Is this a cord?

[Creoldsote]

I bought my last Craigslist cord of wood this week. I'd like to hear your opinion of whether this is a cord of wood. I know how much a cord is but the seller insists I'm wrong and this is a cord. I laid a 8' 2x4 across the top to show the width. We originally stacked it along our neighbors fence which is 4' high and had a little less than 12' in length of the stack. The pieces average about 14"-15" long. My calculation shows I should have about 24' of firewood stacked 4' at this piece size.

Let me know what you think.

 

[Woodcutteranon]

Not a cord

If you have a 16" log you would have a 4' tall stack 24' long. Usually we stack three rows, 4' tall x 8' long. (16" log)

You pile is closer to a half cord... may not even be that much.

 

[fiasco]

I'm no weights and measures guy, but a cord is 128 CuFt "tightly stacked". Which is a 4' x 4' x 8'. That looks like 1.3' x 4' x 8' plus 1.3' x 5' x 4'...roughly 1/2 cord.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

You have about about 1/2 a cord.

 

[cantoo]

How much did you pay?

 

[Mustang71]

We call a face cord a cord around here meaning the face of a cord. 8 feet long by 16" wide by 4 feet tall. 75 dollars will get u one. 1/3 of a cord is a face cord u got a half cord or 1 1/2 face cords.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Apparently you are a genuine member of the Dumb A$$ club. You have to go online to confirm what you already knew? About 10 years ago more than half of all my customers wanted 1/2 cords so I modified a Ford Ranger to handle up to 3,000 LBS with side boards. Your load looks exactly like the several hundred 1/2 cords I have delivered with it. As far as the Dumb A$$ club most AS have been a member and even me. You know when you go to CL that there are plenty of people who will tell you anything to drop off their load and take your money. Awhile back I came across a guide from the USDA that outlined which trucks could haul what amount of wood. Some things you should have an idea about BEFORE your buddy drops off some wood. So plan early like now before next winter supply arrives and measure it before it comes off the truck. The only one that cares is you so plan accordingly. Thanks

 

[Creoldsote]

Thank you for your feedback! My intention was to send the seller a link to this thread. Hopefully he'll understand and deliver an honest cord to those that don't know how much a cord is.... 99% of the buyers in the area.

 

[sirbuildalot]

What kind of vehicle did he deliver the wood in?

 

[Woodcutteranon]

What kind of vehicle did he deliver the wood in?

By the amount of wood in the picture I would say it was an old Chevy Luv truck... Maybe I'm dating myself now!

 

[farmer steve]

Thank you for your feedback! My intention was to send the seller a link to this thread. Hopefully he'll understand and deliver an honest cord to those that don't know how much a cord is.... 99% of the buyers in the area.

First off welcome to AS. sorry about your dilema. i have found from selling wood over the years that about the most you can get on a 8' bed pickup stacked is 3/4 of a cord. https://www.pacode.com/secure/data/070/chapter23/s23.107.html. i would call the seller and remind him of our state law. i have notified several sellers on C/L about truckload sales. i'm good friends with another member in you neck of the woods that could give you some advice if you would like it. BTW i'm over in york co.

 

[alleyyooper]

I just love how so many here throw around the term CORD. No if ands or buts a cord of wood be it pulp wood fire wood or saw logs it is measured 8'x8' x4'. Any thing less is not a cord. those short stacks only 16 to 20 inches long are face cords maybe if they are 4'x8'x16"thru 20"

I also have carried 2 face cord in a Long Box F250 Ford truck with out sides, and a tiny bit extra with sides.

Al

 

[sirbuildalot]

There are certainly a lot of people who get shorted on wood orders. However, there are also many other people who expect every order to be over and above. I am certainly not implying that here, just stating in general people can suck all around. Either they expect you to give 1.25 cords per 1 cord order, or they expect 2 year seasoned wood, or want you to stack the wood 150 feet away. Or say the wood is too long, too short, too big, too little, too much bark, not all oak, etc, etc.

