# How much should a cord of firewood cost me?



## Sheripoms

Just wondering how much a cord should cost? I had a guy tell me that he would bring it and stack it for 185.00. Is that an ok deal?


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## mayfair

We ordered a cord delivered/stacked for $220. It depends on where you live what you pay.


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## copperkid3

It also depends on the type of wood that you are getting. Dry, split and well-seasoned oak, cherry, walnut or hickory is worth a lot more than still wet swamp willow or cottonwood. But most importantly is the unit of measure; ie what you are expecting to get and what the seller is planning on delivering. Make sure you are *BOTH* on the same page regarding this important part of the deal. A cord of wood is the *ONLY* standard of measure and is noted as follows: 4' high x 4' wide x 8' long which equals 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked and presenting a nearly solid wall of wood. Anything else and someone is being shorted.
Don't fall for those "face" cords most are trying to sell those city slickers, when it could be anything less than a full cord; it usually amounts to 1/3 of a full cord, but who really knows except the seller. Forewarned is forearmed and knowledge is power. Use it to your benefit. :goodjob:


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## tanksoldier

Yup. Make sure it is a full 4x4x8 cord nice and squared off and make sure they stack it tight.

Ideally you should see it stacked before you buy it and have it delivered. A really good wood guy will have his cords stacked, you pick the one you want, he loads it up, delivers and stacks it for you. If you didn't see it stacked beforehand, once it's been dropped off and stacked for you it's a bit tougher to say that it isn't quite kosher.


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## stranger

It's 200-250 per cord delivered and just dumped here, I get 150. per cord picked up at my yd. mine is stacked, you can measure it, restack it tighter and still have more than a cord. All hardwood, mostly Oak,locust,cherry,Ash. seasoned over 1 year, there is no sizzeling of the water being evaporated as it burns.
A cord of hardwood is about 12,500,000 BTUs of heat
A hundred gallons of heating oil is 13,600,000 BTU of heat.
Natural gas has a 1000 to 1100 BTUs per cubic foot.
Propane has 2519 BTUs per cubic ft or 21,670 BTUs per pound or 92,600 BTUs per gallon.
A ton of coal is 25,000,000 BTUs.
wood is still the cheapest heat in New England, real cheap if you have the woods. I cut 30-40 cord just to stay in shape, but there are guys around me that are cutting a couple hundred cord as part of their business along with plowing snow and mowing lawns and land scaping in the summer, they are having a hard time buying the logs to cut this year as more home owners are burning wood and the logger can get about 900. for a 8 cord load of logs from the home owner and the guys that buy from them every yr want it for 700 a load as the have to pay help to cut,split, deliver it. 
I've had many people ask if they can pick up the dead stuff in my woods but today it don't pay to be nice, a person walks in the woods and gets hurt, then he owns the woods after he gets done sueing.


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## beaglebiz

we buy our wood from a tree service, mostly oak and maple. I think I paid 110 not stacked (we buy from him every year, and he always gives us a more than fair cord, plus a some cherrywood for smoking). Of course, I bought mine in June when I was worried about the cost to heat this fall. 3X what we need (6 cords) because I didnt want to pay overinflated prices, and hope to use the woodburner more than the oil burner this year


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## stranger

Sheripoms said:


> Just wondering how much a cord should cost? I had a guy tell me that he would bring it and stack it for 185.00. Is that an ok deal?


 I don't think that is a bargin for a warm state like La, the seller isn't making a huge profit if he is paying help and delivering it very far. I figured there were trees down all over the place down there, maybe the guy gets paid for cleaning up the downed trees and taking them away, them selling the wood to, he could make a profit.


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## michiganfarmer

around here it is $55 to $75.

I want to clarify a little bit here. As far as I know full cords are not sold here split and delivered. The only thing that is sold cut to length, split, and delivered here are face cords. A pile 4 feet high, 8 feet long, and 12"-18" pieces.

Full cords are sold here, but only in semi loads, and they cost around $70 per cord and the buyer has to cut and split their own.


