Calculate Your Firewood Needs
Enter your home size and heating details above, then tap Calculate to see how many cords you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
The average American home of 1,500 square feet with decent insulation typically requires 3-5 full cords of hardwood for a 5-month heating season when using an efficient wood stove. Homes in colder climates, larger spaces, or with poor insulation may need 6-8 cords. Softwood burns faster and produces less heat per cord, so you will need roughly 30-50% more cords if burning pine or spruce compared to oak or hickory.
A full cord of firewood measures 128 cubic feet, typically stacked 4 feet high, 4 feet deep, and 8 feet wide. A face cord (also called a rick) has the same height and width but is only one-third the depth at about 16 inches, containing roughly 42-43 cubic feet. When buying firewood, always confirm whether the seller means a full cord or face cord, as prices and quantities differ significantly — a face cord is approximately one-third of a full cord.
Hickory leads among common North American firewood species at approximately 27.7 million BTU per cord when seasoned. Oak and maple follow closely at around 24 million BTU per cord. Dense hardwoods consistently outperform softwoods because their tightly packed wood fibers contain more energy per volume. For comparison, pine produces only about 15.9 million BTU per cord, meaning you would need nearly twice as much pine to match the heat output of hickory.
Most firewood species should be seasoned (air-dried) for 6 to 12 months before burning. Hardwoods like oak and hickory benefit from 12 to 18 months of seasoning time due to their density. Properly seasoned firewood has a moisture content below 20%, which produces more heat, less smoke, and less creosote buildup in your chimney. You can test moisture with an inexpensive moisture meter, or check for cracked end grain and a hollow sound when two pieces are struck together.
The cost comparison depends on local firewood and gas prices, plus your appliance efficiency. At average 2024 prices, heating with an EPA-certified stove using hardwood at $250-350 per cord often costs 30-50% less than natural gas heating in rural areas. However, gas furnaces typically operate at 90-95% efficiency compared to 70-80% for the best wood stoves. Factor in the labor of cutting, splitting, stacking, and loading firewood when making your decision.
A standard full-size pickup truck bed (8 feet long) can hold approximately one-third to one-half of a full cord when wood is stacked neatly to the top of the bed rails. A short-bed pickup (6.5 feet) holds even less, roughly one-quarter of a cord. Never rely on "a truck load" as a measurement when purchasing firewood, as this is not a standardized quantity and varies dramatically based on truck size and how the wood is loaded.
Avoid burning green (unseasoned) wood, which produces excessive smoke and dangerous creosote buildup. Never burn painted, treated, or pressure-treated lumber, as these release toxic chemicals including arsenic. Avoid burning driftwood (high salt content corrodes stoves), plywood and particleboard (toxic glue fumes), and any wood from trees that were diseased with fungal infections. Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac vines should never be burned as the smoke carries the urushiol oil that causes severe allergic reactions.
Stack firewood off the ground on pallets or rails to prevent moisture absorption and insect infestation. Keep stacks at least 20 feet from your home to reduce pest and fire risks. Cover the top with a tarp or firewood cover to protect from rain and snow, but leave the sides exposed for air circulation. Store wood bark-side up in the top row so rain sheds off naturally. Bring only a few days' worth inside at a time to avoid bringing insects into your home.
For most residential wood stoves and fireplace inserts, firewood should be cut to 16 inches in length and split to 3-6 inches in diameter. Larger stoves may accommodate 18-20 inch pieces. Splits in the 3-4 inch range ignite faster and are ideal for quick fires, while 5-6 inch splits provide longer burn times for overnight heating. Always check your stove manufacturer specifications for maximum recommended piece size.
What Is the Firewood Calculator?
The firewood calculator is a free tool that estimates exactly how many cords of firewood you need to heat your home through the season. Enter your square footage, wood species, appliance type, and insulation quality — and it does the math using real BTU data from university forestry research.
Most homeowners guess when ordering firewood. That usually means buying too little (running out in February) or too much (paying for wood that rots in the yard). This calculator closes that gap with numbers you can actually trust.
It's built for anyone who heats with wood: homeowners with wood stoves, families with fireplace inserts, off-grid cabin owners, and anyone comparing heating costs before the season starts. The BTU output varies significantly by species — hickory puts out nearly twice the heat of cedar per cord — so getting the wood type right matters as much as the quantity. Learn more about how we built it on our about page.
Firewood Guide: What You Need to Know Before You Buy
Understanding Cord Measurements
A full cord is the legal standard: 128 cubic feet of stacked wood, typically 4 ft × 4 ft × 8 ft. A face cord (sometimes called a rick) is the same height and width but only about 16 inches deep — roughly one-third of a full cord. A cord of firewood sold by a reputable dealer will come with a measurement you can verify. Be wary of sellers who quote "a pickup load" — that's not a standardized unit and can vary by 50% depending on truck size and how loosely the wood is stacked.
Choosing the Right Wood Species
For maximum heat output, hardwoods are the clear choice. Hickory tops the list at 27.7 million BTU per cord, followed by oak and maple at around 24 million. Birch offers a middle ground at 20.8 million — easier to split than oak and widely available in the northeast. Pine (15.9 million BTU/cord) and spruce (15.5 million) are cheaper per cord but burn faster and produce more creosote buildup in your flue. If you use softwood, plan to clean your chimney more frequently and keep a moisture meter handy — softwoods are particularly prone to burning wet if not properly seasoned.
Seasoning vs. Kiln-Dried Firewood
Seasoned firewood is wood that has been air-dried for 6–18 months until moisture content drops below 20%. Fresh-cut (green) wood can hold 40–50% moisture — burning it wastes energy boiling off water and generates excessive creosote. Kiln-dried firewood is dried in industrial ovens to below 15–20% moisture in just a few days. It's ready to burn immediately and lights faster, but it typically costs 20–40% more per cord. For most homeowners, well-seasoned wood is the better value — just plan ahead and buy next year's supply in spring. You can check moisture with an inexpensive pin-type moisture meter (under $20 at most hardware stores).
Storing Firewood Properly
Stack firewood off the ground on pallets or rails to prevent moisture absorption and rot. Keep stacks at least 20 feet from your home to reduce pest and fire risk. Cover the top row with a tarp or dedicated firewood cover, but leave the sides open — airflow is what dries wood; sealed stacks stay damp and harbor insects. A well-stacked, covered cord of wood in a dry location can last 3–5 years without significant deterioration. See our full guide on how to stack and store firewood for detailed tips.
Who Should Use This Calculator?
This tool is for anyone who heats with wood and wants a concrete number before they order. If you've ever run out of firewood in late January, or ended the season with a full cord rotting in the yard, this is the planning tool you needed.
Homeowners with wood stoves get the most value here — the appliance efficiency setting makes a dramatic difference in the final cord estimate, and most wood stove owners don't account for it when ordering. Fireplace insert owners often underestimate their needs because inserts vary widely in efficiency (50–75%); this tool lets you dial in your specific unit. Off-grid cabin and tiny home owners find this especially useful because they're often entirely dependent on wood heat with no backup — getting the estimate wrong has real consequences.
Firewood dealers use the calculator to help customers estimate their seasonal needs — it's a useful sales and planning tool. New homeowners who just moved into a home with a fireplace or stove and have no historical reference will find it invaluable for their first season. Finally, anyone comparing firewood costs against gas or electric heating can use the estimated cost output to run a real side-by-side analysis.
ToolSite Team
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