Definition of the Cord?

[Samlock]

There's a definition found in Wiki Cord (unit) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, yet I don't get it. "Ranked and well stowed" 128 cubic feet. Does it include the air too? Or is it the solid wood only?

Thanks. Sam

 

[Sport Faller]

There's a definition found in Wiki Cord (unit) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, yet I don't get it. "Ranked and well stowed" 128 cubic feet. Does it include the air too? Or is it the solid wood only?

Thanks. Sam

That's with airspace, a 4x4x8 space filled with wood stacked reasonably tight is an accepted cord of wood

 

[Samlock]

Danke, Jake.

How do you convert that to the solid wood volume?

I don't dare to ask about board feet at this moment. I'd just like to get hang of your units.

 

[Sport Faller]

Danke, Jake.

How do you convert that to the solid wood volume?

I don't dare to ask about board feet at this moment. I'd just like to get hang of your units.

I've always kindof eyeballed it from tree size and how the box of your truck is filled, but I've read in several different places that 500 BF will usually equal a stacked cord

 

[forestryworks]

How do you convert that to the solid wood volume?

Actual wood volume of a cord is around 80-90 cubic feet.

 

[Oldtimer]

According to most people in New England, a "full cord" is about 10% more than what you just delivered...

 

[forestryworks]

I always deliver a little more than a cord. It pays well to do so

I've never seen anybody deliver EXACTLY a cord. Most people are a little over. And some are a little short.

 

[Sport Faller]

I always deliver a little more than a cord. It pays well to do so

I've never seen anybody deliver EXACTLY a cord. Most people are a little over. And some are a little short.

I always try to bring out a nice full cord too, just those few extra chunks piled on top will leave a much more pleasant taste in a buyers mouth

However, I'm not in to having someone who obviously doesn't know #### about firewood come outside with their brand new buckskin gloves on and tape measure in hand climbing all over my truck like a ####### ape and himmin and hawing and saying, "well a cord usually looks like more than this" and "oh that one peice has a little rot in it, i dunno"

One more word to all those just dipping their toes in the firewood biz, this might make you look like a prick, but you gotta get that cash in hand BEFORE you unload if it's someone who you've never done business with before

 

[bitzer]

Cash in hand for sure especially if you're delivering a truckload.

4x4x8 = 128 cubic feet = 1500 board feet.

It depends on how the wood is as far as air space. My firewood goes out in 8' 4" sticks. The 4" makes up for the air. Really tight stacked split wood would probably amount to more. Lets say I measure my pile: 40' long by 8' high by 8' deep divided by 128 = 20 cords.

A lot of times its just eyeballin though. Kind of like something I liked to do in high school. Yep here ya go, thats a quarter.

 

[Samlock]

Actual wood volume of a cord is around 80-90 cubic feet.

Ok. Actual wood volume. Which unit is it? The mills don't buy air, do they?

 

[Rick Alger]

Mills pay for pulpwood by the ton nowadays.

 

[Joe46]

Thing is most people today at least around here are buying face cords, not real cords.

 

[Frank Savage]

Here in mid Europe, we have something called "conversion numbers"-coeficients depending on wood species (resp. bark thickness) and prevalent diameter from which is the woodpile (freely) stacked. Were made after intensive research and extensive measurements in later 19th cent.
Eg. for oak around 12" dia and up it´s 0,56; spruce about 0,68; for oak splited it´s 0,64;, spruce splited 0,78. It counts for normal manner of stacking, when you just take care about not having too much free space and not too much trouble about placing pieces. Just to old cord definition I saw somewere-"Just that a mouse runs in freely, but the cat only shoves her paw".
If you´re good, with splited oak you can reach by clever positioning up to about 0,78 solid wood in the volume of pile and about 0,90 with knotless spruce, but it takes time (did that .
During the week, I´ll try to list here for you the more interesting part-but it´s for orientation only, since it was made for european species and somehow specific growth conditions. It may be well 5-8 % or even more off for you in N. Am.

 

[Samlock]

In Germany I remember running across some peculiar figures to describe the strict volume of a given stack of timber. I never really got it. My spoken German is poor. Or were they just pulling my leg? Beats me...

 

[PJM]

1 standard cord = 128 cu. ft.
1 cord (wood) ~ 90 cu. ft.
1 cu. ft. ~ 5.79 boardfeet

1 cord (wood) ~ 520 boardfeet

 

[bitzer]

Where is the 90 cubic feet coming from? I mean how are you figuring that? There is no way there is a 30% loss for air. No matter how you slice it 128 cubic feet is a cord. You just need more than that to get you there. Also I don't mean to turn this into a math equation, but 1 cubic foot equals 12 board feet. A board foot is 1" x 12" x 12". So in a cubic foot you have 12" x 12" x 12"= 12 bf. 12 bf x 128 cubic feet (volume of cord) = 1536 bf.

 

[forestryworks]

A cord only OCCUPIES 128 cu. ft. of space. Actual wood volume, from the many different sources I've read, are 80-90 cu. ft.

And yes, there is 12bf per cf, but then you gotta factor in kerf and bark and fart space :msp_biggrin:

 

[Sport Faller]

Where is the 90 cubic feet coming from? I mean how are you figuring that? There is no way there is a 30% loss for air. No matter how you slice it 128 cubic feet is a cord. You just need more than that to get you there. Also I don't mean to turn this into a math equation, but 1 cubic foot equals 12 board feet. A board foot is 1" x 12" x 12". So in a cubic foot you have 12" x 12" x 12"= 12 bf. 12 bf x 128 cubic feet (volume of cord) = 1536 bf.

I'd have to say that if a person delivered 1536 bf of actual wood for the price of 1 traditionally accepted cord of wood, you'd be everyone's favorite firewood guy

 

[lfnh]

A cord only OCCUPIES 128 cu. ft. of space. Actual wood volume, from the many different sources I've read, are 80-90 cu. ft.

And yes, there is 12bf per cf, but then you gotta factor in kerf and bark and fart space :msp_biggrin:

ahha, that where those Spotted Owls overwinter. learn something new every day.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[hammerlogging]

but if you translate the solid wood vs. stacked wood figures, 85 cu.ft of solid wood is 66% of 128 cu.ft. 66% of 1560 bf is about 1020 bf And that'll split out pretty close to a real cord, seems to me.