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## Helena

Noticed yesterday a sign that was selling wood for $60 a fce cord. So that would make it..uh..$180 a full cord. I think that is very high in cost. We buy the huge truck load of log length pole wood to cut and split ouselves and suppose to get 20 tons of wood on it. Cost..$625. Now don't ask me how many cords that is but I know it will take us through the winter with heating 2 to 3 wood stoves and some left over to begin next winter too. We do also have seasoned wood from a few years back. I think everyone is taking everyone for a ride this year with fuel prices. I am just so very thankful that I don't heat my house with gas, electric or oil. I would freeze to death for sure. Sometimes the state parks will give you a permit for a few dollars to cut up downed trees in the park. I guess they still do that..at least they did around here a few years back. I would check into that too. Good Luck..and stay warm.


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## GrannyG

We just bought a cord of oak....beautiful wood, they even stacked it for us...$100


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## big rockpile

Around here most want $50-$80 a cord.We're getting it for $32 a cord but we have to haul it.

big rockpile


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## Itilley

We paid $200 for our first cord of dry wood and $250 for the next. Now it is up to $300 but I think I can get them down on the price some. I have seen wood going for $225 a cord for green wood. I don't have a lot of storage place and dh and I are not able to be going out in the snow to haul wood in so we have 2 cord on our poorch and will get more if needed.

RenieB


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## Gary in ohio

Sheripoms said:


> Just wondering how much a cord should cost? I had a guy tell me that he would bring it and stack it for 185.00. Is that an ok deal?


Kind of like asking what does a car cost. Its going to depend on what you get.
hard or soft wood, How dry it is. Compare a couple of people and take the best deal. How much it cost in ohio doesnt matter if your not in ohio. Woods going to be a very local/regional priced item.


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## pheasantplucker

Don't be "put off" by the sticker shock...Sometimes folks see $150+ for a cord of wood and they moan and groan...People who have cut, split, hauled and stacked any know how much hard work goes into every cord. Especially if it's felled in an area that's hard to access. Some good advice here. A full true cord measures 4x4x8=128 cubic feet of wood. There should be a mix of smaller stuff (diameter) mixed with the larger, so it's stacked fairly tightly. Seasoned wood = higher price...hard wood = only kind. Ash, oak, cherry, hickory = all good


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## hillsidedigger

At most of the prices I see here for firewood it appears heating oil would be a better value. Cutting your own wood within a few hundred feet of your own back door might make make the equation workable.


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## Nevada

mayfair said:


> It depends on where you live what you pay.


I'll say! I used to live in Orange County, California and saw a firewood ad the the Penny Saver. This would have been in the mid-1980s. I called the number and the conversation when something like this.

Me: How much for a cord of firewood?
Him: You don't want a cord of firewood.
Me: Yes, I do want a cord of firewood.
Him: You don't know what a cord of firewood is.
Me: I know exactly what a cord of firewood is.
Him: You would never burn that much firewood.
Me: Well, then how do you sell your firewood.
Him: By the 1/8th cord.
Me: Okay, how much for an 1/8th cord?
Him: $115.
Me: CLICK!!!

That would have been $920 for a cord of firewood 20 years ago, and that was way back when $920 was still a lot of money.

I guess that was my que to leave the oil business and go into the firewood business.


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## HermitJohn

I just never thought wood was worth it unless you cut it yourself and got it for price of fuel and chainsaw wear and tear. But the real answer is to figure exactly how much wood you are getting and what kind and how well seasoned (people do lie, even wood sellers). Then compare to what simular energy content gas, oil, coal, electric cost along with efficency of whatever appliance necessary to use them. Also the cost to convert to using different kind of fuel. 

My notion the best investment is to super insulate your house to the point you can heat it with a 5000 watt portable electric heater. This is theoretically possible even in big old houses, though much cheaper to super insulate when originally building the house, at that point it really doesnt cost lot more than standard construction, though you need to find builder willing to pay attention to details. Many unfortunately want to slap a house up as quick as possible and do it the way they always done it. Lot little air leaks add up to equivalent of leaving couple windows open. The devil is always in the detail.....


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## Sheripoms

One more stupid question. Do you guys cover your wood so it won't rot? I could put it under my carport but I have heard people say that the termites will get into the house if you put it up against it. So should I put it out in my yard and just leave it without a cover?


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## Murron

We are paying $245 for split, seasoned, delivered. Not stacked. Last year it was $225 from the same family. All hardwood, and great stuff. 

