Cord Firewood Calculator
Estimate stacked cords, loose-load equivalents, bag count, and total firewood weight for campsite, RV, and off-grid burn planning.
🪵Project Presets
📏Calculator Inputs
⚖Wood Density Grid (Per Cord)
📊Coverage by Stack Depth
| Depth | Area per Full Cord | Area per Face Cord | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 in | 192 sq ft | 64 sq ft | 17.84 m² / 5.95 m² |
| 12 in | 128 sq ft | 42.7 sq ft | 11.89 m² / 3.97 m² |
| 16 in | 96 sq ft | 32 sq ft | 8.92 m² / 2.97 m² |
| 24 in | 64 sq ft | 21.3 sq ft | 5.95 m² / 1.98 m² |
| 30 in | 51.2 sq ft | 17.1 sq ft | 4.76 m² / 1.59 m² |
📦Bag and Bulk Conversion Table
| Pack Type | Volume per Bag | Bags per Cord | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Bundle | 0.75 cu ft | 171 | Weekend fire pit |
| Camp Bundle | 1.00 cu ft | 128 | Short trips |
| Utility Bag | 1.50 cu ft | 86 | Cabin backup |
| Large Bag | 2.00 cu ft | 64 | RV base camp |
| Contractor Sack | 3.00 cu ft | 43 | Long stay supply |
🏕Common Camp Project Sizes (at 16 in depth)
| Project Setup | Area | Cords Needed | 2 cu ft Bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Ring Weekend Cache | 32 sq ft | 0.17 cord | 11 |
| RV Patio Heater Stack | 48 sq ft | 0.25 cord | 16 |
| Family Site Week Reserve | 64 sq ft | 0.33 cord | 22 |
| Off-Grid Cabin Week | 96 sq ft | 0.50 cord | 32 |
| Cold Season Shoulder Stock | 128 sq ft | 0.67 cord | 43 |
📋Comparison Spec Grid
💡Planning Tips
String is unit for dry volume, used for measure firewood and pulpwood in United States and Canada. It is standard volume of wood for buying and selling of firewood. If you know that, you can more correctly estimate how many wood needs for wooden stove or fire.
Full string is pile of wood with measures 4 feet wide, 4 feet high and 8 feet long. That matches to 128 cubic feet. Commonly that amount appears as three piles of logs, that together involves 4 in 4 in 8 feet.
What Is a String of Firewood
Full string can carry around 600 until 800 logs. When the wood is well banked and properly preserved, the bits recline in sequences, alongside, touching one another and flatly arranged.
String of wood can weigh between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds average. The 128 cubic feet include also the airspaces between the wood pieces. That volume ranges according to if the bits are round or split, and according to how much little you split the bits.
For instance, string of 16-inch wood, unseasoned, “cast” firewood, estimated are 180 cubic feet, but when you bank it, it should show 128 cubic feet. Even so after splitting the pile shrinks in 6, 8%. String of 24-inch wood, unseasoned, “cast” firewood, are 195 cubic feet.
The industrial standard length for bit of firewood are 16 inches.
Many sellers use other names for different amounts of firewood. Between the terms locate running string, face string, stove string, standing string or bush string. Face string is occasionally called rick.
It is around 1/3 of full string. Face string has lead of 4 feet in 8 feet, but normally is only one sequence with depth of around 18 inches. Full string typically carries 600 until 800 bits of split firewood, during face string have approximately 200 until 275 bits.
Half string is 64 cubic feet. For do 1/2 string, the firewood in the pile requires to measure around 24 inches in length, for entire depth of 2 feet. Quarter string also exists and answer for outdoor pits and fires.
Folks commonly go to camp and require only little amount of wood instead of full string. Many campers buy tiny bags at campgrounds. Typical retail packages are 0.75 cubic feet, so are 170 packages in one string.
Some count that tiny bags in 6 dollars for bag result as 700 dollars for bush string. For those that drives with trailer, 12-foot trailer with 14-inch firewood cast loose keep basically one full string. 14-foot trailer keeps approximately 1.25 cords, and 16-foot trailer keeps around 1.5 cords.
Hardwoods widely are best for long lasting fire. Beechwood produce 27.5 million BTUs for string. For good campfire, slowly burning, smoldering pile of embers commonly are better than bright flaring fire.
