Cord Wood

[Dave70968]

After several rounds with unscrupulous sellers trying to play games with me regarding the quantity of wood (one tried to tell me that a "cord"--which he originally wrote in his ad as a "quart"--was "a term for multiple ricks," and a rick contains 80 logs), I hunted down the actual legal definition, in an official .gov (NIST, National Institute of Standards and Technology) publication: NIST Handbook 130, Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities.
https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/04/28/ivb-methsale-h130-15-final.pdf (I've attached a copy in case the link changes).

See definition 2.4.1.2, on page 115:

2.4.1.2. Cord. – The amount of wood that is contained in a space of 128 [cubic feet] when the wood is ranked and well stowed. For the purpose of this regulation, “ranked and well stowed” shall be construed to mean that pieces of wood are placed in a line or row, with individual pieces touching and parallel to each other, and stacked in a compact manner.​

Anybody using any other definition is at best ignorant, and at worst dishonest.

So, the next time somebody tries to pull a fast one on you, you now have an authoritative source to ask him to give you an accurate, meaningful, consistent number.

 

[dennishoddy]

Back in the day when we cut firewood for sale to support the kids ATC Motocross expenses, a rick was understood to be 4' high and 8' long with a 16" log length. Some customers wanted what they called stove wood that is 12" long. That was a lot of work for not a high profit, but it beat paying for gym time, and the extra money paid for parts, entry fees, etc.
Never heard of the 80 log definition.

 

[Dave70968]

Back in the day when we cut firewood for sale to support the kids ATC Motocross expenses, a rick was understood to be 4' high and 8' long with a 16" log length. Some customers wanted what they called stove wood that is 12" long. That was a lot of work for not a high profit, but it beat paying for gym time, and the extra money paid for parts, entry fees, etc.
Never heard of the 80 log definition.

"Rick" may have had a commonly-understood definition, but it varies regionally, and sometimes by vendor, so you have to clarify.

"Cord" has a formal, recognized definition, and, in fact, it's use is mandatory in advertising and contracting for fireplace and stove wood; see 2.4.3:

2.4.3. Quantity. – Fireplace and stove wood shall be advertised, offered for sale, and soldonly by measure, using the term “cord” and fractional parts of a cord or the cubic meter, except that: [a bunch of stuff that will rarely apply].​

Again, most people don't know this. But it's there.

(And before anybody gets after me for looking to the government to regulate the sale of firewood, I'd note that the Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 5 explicitly gives Congress the power to "fix the Standard of Weights and Measures. It really is their job.)

 

[dennishoddy]

"Rick" may have had a commonly-understood definition, but it varies regionally, and sometimes by vendor, so you have to clarify.

"Cord" has a formal, recognized definition, and, in fact, it's use is mandatory in advertising and contracting for fireplace and stove wood; see 2.4.3:

2.4.3. Quantity. – Fireplace and stove wood shall be advertised, offered for sale, and soldonly by measure, using the term “cord” and fractional parts of a cord or the cubic meter, except that: [a bunch of stuff that will rarely apply].​

Again, most people don't know this. But it's there.

(And before anybody gets after me for looking to the government to regulate the sale of firewood, I'd note that the Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 5 explicitly gives Congress the power to "fix the Standard of Weights and Measures. It really is their job.)

I'm betting if you walk up to a firewood vendor with this information, he would tell you to go pound sand. You get what he offers at his price.
I remember the big hooraw about the size of firewood years ago after we didn't' do it any longer. Honestly I don't know anyone around here that buys a cord of firewood. Its sold in the newspaper, etc as a rick. Dimensions as I posted earlier.

 

[Shadowrider]

You are both correct. 3 ricks = 1 cord. Been that way for as long as I can remember.

The math is:
16" is 1.333 feet
4' x 8' x 1.333' = 42.667 cft. So 42.667 x 3 =128cft

yes I rounded.

 

[MacFromOK]

All my life, a rick has been a stack of wood 4ft high x 8ft long, with varying wood length.

4ft long wood makes it a cord, 2ft long makes it a half-cord, and anything else is just a rick. Technically, any length would be a fraction of a cord, but most folks just don't care.

For a couple years, I had some wood guys that would cut ours 24" long for our Franklin stove.

 

[davek]

You are both correct. 3 ricks = 1 cord. Been that way for as long as I can remember.

The math is:
16" is 1.333 sf
4' x 8' x 1.333' = 42.667sf. So 42.667 x 3 =128sf

yes I rounded.

Ummmm

16" is approx. 1.333 ft or exactly 4/3 ft
4' x 8' x (4/3)' = (128/3) or approximately 42.667 cubic ft. square feet is a measurement of area, not a measure of volume

 

[Shadowrider]

Ummmm

16" is approx. 1.333 ft or exactly 4/3 ft
4' x 8' x (4/3)' = (128/3) or approximately 42.667 cubic ft. square feet is a measurement of area, not a measure of volume

Yes I goofed. It is length. Edited!
L x W = Area
L x W x H = Volume

 

[dennishoddy]

We even get a math class from this thread!

 

[davek]

You are both correct. 3 ricks = 1 cord. Been that way for as long as I can remember.

The math is:
16" is 1.333 feet
4' x 8' x 1.333' = 42.667sf. So 42.667 x 3 =128sf

yes I rounded.

Fail.Cubic feet, not square feet.