stack your wood in the place you designate. Then that person will measure the stack. If the measurement does not EXCEED the required amount, you will be charged less money, or the merchant will go and get you some more wood.

Here’s that other calculator/spread sheet I mentioned:

Let’s calculate the amount of wood in that trailer pictured above. I think the box was 18 x 72 x 96 inches. Stacked level with the top of the sides, it would be 124416 cubic inches, divided by 221184, is a little over half a cord (.56). But it isn’t stacked, you’ll notice. The rank at the back is. That rank is 16 (length of sticks) x 72 (width of trailer) x 13 (approximate height), or 14976 cubic inches. Subtract 16 inches from the length of the trailer, and you get these approximate measurements for the profile of the rest of the load: 16 (approximate height of load) x 72 (width of trailer) x 80 (the remainder of the trailer’s length). That works out to 92160. If it were stacked, I would call it a total of 107136 cubic inches, or .484 cord of wood (48.4 percent of a cord). Since most of the load isn’t stacked, I would reduce that 92160 figure by at least a third; let’s be generous and say just 30,000 cubic inches lost to a failure to stack the load. Subtracting that number from the total of 107136 leaves roughly 77200 cubic inches. (I think I’m being a little too optimistic about the amount of wood, don’t you?) Divide that by 221184, and the brutal reality is, .349 cord, or a little over one of the average “face cords” you’re supposed to get from some of these wood merchants. Take a look at that pile. Is that how much wood the guy dumped in your driveway? How much wood did he say he was selling you?

TRY DIFFERENT KINDS OF WOOD, BUT BE CERTAIN IT'S DRY AND SOLID

You'll learn over time what kinds of wood are best. I know others will disagree, but here are my preferences: Ash is number one. It produces very little of its namesake (ashes), and provides tremendous heat. Next is a tie between Oak and Maple. They can be monstrous hard to split, but they have the BTU's; that's for sure. After that, it's birch. (Yes, I know it looks nicey-nicey, but I still put it third.) Elm is fine, but there are issues with Dutch Elm disease and those little beetles. Depending on where you live, you may not be allowed to store it unless it's debarked. Check with your city forester, or whatever you call him or her, wherever you are, and ask about Elm before you buy it, cut it, or store it. In fact, ask about all the varieties of wood you might store. I understand some problems are beginning to crop up with Ash trees in recent years. Be certain what the ordinances say about storing firewood in your area.

Wood merchants also sell soft woods such as Poplar, Cottonwood, Bass, and many varieties of Pine. Pine, especially if it's not well cured, is sappy and a bit messy. All soft woods burn fast. Consequently, you burn more of it, and you get more ashes than you do with hard wood over similar spans of time. But there's nothing wrong with soft wood that is solid and dry. You should burn a variety of types in order to discern what kinds you prefer.

Don't buy rotten wood. If you pick up a piece and it seems either dry and light, or heavy and wet, that's a clear indication it doesn't have much heat value in it. Green wood is heavy and wet too. It's OK after it's seasoned, but you might have to wait as much as a year to burn it, especially if you buy it in December, when a lot of the moisture is frozen inside it. You can readily see that dry wood is dry. The ends will be cracked. If you chop into it, you won't see sap oozing out. Insist on dry, solid wood, and whether it’s hardwood or soft, you will be more satisfied than you'd be otherwise.