Our stack in southwest facing, gets a good wind, and we cover the top with a tarp. There's also a good stack in the basement that waits and dries a little more before we bring it up and drop it into the holder next to the woodstove. :cowboy:


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## mwhit

michiganfarmer said:


> around here it is $55 to $75.
> 
> I want to clarify a little bit here. As far as I know full cords are not sold here split and delivered. The only thing that is sold cut to length, split, and delivered here are face cords. A pile 4 feet high, 8 feet long, and 12"-18" pieces.
> 
> Full cords are sold here, but only in semi loads, and they cost around $70 per cord and the buyer has to cut and split their own.



Same here. Nobody sells wood by the full cord unless it is log lengths. I paid $60 per face cord (4x8), but it's cut 22 inches long. We bought 20 face cord for $1200 this year-- I got my last 5 cords this morning. Now I have to stack it :grump:

I could never heat this big house from Sept- May/June for that much using fuel oil at over $4 per gallon. I would only get about 250 gallons of fuel....


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## simplefarmgirl

here we are getting 250.-300.00 a cord for dry and 150.00-200 for green I am so glad we dont have to buy wood


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## sage_morgan

Sheripoms said:


> One more stupid question. Do you guys cover your wood so it won't rot? I could put it under my carport but I have heard people say that the termites will get into the house if you put it up against it. So should I put it out in my yard and just leave it without a cover?


I'm inexperienced, but we've been stacking wood for 9 yrs for our woodburner.
We don't cover our wood, but we burn it FAR before it can rot. Also, no matter what you do, if it's burnable, it's rottable, eventually. Wood that lies on the ground for a few years will rot. It's nature.

I would never stack wood against the house, you don't know who's living in that wood, and where you are, bugs are forever. Even where I live (Zone 5), bugs wake up when you bring them indoors.

We don't buy by the cord, but by the pickup load. Everyone measures by the pickupload. Last winter $85 per load. I just ordered some: $100.

You find out quickly if the person has split it enough and if it is dry enough.


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## radiofish

The locals around here want around $325.00 dollars (or more) for a full cord of "seasoned" Oak and Madrone not including delivery. Ouch!!!!!

That makes me sooooo glad that I am on 80 acres of second/ old growth timber. I am currently working on cutting, splitting, and hauling a few 80 to 100 feet long/ up to 3 feet in diameter Sitka Spruce and Doug Fir that fell 2 winters ago in a storm (at least 6 cords worth). I am too close to the ocean for Oak trees here. There are some Alder trees on the property that I am going to cut up soon. My chainsaw has an 18 inch bar, and sometimes it is not long enough to cut completely through the logs.

I have a dedicated woodshed here that will hold 4+ cords, yet I also fill a set of racks (T-posts and pallets) with a couple of extra cords of wood on the lower landing covered with a tarp to protect it from the heavy rains.


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## michiganfarmer

radiofish said:


> The locals around here want around $325.00 dollars (or more) for a full cord of "seasoned" Oak and Madrone not including delivery. Ouch!!!!!
> 
> .


Is that cut and split? 

Thats terrible! LOL


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## 11mulberry

Sheripoms said:


> Just wondering how much a cord should cost? I had a guy tell me that he would bring it and stack it for 185.00. Is that an ok deal?


The cost to purchase firewood varies across the country, but on average runs between $120.00 - $180.00 for a cord of wood that’s seasoned and split. In the winter months, some areas can expect to pay as much between $280.00 to $400.00 per cord. It can pay to call around to several local places that sell firewood and compare costs. You may be surprised at what you can save with a few phone calls. Here is a guide to wood pricing and understanding how much wood is in a cord. I hope this helps.https://11mulberry.com/2018/04/30/how-much-is-a-cord-of-wood/


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## ticndig

I bet wood cost more now than it did 8 years ago .


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## MichaelZ

Sheripoms said:


> One more stupid question. Do you guys cover your wood so it won't rot? I could put it under my carport but I have heard people say that the termites will get into the house if you put it up against it. So should I put it out in my yard and just leave it without a cover?


If it is dry and ready to burn, you could leave outside as long as you use it in a season. If it is green, then it should be covered with air circulation. I have mine in a shed after it is cut and split with the large garage door always left open - it dries nicely. I have some logs that are 3+ years old now and they are up against the shed with a large tarp angled down over them with lots of good air circulation - they held up great and the smaller ones are burnable, which came in handy this cold winter when we ran out of firewood. A great way to get wood is ask around after a big bad storm - many people would love to have you cut up their downed wood. Also, watch for utility cutting - better yet since they will often cut the wood and limb it, leaving only the long logs to cut up for free, provided you have owner permission.


