Firewood glossary and FAQ
The words sellers use, what Wood Heat Index prices mean, and how to buy a full cord.
Questions
Is my quote fair?
Look up your county and compare the quote with its range. Each county page has a box that does this for you.
First make sure the quote is for a full cord of seasoned, cut and split wood, delivered. A price for a face cord or a truckload is not the same thing. Ask what is included, such as stacking, and get two quotes. A quote outside the range isn't wrong, but it is worth a question.
Sources: Wood Heat Index methodology; NIST Handbook 130, section 2.4 (2026)
Why do prices vary so much?
Firewood is cut and sold locally, so its price follows local things: how cold the winters are, how many homes burn wood, how far the wood travels, and the wood itself. Dense hardwoods hold more heat. A cord of oak gives about a third more heat than a cord of pine, yet the two can sell for the same price. Dry wood gives more heat than green wood.
Sources: University of Missouri Extension, How to Buy and Sell Firewood; Wood Heat Index methodology
How do I check I got a full cord?
Stack it tight, then measure. Multiply height × depth × length in feet. A full cord comes to 128 cubic feet: a stack 4 × 4 × 8 ft, or 4 high, 2 deep and 16 long.
Measure with the seller before you pay, ideally while the wood is still stacked on the truck. Don't accept a loose pile as measured. Where the national model rule is law, the seller must give you a ticket or invoice that shows the amount delivered and the price. If you were shorted, contact your state's weights and measures office.
Sources: NIST Handbook 130, section 2.4 (2026); University of Missouri Extension, How to Buy and Sell Firewood; Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
Why doesn't my county have local prices?
Few places publish firewood prices. Today 26 of 3,144 counties have some real price behind their estimate. The other 3,118 are modeled from climate and demand alone, and their label says so.
You can help. If you bought firewood recently, share what you paid on your county's page.
Sources: Wood Heat Index methodology
Where do these numbers come from?
From public data and real prices. The model uses climate data from NOAA and housing data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Real prices come from state price surveys in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, from firewood sellers' own websites, and from prices readers share. Prices for the other fuels come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Sources: Wood Heat Index methodology; Wood Heat Index technical notes
Can I use this data?
Yes. The estimates are free to reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license: credit Wood Heat Index and link back.
Every county page has a JSON twin, and each month's full set is kept as a snapshot you can download as CSV or Parquet. The data page lists them all, explains every field and shows how to cite. Government data in the estimates keeps its own credit lines, shown at the foot of every page.
Sources: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; Wood Heat Index data page; Wood Heat Index monthly snapshots
Who runs this?
Wood Heat Index is an independent research project. It is not a firewood seller and not part of any government agency. Its methods, sources and limits are published on the methodology pages. To reach us, see the contact page.
Sources: About Wood Heat Index; Contact Wood Heat Index
Glossary
- Cord
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A full cord is a tight stack of wood 4 feet high, 4 feet deep and 8 feet long: 128 cubic feet. The pieces lie in rows, touching and side by side. It is the only unit Wood Heat Index publishes.
The national model rule for selling firewood says wood must be sold by the cord or by part of a cord, such as a half cord. States that adopt the rule make it law.
Sources: NIST Handbook 130, section 2.4 (2026); Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
- Face cord, rick and fireplace cord
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These names mean one row of wood 4 feet high and 8 feet long, as deep as the pieces are long. With 16-inch pieces, that is one third of a cord. With 24-inch pieces, it is half. The size changes from seller to seller and from place to place, so a face-cord price can't be compared with a cord price.
The national model rule bans selling by the face cord, and Missouri bans the rick too. Ask for the price of a full cord.
Sources: University of Kentucky Forestry Extension; University of Illinois Extension; NIST Handbook 130, section 2.4 (2026); University of Missouri Extension, How to Buy and Sell Firewood
- Full cord vs. truckload
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A truckload has no set size. It depends on the truck and on how the wood was loaded. The national model rule bans selling by the truckload. If a seller quotes by the load, ask how many cords it holds, then measure it.
Sources: NIST Handbook 130, section 2.4 (2026); University of Missouri Extension, How to Buy and Sell Firewood
- Seasoned, green and kiln-dried
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Seasoned wood has dried to a moisture content below 20 percent. That takes at least six months after it is split and stacked, and often a year. A moisture meter tells you for sure.
Green wood is freshly cut. The water in it can weigh half as much as the wood itself, or more. Green wood burns, but it gives less heat and more smoke.
Kiln-dried wood was dried in a heated chamber. The label has no legal definition, so ask what moisture the seller measured. Wood that is certified heat-treated is different: it was held at 140 °F at its core for an hour to kill pests, and the package carries a certification mark.
Wood Heat Index prices are for seasoned wood.
Sources: U.S. EPA Burn Wise; University of Tennessee Extension, W179; University of Missouri Extension, How to Buy and Sell Firewood; University of Illinois Extension; Minnesota Department of Agriculture; Don't Move Firewood (The Nature Conservancy)
- Cut and split
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Cut and split wood has been sawn to stove length and split, ready to burn. Log-length wood comes in long pieces you cut and split yourself. Cut and split costs more: New Hampshire reports it runs about twice the log-length price.
Wood Heat Index prices are for cut and split wood.
Sources: New Hampshire Department of Energy; Wood Heat Index methodology
- Delivered vs. picked up
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A delivered price includes bringing the wood to your home. Picked up means you haul it yourself. Sellers may charge extra to carry wood past where the truck can reach, or to stack it.
Wood Heat Index prices are for delivered wood. Distance moves the price, so ask what the price includes.
Sources: University of Missouri Extension, How to Buy and Sell Firewood; Maine Governor's Energy Office; Wood Heat Index methodology
- Stacked vs. dumped
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Many sellers dump the load where the truck can reach, and charge extra to stack it. A loose pile can't be measured with any accuracy. Before you pay, ask to measure the wood stacked, on the truck or after it is unloaded.
Sources: University of Missouri Extension, How to Buy and Sell Firewood; University of Kentucky Forestry Extension
- MMBtu
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One million British thermal units: a fixed amount of heat. Pricing every fuel per MMBtu lets you compare firewood with the other fuels on a county page fairly. A cord of seasoned wood holds about 20 MMBtu of heat, before your stove's efficiency is counted.
Sources: USDA Forest Products Laboratory; Wood Heat Index technical notes
- Evidence label
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The line under each county's price that says what the number rests on.
- Based on local prices: real prices from that county move the number. The label gives the count.
- Based on a county price survey or based on statewide data: a published price survey moves it.
- Modeled from climate and demand: no real price reaches it yet.
Sources: Wood Heat Index methodology
- Modeled
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A modeled price is an estimate worked out from facts about a county, not a price someone paid there. Wood Heat Index models every county from how cold its winters are and how many homes there heat with wood. Then it moves the estimate toward real prices where it has them. The range shows how sure the estimate is.
Sources: Wood Heat Index methodology; Wood Heat Index technical notes