Cord of Wood
What exactly is a cord of wood? What are the cord of wood dimensions? What is the cord of wood weight? If you are looking for answers to these questions, about the firewood unit, you have landed on the right page. Read to know all about the cord of wood unit, its dimensions and weight.
It would be completely impossible to engage in a business of selling goods if there weren’t universally accepted units for quantifying things. Without units for measurement, it would be impossible to fix a value. While the standard units of measurement used for measurement of mass and length like kilogram and meter are universally acceptable, there are local units like ‘cord’, which have a limited use in certain areas or countries. A cord of wood is one such measure which arose out of a need to measure firewood and pulpwood sold in USA and Canada. The aim of this Buzzle article is to acquaint you with what is a cord of wood and what are its exact dimensions.
What exactly is a Cord of Wood?
Many homes, throughout USA, still use the traditional fireplaces and need a constant supply of firewood. A cord of wood is a unit used to measure the volume of firewood or pulpwood. A cord of wood is exactly 128 cubic feet of firewood stacked together in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. Actually, you get only 85 cubic feet of wood as a lot of volume is taken up by air spaces within the stacked pieces.
If the volume is measured in meter cube, its exact volume would be quantified to be 3.62 m 3. The unit has been in use since 17th century, and has its etymological origin in the fact that ‘cords’ were used to tie and measure the stacks of firewood. It has been in use since then and has been standardized to be the official unit of firewood measurement. Let us see what are the dimensions of a cord of firewood in the next section.
Cord of Wood: Dimensions You could measure the dimensions of a cord of wood in feet or in meters. If you measure it in meters, the exact cord of wood dimensions
are 4 feet x 4 feet x 8 feet. If you prefer measuring in meters, the dimensions of a cord of wood are (1.21 meter x 1.21 meter x 2.43 meter).
When measuring the dimensions, make sure that the wood logs or pieces are stacked together properly and close together. Otherwise, if they are loosely packed together, you may be measuring the dimensions exactly, but won’t get the exact amount of wood which you are paying for. That’s why make sure, that you are getting a well-stacked cord of wood, with minimum spacing between pieces.
Cord of Wood: Weight
The cord of wood is only a measure of its dimensions or volume. Its weight will vary according to the density of wood which you are buying. Depending on whether it’s softwood or hardwood, its density and its weight will vary substantially. So there is no absolute value of the weight of a cord of wood and it may vary from 1900 pounds to more than 3600 pounds. In the timber market shops selling firewood, you will find detailed information about the weight of firewood according to the wood species. Cord of wood prices will also vary according to the species of wood and the market rates.
So, now that you know how much is a cord of wood, next time you go shopping to the lumberyard for firewood or pulpwood, you will be able to tell exactly how much you need. As discussed before, while buying a cord of wood or any of its fractions, make sure that the lumberyard guy has stacked the wood properly and neatly, so that you get the exact volume which you pay for. It is a good idea, to carry a measurement tape when you go buying firewood. That way, you can actually measure the cord of wood arranged and ensure that you are buying the right quantity.
