How Much Firewood Do I Need for a Winter? Cords, Rack Math and Drying Time

The stove gets lit on the first cold morning, and by Thanksgiving the pile by the back door already looks short. West Virginia University Extension says a 1,500-square-foot home might burn about four cords of seasoned wood in an average heating season. A cord is 128 cubic feet: 8 feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet deep. For part-time heat or a weekend fireplace, use the one-week test below.

Quick pick: order by the full cord, measure it on arrival, and keep it on a rack off the ground with only the top covered, as the EPA advises.

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How many cords for a winter

Wood is your main heat, about 1,500 sq ft: about 4 cords in an average season (WVU Extension).

Scale by floor area: 4 cords ÷ 1,500 sq ft is about 2.7 cords per 1,000 sq ft, or 5.3 for 2,000 sq ft. It's a straight-line estimate; climate, insulation and the stove move it.

Wood is half your heat: start near half, about 2 cords for 1,500 sq ft.

Weekend fireplace or backup stove: use the one-week test.

Not a fit: wood as the only heat in a very cold climate. Run the burn test and get the stove and chimney checked.

The one-week burn test

Mark a stack: 4 ft long × 4 ft high, with 16-inch logs (1.33 ft), is 21.3 cubic feet, one-sixth of a cord.

Burn only from it for 7 days. Say it lasts exactly a week.

Multiply: November through March is about 22 weeks. 22 × 1/6 = 3.7, so plan on 4 cords.

Cord, face cord and pickup loads

Full cord: 128 cubic feet, but University of Illinois Extension says it's closer to 80 to 90 cubic feet of actual wood because of the gaps.

Face cord or rick: Illinois Extension says these are often smaller than a cord. With 16-inch logs, an 8 × 4 ft face is 42.7 cubic feet, a third of a cord.

Pickup truck: wood thrown in to the top of a standard bed is about one-third of a cord, or about one-half if neatly stacked (Illinois Extension).

Check the delivery: length × width × height of the stack, ÷ 128.

How to dry and store firewood

Season it: the EPA says at least six months. WVU Extension says six months to more than a year, depending on weather, wood type and storage.

Test it: the EPA says wood burns best below 20 percent moisture; check with a moisture meter. WVU says cracked ends show at least the ends are dry.

Stack it: outdoors, off the ground, with only the top covered; covering the sides traps moisture (EPA). WVU says not directly against any structure.

Rack math: an 8 × 4 ft rack of 16-inch logs holds about a third of a cord, so 4 cords fill about 12 racks. Treat a maker's "half cord" label as a rough size, not a full cord: by the same math, a 95 × 14 × 48 in rack holds about 37 cubic feet, under a third of a cord.

Buy local: WVU says moving firewood spreads emerald ash borer and other forest pests.

Hauling splits to the rack? See the best wheelbarrow for gravel.

Firewood racks and a moisture meter (#ad)

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VIVOHOME 8 ft Heavy Duty Firewood Rack with Cover — steel, 95 × 14 × 48 in, wood 5.1 in off the ground; the half cover goes over the top, per the maker. See it on Amazon

Mr IRONSTONE 8 ft Adjustable Firewood Rack — length and height adjust, and it keeps logs 4.13 in off the ground, per the maker. No cover; tarp the top only. See it on Amazon

General Tools MMD4E Moisture Meter — the low-cost pick: a pin meter reading 5 to 50 percent on wood, per the maker. See it on Amazon

Firewood FAQ

How much firewood do I need for a winter? About 4 cords for a 1,500 sq ft home heated mainly with wood, per WVU Extension. About half that if wood is half your heat.

How big is a cord of wood? 128 cubic feet, stacked 8 × 4 × 4 ft (WVU Extension). A face cord of 16-inch logs is about a third of that.

How long does firewood need to dry? At least six months, the EPA says; WVU says up to more than a year.

How much firewood fits in a pickup truck? About a third of a cord thrown in, about half stacked (Illinois Extension).

Watch Curb Calc on YouTube: youtube.com/@curbcalc

Sources: West Virginia University Extension, Ben Spong, Heating with Firewood, last reviewed May 23, 2017; University of Illinois Extension, Firewood: Buying and Selling; U.S. EPA Burn Wise, Best Wood-Burning Practices.