Compare it with a full cord
A full cord of wood is 128 cubic feet of wood “ranked and well stowed”, that is, stacked tightly in parallel rows, such as a stack 4 ft high, 4 ft deep and 8 ft long. A face cord has the same height and length but is only as deep as one log:
| Log length | Face cord volume | Share of a full cord |
|---|---|---|
| 12 in | 32 cu ft | ¼ |
| 16 in | about 42.7 cu ft | ⅓ |
| 24 in | 64 cu ft | ½ |
For 16 inch logs, that’s 4 × 8 × (16 ÷ 12) = 42.7 cubic feet, and 42.7 ÷ 128 = one third.
Compare prices per full cord
“Face cord” isn’t a standard measure, and some places don’t allow it for sales. Connecticut’s rule, taken from NIST’s model regulation, says firewood must be sold by the cord or fractions of a cord (or cubic metres), and the terms “face cord”, “rack”, “pile” and “truckload” must not be used.
To compare sellers, ask for the log length and the stack’s height and length, work out the cubic feet, and then the price per full cord.