Face cord, vs cord, vs full cord...confused Canadian here!

[MagdalenaP]

Newbie alert, can you tell by the title?! haha

I'm seeing some people sell "cords" of wood (their description), but when I asked what size it was just to triple check he wasn't referring to a face cord, he said it IS a face cord. So now, I'm confused.

What is the size of a cord? 4'x4'x8,' correct?
Face cord is 16"x4'x8', right?

Then what is a "full cord"?

EDIT: Before hitting create thread, decided to research a bit more on this forum. Turns out it's a Canadian thing to sell face cords and refer to them as cords.

 

[saydinli]

You'll be able to tell by price. If they say a cord and its around $100 , its only a face cord. If they say a cord for 350-400, then its a full cord.

Take a look at this site, lots of good information for "newbies"

https://woodheat.org/cord-wood.html

 

[woodhog73]

What is the size of a cord? 4'x4'x8,' correct?
Face cord is 16"x4'x8', right?

A cord of split firewood is stacked 4’ tall, 8’ long, 4’ deep.

By that logic a face cord should be 4’x8’x16 inches. But in reality it’s 4’x8’x actual length of the split.

Occasionally I will sell a face cord for extra cash and advertise them as 4’x8’x length of splits. I do this because my splits are sometimes shorter sometimes longer and average 14 to 16 inches.

Lots of people say they want to buy a cord but they might be thinking of face cord. People get that mixed up sometimes.

 

[woodhog73]

Also if your buying firewood from someone you don’t know make sure it’s dry. Get a moisture meter to check the wood before you load it up or before they dump it in your yard. They are cheap probably under $40 bucks for a meter. You can also tell if wood is dry by banging splits together. If they feel light and echo or sound a little hollow when banging them together the wood is fairly dry. If they make a heavy thud sound it’s probably not dry enough. Not an exact science but gives you an idea if the wood was just cut this year or if it’s been drying for a year or two. This is very noticeable with oak.

 

[weatherguy]

Never heard the term face cord until I joined here, that term is never used here in New England, seems to cause confusion and us Yankess keep things simple.

 

[bholler]

Never heard the term face cord until I joined here, that term is never used here in New England, seems to cause confusion and us Yankess keep things simple.

It was new to me as well. Here a cord is a cord.

 

[begreen]

Never heard the term face cord until I joined here, that term is never used here in New England, seems to cause confusion and us Yankess keep things simple.

I recall this when we lived in CT. Not a new thing. It's common enough in the Northeast for states to have specifics on the topic in their weights and measures documentation.

https://www.mass.gov/service-details/firewood-sales

 

[Manly]

Never heard the term face cord until I joined here, that term is never used here in New England, seems to cause confusion and us Yankess keep things simple.

Amen to that. Have been burning wood for 35 years and the cord was the only measure I ever heard of until I found this forum. And what a wonderful forum it is. However all this talk about face cords, half face, ricks, rick’s face, big loads, half loads and rick’s face load is enough to keep this Yankee here in CT, and that is saying a lot.

 

[begreen]

It's been decades since I moved from Connecticut so I just checked with a friend that was born and raised in CT and heats with wood. He knew what a face cord is right away. This definition is provided by a CT wood seller. Still that's no reason to move out of CT. It has some beautiful spots and my heart will always be in the Berkshires.

• A face cord or rick of wood is four feet high by eight feet long and is as wide as the individual firewood pieces, but averages 16 inches wide. A 16-inch wide face cord is equal to one-third of a full cord. https://bartstreeservice.com/buy-firewood-connecticut/

FWIW this CT wood seller sells face cords
(broken link removed)

 

[Manly]

It's been decades since I moved from Connecticut so I just checked with a friend that was born and raised in CT and heats with wood. He knew what a face cord is right away. This definition is provided by a CT wood seller. Still that's no reason to move out of CT. It has some beautiful spots and my heart will always be in the Berkshires.

• A face cord or rick of wood is four feet high by eight feet long and is as wide as the individual firewood pieces, but averages 16 inches wide. A 16-inch wide face cord is equal to one-third of a full cord. https://bartstreeservice.com/buy-firewood-connecticut/

FWIW this CT wood seller sells face cords
(broken link removed)

Oh I wouldn’t move out of CT over wood terminology. I have been here 62 years and getting ready to move out for the same reasons the other 110,000 people move out this year.

