It’s not uncommon to hear: is cord a type of firewood?
As a well-established term, first used at the beginning of the 17th century, cord became more than just a measurement, but a reference for firewood sold in three specific countries: Canada, the United States of America and New Zealand.
To understand what a cord is, it’s necessary to track back in time and understand the importance of the imperial system in the past to quantify the materials and products for trade. As well as the stere measurement, the cord also became a commercial measurement method, and for these commercial reasons, as the name says, the wood was sold in stacks held together by a cord of rope.
At present, a cord of firewood represents 128 cubic feet, with the most traditional stack configuration being 8’ x 4’ x 4’. Also, it’s important to note that the stacks are set neatly with almost no air inside. Cord is especially used as a measurement of chopped firewood, stacked especially for the upcoming cold seasons. On the other hand, it’s perfectly acceptable to measure cords of stacked logs too, giving the gross volume and turning the trades easier. When translating to the metric system, a cord means the measurement of a pile 1.22m high, 1.22m deep and 2.44m long, giving the final result for a single cord, 3.62 cubic meters.
The particularities of the cord, as a commercial measurement, are usually regulated by state organizations, but disagreements can appear as soon as the firewood sellers rely on the so-called “cord foot”, that measures 4’ x 4’ x 1’. The measurement is a result of the practical use of the cord – home heating. This is a source of different issues and complaints between the parties, as the prices can be multiplied or divided according to the use of this firewood, as well as the real content of what’s stacked.
Don’t forget that are many different ways to evaluate the quality of your firewood, including:
- Dryness
- Length
- Cleanness
These characteristics are essential to be noticed since a drier, shorter and cleaner wood will provide a better result for its purpose.
To avoid some headaches regarding the cord measurement on round, unchopped wood, our team developed the cord measurement results together with the pile results, giving a better overview of the stack as a whole.
We want to know more about you: share your experiences with cord measurements with us, tell us if you have any doubts or suggestions here.
You can read more about cord here in regards to firewood.