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## Wolf mom

11mulberry said:


> The cost to purchase firewood varies across the country, but on average runs between $120.00 - $180.00 for a cord of wood that’s seasoned and split. In the winter months, some areas can expect to pay as much between $280.00 to $400.00 per cord. It can pay to call around to several local places that sell firewood and compare costs. You may be surprised at what you can save with a few phone calls. Here is a guide to wood pricing and understanding how much wood is in a cord. I hope this helps.https://11mulberry.com/2018/04/30/how-much-is-a-cord-of-wood/


You do know you answered a post from 2008, don't you?


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## AmericanStand

11mulberry said:


> The cost to purchase firewood varies across the country, but on average runs between $120.00 - $180.00 for a cord of wood that’s seasoned and split. In the winter months, some areas can expect to pay as much between $280.00 to $400.00 per cord. It can pay to call around to several local places that sell firewood and compare costs. You may be surprised at what you can save with a few phone calls. Here is a guide to wood pricing and understanding how much wood is in a cord. I hope this helps.https://11mulberry.com/2018/04/30/how-much-is-a-cord-of-wood/


 Whoever wrote the story in the link obviously knows nothing at all about firewood , burning wood or math. 
What a embarrassment !
The prices quoted seem to be pure speculation and since the writer can’t get facts right I’d certainly not trust their speculations !


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## AmericanStand

ticndig said:


> I bet wood cost more now than it did 8 years ago .


I’d take that bet.


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## AmericanStand

Wolf mom said:


> You do know you answered a post from 2008, don't you?


 The poster only has one post here and that’s for a bad clickbait.


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## ticndig

was poking a little fun at his response to an 8 year old post , I was not going to click the link to be schooled on firewood . I've heated with wood for 40 years and never pay for wood and often get paid to take down the tree .


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## AmericanStand

It seems to me like firewood prices are inversely proportionate to the economy.


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## wdcutrsdaughter

I don't know too much about firewood prices, which is ironic given my name here. But I do know I'm glad we won't be burning any for at least 5 months. yay spring!!


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## FarmboyBill

Ive never heard of a cord being sold here in Okla, tho I imagine wood does get sold that way. Rick sells for around $50/60 depending on the wood.


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## haypoint

FarmboyBill said:


> Ive never heard of a cord being sold here in Okla, tho I imagine wood does get sold that way. Rick sells for around $50/60 depending on the wood.


Wood measurements and terms vary by location. In Michigan, most firewood is sold by cord. But a cord isn't what you get. People think a cord is a stack of wood 8 feet long, 4 feet tall and about 16 inches long. But the "real" legal measurement for a cord is 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet. Some attempt to clarify it by "face cord" and "pulp cord" . Average hardwood goes for $45 to $55 per face cord. It takes about 3 face cords to make a pulp cord. A pulp cord of cut, split hardwood costs about $150. That's more than you'll get in a pickup truck load.


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## AmericanStand

Lol depends on who loads the pickup !


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## AmericanStand

The “cord “ is one of the most useless of legal definitions in the end it means little more than “some” A light wood Thinly stacked and very green can result in very few net BTUs for burning.


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## haypoint

AmericanStand said:


> The “cord “ is one of the most useless of legal definitions in the end it means little more than “some” A light wood Thinly stacked and very green can result in very few net BTUs for burning.


A cord is easily understood and an easily measured unit. Pine, oak, dry or green, a cord is always a cord, 4 by 4 by 8.
Selling wood by weight is pointless. Even though a pound of dry wood has about the same BTU per pound, no matter if oak or poplar.
If you are wanting to calculate how much a million BTU costs, that's something different. I doubt that even if you knew the BTU of a truck load of wood that it would be of much use. Each furnace has a varying level of efficiency. How you load it, damper it and wood size throws a lot of BYU up the stack. An air tight stove that is closely watched can get a lot of BTU from dry poplar that an open furnace, filled and forgotten will blow through in a flash.


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## AmericanStand

Easy ? Lol Stacking a cord of wood to measure it’s a pain. Running it over a scale is easy. 
Scale it and jab it with a moisture meter and you know what you have. Buy a cord of wood and you don’t. 
You can stack a cord of wood then the next guy can take that same wood and stack two cords so how much can it really mean ?


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