David Hoopes
ArboristSite Lurker
Hello All
How many wood rounds does it take to make a cord roughly.
How many wood rounds does it take to make a cord roughly.
Wood rounds in a cord
- Thread starter David Hoopes
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Enough to make a pile containing 128 cu ft. After splitting and re-piling, you will have more than a cord.
That is why buying your wood bu tje cord in the round makes the best deal.
David, Your question can't be answered without understanding the length of the rounds, and the diameter. Ultimately, a cord of firewood is 128 cubic feet. An often used reference is to consider a pile 16 feet long, by 4 feet high with each piece being 2 feet long, but of course, you might more likely be cutting your rounds closer to 18" long, in which case you'd have to make your stack longer, or higher.
David Hoopes
ArboristSite Lurker
My rounds are 18 long does this help
If they are 18” diameter also, 48 would do it.
That’s 2.65 cubic feet each, times 48 rounds equals 127.2 cubic feet.
Take radius of round in inches ( half the distance across ) and multiply it by itself, then multiply by pi (3.14). That gives square inches, take that and multiply by the round length in inches, now you have cubic inches of round.
To change cubic inches to cubic feet, take above answer and divide by 1728 (cubic inches per foot).
After that divide 128 cubic feet (amount of cubic feet per cord) by above answer and you have the number of rounds needed.
9x9 = 81
81x3.14=254.34
254.34x18=4578.12
4578.12/1728=2.65 cubic foot
128/2.65=48.3 number of rounds needed
That’s 2.65 cubic feet each, times 48 rounds equals 127.2 cubic feet.
Take radius of round in inches ( half the distance across ) and multiply it by itself, then multiply by pi (3.14). That gives square inches, take that and multiply by the round length in inches, now you have cubic inches of round.
To change cubic inches to cubic feet, take above answer and divide by 1728 (cubic inches per foot).
After that divide 128 cubic feet (amount of cubic feet per cord) by above answer and you have the number of rounds needed.
9x9 = 81
81x3.14=254.34
254.34x18=4578.12
4578.12/1728=2.65 cubic foot
128/2.65=48.3 number of rounds needed
Not really
As stated, a cord is measured in cu. ft.; 128 cu. ft. tightly stacked.
Example: Say your cutting 16" length of round.
Then 1/3 cord would be 4' high x 8' long.
Note, if you have 24" rounds it would take 8 rounds for 1/3 cord stacked in rounds.
Interestingly, if you have 12" rounds, it would take 32 rounds for 1/3 cord.
The actual volume of wood is the same in each.
If you split the rounds, 1/3 cord volume of rounds; it will stack out less than 1/3 cord, not more.
David Hoopes
ArboristSite Lurker
Thanks for the information it will help me out.
You also need to have the diameter of the rounds. As you stated your question there is no way to answer as we don't know the round diameter. Then it is unlikely all the rounds would be the same size.
There's a simple log to cord calculator on this page: https://************************/forums/resources/firewood-cord-calcuations.16/
It's just a basic volume calculation assuming the log is a cylinder. And it does not take the spaces between the splits into account. Depending on the sizes of your splits, the shape, and how you stack them the volume of air in a stack might be as much as equal to the volume of wood (I'm guessing here, have not measured it). So add a fudge factor to the results of that calculator.
It's just a basic volume calculation assuming the log is a cylinder. And it does not take the spaces between the splits into account. Depending on the sizes of your splits, the shape, and how you stack them the volume of air in a stack might be as much as equal to the volume of wood (I'm guessing here, have not measured it). So add a fudge factor to the results of that calculator.
Apparently the maintainers of this forum are so insecure that they blank out pointers to other forums. It's not hard to find or just do the volume of a cylinder calc pi * r^2 * length
I think your count is always going to vary depending on the wood - What i'd do to get a ballpark idea, using your 18" length, you'll need a nice stack 4 ft tall and 10 ft long, thats a half cord. Count how many rounds are there, double that for a cord.
…and split rounds always stack larger than unspilt. There will always be more air space in split and stacked wood than in an unspilt round. Want to test this? Tie a piece of line around an unspilt round. Measure the line. Split that same round and try to stack it and tie it up with the same length of line, or find a round round that will fit in a 5 gallon bucket. Split that round and try to put it back in the bucket. It won't fit.
This is true...for one round.
Stack 1/3 cord of rounds in a 1/3 cord rack.
Split and place in another 1/3 cord rack.
It will stack out short!
Sorry but no. Prove easy yourself. grab a carrot a box top, cut rounds, put as many inas you can. Dump them and split each round in half or quarters or... No matter how you play with them, they will not all fit back in.
nathan4104
ArboristSite Operative
When I take a dump trailer full of loose ‘rounds’ to a customer, I always cringe a little because I know once they split and stack it, it won’t equal a cord like I sold them. Split, a cord fits in my trailer (loose, 180cu-ft). In rounds, the full loose load is under a cord.
Well, I’m assuming if you can make all of the rounds square and stack A cord of them tightly, if they were split down it would be difficult to get all the wood back inside of the same space because the splits will not fit together as evenly as they did when they were still in squared off rounds (Yeah I know it sounds confusing but just follow me). But a cord full of rounds has space between the rounds, and so I think it becomes balance question. Will the area of the combined space between the rounds offset the extra space needed to stack wood that doesn’t fit together as evenly after being split? Does it even matter? And what is the meaning of life anyway? Geez, I don’t know...
merry Christmas
merry Christmas
If it doesn't equal more than a cord after split/stack, you didn't have a cord on the trailer.
Take the square foot area of the side of a cord. Area = height x length: 48" high x 96" long = 4,608 square inches.
fill that with (8) 24" rounds. Area =( PI)radius squared: (8)rounds x 3.14 X (12" x 12") = (8) x 456.12 = 3,617.28 square inches
3,617.28/4,608 = 78.5% wood, and 21.5% air gap
You would have to fill this 21.5% air gap before increasing the volume.
12" rounds or 24" rounds, the 21.5% air gap is the same.
Four and a half years ago, while waiting for the PackFix to ship, I cut rounds and stacked in 1/3 cord racks in the winter and Spring.
I did an experiment, loading two racks side by side, and six feet apart with two cord of logs. 8' x 8' foot print x 4' high.
I no longer have the numbers but I did post them here in the middle of another thread.
The rounds came up short, over 1 1/2 of the 1/3 cord racks short.
Then split the two cord of logs.
I gained volume over the rounds, but still came up short of stacking two full cord by at least half a rack, or 1/6th cord.
fill that with (8) 24" rounds. Area =( PI)radius squared: (8)rounds x 3.14 X (12" x 12") = (8) x 456.12 = 3,617.28 square inches
3,617.28/4,608 = 78.5% wood, and 21.5% air gap
You would have to fill this 21.5% air gap before increasing the volume.
12" rounds or 24" rounds, the 21.5% air gap is the same.
Four and a half years ago, while waiting for the PackFix to ship, I cut rounds and stacked in 1/3 cord racks in the winter and Spring.
I did an experiment, loading two racks side by side, and six feet apart with two cord of logs. 8' x 8' foot print x 4' high.
I no longer have the numbers but I did post them here in the middle of another thread.
The rounds came up short, over 1 1/2 of the 1/3 cord racks short.
Then split the two cord of logs.
I gained volume over the rounds, but still came up short of stacking two full cord by at least half a rack, or 1/6th cord.
I thought about the weight of a cord of dried oak, I was wondering if it would be possible to sell it by weight, but there’s too many variables there. I think the safest things just throw a little extra wood on that truck, call it a cord, and let it be.
Not_Husky
ArboristSite Lurker
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