For example, I only sold wood for a season with my brother and that was enough for me. Both had full time jobs, figured we'd make a little extra money. My ex FIL found out I was delivering wood and ordered a cord. Trying to be nice I wanted to make sure it was as advertised so I showed up with a one ton dually dump truck with a 7x9 bed. The wood was STACKED tightly over 2' high. Averaged about 28" high. By my calculations well over a cord. Needless to say he refused to pay saying it wasn't a full cord. His wife came out and finally paid. I said please don't call again. Another time my brother delivered to a state trooper who said he wouldn't pay unless it was stacked 200 feet away. Bye, bye. Needless to say I said **** this and never bothered again. Too much work for all the drama and headaches.

Just saying, it goes both ways. Not an easy business.

 

[Wood Hound]

Well,for sure,that is not a cord-you look at the wood and it was not processed by a wood cutter-There are not two pieces the same length,looks like a pile of junk.

 

[Marshy]

I bought my last Craigslist cord of wood this week. I'd like to hear your opinion of whether this is a cord of wood. I know how much a cord is but the seller insists I'm wrong and this is a cord. I laid a 8' 2x4 across the top to show the width. We originally stacked it along our neighbors fence which is 4' high and had a little less than 12' in length of the stack. The pieces average about 14"-15" long. My calculation shows I should have about 24' of firewood stacked 4' at this piece size.

Let me know what you think.

Right, wrong or indifferent use of the term "cord" you need protect yourself by confirming how much wood you are getting. Most people will call a stacked pile 4 ft tall, 8 ft long (cut to "X" length) a cord of wood when in actuality that is a face cord. They are completely incorrect in the terminology calling it a cord. As you know, a cord is a cut split stacked pile that measures 128 cubic feet. If the seller claimed to be selling a "cord" and delivered a face cord then you both are to blame in my opinion. It's not completely the sellers fault because he probably sells to a lot of other incompetent customers thst don't know the difference either. If I read a craigslist add for $75/cord I would be sure to ask them what size the stack should be after stacking. Simple way to protect yourself. If they are truly dishonest and are advertising a real full cord at a full cord price and deliver what you received, I'd be having quite a few choice words with them. I would also be in touch with the law. Just like anything else though, you won't get any help from the police if it's not in writing.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

sirbuildalot:
Most of you comments are typical, and most can be avoided with good communication, and a fair load of well seasoned wood. The communication is critical. If you don't stack make sure that is understood on the phone or email prior to delivery, as is the length of wood, length of seasoning, and type of wood. Word of mouth customers are the best, but communication on stacking/no stacking is paramount before you load the truck. Customers don't like unpleasant surprises, nor do I generally.

OP: If your buying, write a list of questions to remind yourself what to ask.
Ask if you can come and see the wood. It is a very fair question, and if the answer is no, call someone else.
Ask what vehicle they use for delivery and if it is stacked or loose thrown.
Get a cubic foot number, a volume number as well as a 1/2 cord or cord number to cross reference what the seller is saying, a double check.
Ask how the wood was seasoned. Some sellers say the logs are a year old, then process directly into the truck for delivery. In my opinion, this is not seasoned firewood.
In short, the broad range of sellers have put it on the customer to determine which end of a wide spectrum the firewood term 'seasoned' applies, and 'cord', 'rick', etc.
You could have told the guy if you call this a cord I'll have to pay you the two hundred or what ever, in Monopoly money.
Money is money, right?

 

[Husky Man]

I just love how so many here throw around the term CORD. No if ands or buts a cord of wood be it pulp wood fire wood or saw logs it is measured 8'x8' x4'. Any thing less is not a cord. those short stacks only 16 to 20 inches long are face cords maybe if they are 4'x8'x16"thru 20"

I also have carried 2 face cord in a Long Box F250 Ford truck with out sides, and a tiny bit extra with sides.

