For those of you that have been blowing through firewood, you may be asking yourself: Should I buy in bulk? You may have even heard the words “rick”, “cord”, or “face cord” and to make matters even more confusing, you may have been given different definitions to each one of these terms. We’re here to set the record straight! (and take you back to geometry class)
Before we cover these terms, the most important takeaway here is that the amounts are based off of cubic volume of firewood, not necessarily the dimensions of a stack.
What is a cord?
A cord of firewood is 128 cubic ft. of firewood. So in most cases we’re talking about rows of firewood stacked together neatly that result in an overall stack measuring 8ft. Long x 4ft Wide x 4 ft. High.
What is a rick?
This is where things get a little complicated and you’ll sometimes hear people’s definitions diverge. A rick of firewood does not necessarily have a standard cubic volume. Oftentimes, however, you’ll hear people refer to a rick or a face cord as a stack of wood measuring 8 ft. Long x 16 in. Wide x 4 ft. High. This would be the case for a single row of wood where the logs were cut at 16 inches. In this case a rick or a face cord would be exactly ⅓ of a cord. However, you may also find cases where a firewood seller cuts their logs somewhere between 18” to even 24” and calls an 8 ft. Long x 4 ft. High stack of that wood a rick. On the higher end, one stack of wood 8 ft. Long x 24 in. Wide x 4 ft. High would be exactly ½ of a cord. In the latter case you’d be getting more for your money if the price of the 16” stack and 24” stack were the same length and height. (Related Article: How to stack firewood)
Generally speaking, we find most firewood sellers accept that a ⅓ cord is a rick and most of us cut our logs to 16”.
How much wood do I need?
For most households casually having fires in an outdoor firepit and indoor fireplace, a cord is a lot more wood than you’re going to need in a given year.
Some general rules to follow (Please keep in mind there are several other factors that can play into these rules, but these can be used to estimate):
A 1 cubic ft. bundle of wood will last between 1-2 hours in most outdoor fire pits and 3-4 hours in an indoor fireplace
A half-rick of firewood would be ideal for the occasional “burner” who has 1-2 fires per week during the winter months.
If you’re not entirely sure how much firewood you need, we’ve built a Firewood Calculator to help you estimate what’s right for you and your family!