 

[weatherguy]

I try to stay away from Connecticut.

 

[jetsam]

Wikipedia has a solid definition (and also says that it is illegal to try to sell "face cords" in Canada).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord_(unit)

 

[georgepds]

Left CT at age 18 on the old NY New Haven and Hartford line. Stayed on the last car so I could see the railroad ties move by as an indication of distance. 50 years later I can still see them

Could not wait to get out at 18, but, maybe that's true of any young man in any small town CT or not

As to face cords.. I've heard about them

 

[Highbeam]

Never have seen anything but a cord offered for sale here in wa for the last 40 sum years. I suppose I’ve seen a picture of a loaded truck and the seller saying “this load for x dollars” but not naming the volume.

Even sellers are afraid of the buyers not knowing what a cord is.

 

[begreen]

Do a google search on WA State face cord, several hits. And if you're buying, this Bellevue seller has face cords at $160 delivered, ouch!
http://www.bellevuefirewood.com/buywood.html

 

[firefighterjake]

Never heard of a face cord, rick, etc. until I saw those terms on this site. Maybe it's the fact that I grew up with woodstoves and a family who would occasionally bring in some extra cash by cutting a few cords of pulp wood for sale . . . but a cord has and always will be 128 cubic feet (although I'm still old school and think in terms of 4 x 4 x 8 feet since that is how we use to do a lot of the pulp wood.)

 

[MagdalenaP]

Yeah, it's a canadian thing I guess. It's really a face cord, but they all say call it a cord, which it's not. Having 4 face cords delivered, which is basically a cord and a bit. Was supposed to be 4 cords for the winter, ugh, learning curve.

 

[MaintenanceMan]

The vast majority of folks in this area never use the term cord. Firewood is sold and referred to in "ricks". If someone wanted a cord of wood they'd buy three 16" cut ricks. or two 24" cut ricks. When I say "cord" of wood 99.9% of folks are clueless.

 

[Manly]

I try to stay away from Connecticut.

You are a wise man. Years ago we used to call MA taxachussets. The last laugh is on us. My wife and I are considering becoming Massholes in retirement, The Cape. We love it there.

 

[jetsam]

Wikipedia says that "rick" is a Midwestern term, but I spent more than 20 years there without ever hearing it.

On the other hand, I've never bought or sold wood, so maybe that explains it.

 

[wildbill7145]

One thing I've noticed here in small town Ontario since I started buying firewood is that it has to be one of the most unregulated industries I've ever seen. Most people pay cash. There's virtually no way to know how much inventory these guys have. I'm sure, like most things the bigger name sellers are probably legit to an extent but there's lots of smaller scale guys around here with splitters and a chain saw who pay zero taxes on their income.

 

[Ashful]

I try to stay away from Connecticut.

Connecticut is great, other than the insane cost of living, and their drivers.

Yeah, it's a canadian thing I guess. It's really a face cord, but they all say call it a cord, which it's not. Having 4 face cords delivered, which is basically a cord and a bit. Was supposed to be 4 cords for the winter, ugh, learning curve.

As you've already figured out, cord is a unit of volume, 128 cubic feet. A face cord is ironically not even a unit of volume, it is a unit of area, 4' x 8' x whatever the hell you want. You could take parque flooring blocks, stack them to 4' x 8', and it is a face cord. But that won't keep you warm for long.

The good news is that, even at 3x your anticipated cost, it is still likely the cheapest form of heat going. Also, having a stove in your living room is a heck of a lot more fun than gathering around the boiler in the utility room, on a snowy winter night.

 

[jetsam]

Also, having a stove in your living room is a heck of a lot more fun than gathering around the boiler in the utility room, on a snowy winter night.

You, sir, have been attending the wrong sort of boiler room parties.

 

[vwmike]

One thing I've noticed here in small town Ontario since I started buying firewood is that it has to be one of the most unregulated industries I've ever seen. Most people pay cash. There's virtually no way to know how much inventory these guys have. I'm sure, like most things the bigger name sellers are probably legit to an extent but there's lots of smaller scale guys around here with splitters and a chain saw who pay zero taxes on their income.

Who cares?

 

[rowerwet]

caveat emptor