Al

I'm sure that was a typo, and you know that a Cord is 4x4x8 / 128 Cubic feet

8x8x4 is 256 Cubic Feet, which would be 2 Cords

Doug

 

[sb47]

A cord is 128 cubic feet. However cutting wood to 16'' makes more labor for the same amount of wood that's cut at 24''.
I charge for labor, not the wood itself. If you want a cord cut to 24'' it's x amount. If you want a cord cut to 16'' it will cost you extra, because there is more labor in cutting shorter lengths. It's not my problem if your fireplace can't take 24'' splits and you need shorter splits. You bought the fireplace that's is small and needs smaller wood. So you pay extra for wood that will fit.
If I charged 200, a cord thats 24'' and equals 128cf then a cord cut at 16'' I would add an extra 100 bucks. A cord cut at 16'' would cost you 300 bucks, because I have an extra row of wood to split.
People want to pay the same for a cord no mater how it's cut, 16''-18''-20''-24'' but each takes a different amount of labor to produce.
I charge for labor, not the wood.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

There are certainly a lot of people who get shorted on wood orders. However, there are also many other people who expect every order to be over and above. I am certainly not implying that here, just stating in general people can suck all around. Either they expect you to give 1.25 cords per 1 cord order, or they expect 2 year seasoned wood, or want you to stack the wood 150 feet away. Or say the wood is too long, too short, too big, too little, too much bark, not all oak, etc, etc.

For example, I only sold wood for a season with my brother and that was enough for me. Both had full time jobs, figured we'd make a little extra money. My ex FIL found out I was delivering wood and ordered a cord. Trying to be nice I wanted to make sure it was as advertised so I showed up with a one ton dually dump truck with a 7x9 bed. The wood was STACKED tightly over 2' high. Averaged about 28" high. By my calculations well over a cord. Needless to say he refused to pay saying it wasn't a full cord. His wife came out and finally paid. I said please don't call again. Another time my brother delivered to a state trooper who said he wouldn't pay unless it was stacked 200 feet away. Bye, bye. Needless to say I said **** this and never bothered again. Too much work for all the drama and headaches.

Just saying, it goes both ways. Not an easy business.

Very well said. I have said so many times the price of wood should double or triple just to be reasonable. A professional wood cutter should have a net take home pay of $40 to $50 an hour period. If that were absolutely applied wood would then be closer to $1000 a cord in all of the US and elsewhere. Then there are are CL sellers who represent measurements that are embellished to say the least. So it appears there are often two sides of every situation. There is likely no chance that LE will ever care how people who sell wood. I could pull up with my ranger PU with a loose pile and tell the buyer this is two cords of premium hard wood for $900 and sell this every day for 10 years and no body would ever care. Awhile back I was working with a guy who operated possibly the most successful wood business ever in the world. At that time he was cutting and selling 9,000 cords of seasoned Oak a year. Remember this is California where Department of Weight and Measures can do what ever they want. After a few times of hauling wood with this guy I noticed that my truck and trailer measured exactly 12 cords, but my ticket always stated that I had 13 cords so I asked. The operator said well we cut the wood a little short so we can skim a little to maximize profit. This particular time a DWM guy was right there checking a highway scale and he did not ever raise his eyes and left. I was counting on that extra cord to max my profit, but never happened. BTW my F250's haul a full 1 1/2 cords ever time. My side boards go to the top of the cab. My loads often come it at 9,000 LBS if I am hauling Oak. A little dangerous so do not haul 100% Oak often. Thanks

 

[rarefish383]

Thank you for your feedback! My intention was to send the seller a link to this thread. Hopefully he'll understand and deliver an honest cord to those that don't know how much a cord is.... 99% of the buyers in the area.

I don't know why on earth this thread would turn him honest. The only thing that might work is if you call DNR and have them come look. In MD, DNR is in charge of weights and measures. I went to a gas station and the trigger locked and I couldn't shut it off. Had gloves on so I couldn't get my finger in to release the little catch. I complained to the clerk and he said the catch is designed to lock until the tank is full. I asked what if I only wanted 10 gallons. He said then you have to come in and pay first, that's how they had the triggers set and they weren't going to change. I called DNR and the following Monday they had all new nozzles on the pumps. Now, if you only paid for a face cord you may wind up in a little bit of a semantics war, but if you paid for a full cord, DNR takes that pretty serious.