The Woodshed
Cords ready to burn, piles still seasoning, and how many weeks of heat you have put up.
Open My Woodshed →Firewood and Woodlot
Every pile in cords, when it will be seasoned, what is ready to burn, and how much wood your house needs to get through the winter.
Firewood Calculators
Full cords and face cords in any stack, heat by species, and how much wood your house needs for the winter.
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Firewood calculators
How much is in this stack?
A full cord is 128 cubic feet — a stack 4 ft high, 4 ft deep and 8 ft long. A face cord (or rick) is 4 ft by 8 ft of whatever piece length you cut, so with 16″ pieces it is one-third of a cord. Ask any seller which they mean.
How much wood for the winter?
A rough estimate from typical heat needs by climate. Drafty older houses can need half again as much; tight, well-insulated ones less.
Firewood by species
| Wood | Heat per cord | Season it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed hardwood | 22.0 million BTU | 12 months after splitting | Most bought firewood. Split it and give it a summer. |
| Red oak | 24.6 million BTU | 18 months after splitting | Slow to dry — give it two summers stacked off the ground. |
| White oak | 29.1 million BTU | 24 months after splitting | Excellent heat but the slowest to season. |
| Hickory | 27.7 million BTU | 12 months after splitting | Hot and long-burning. |
| Sugar (hard) maple | 25.5 million BTU | 12 months after splitting | Great all-round firewood. |
| Red / silver (soft) maple | 18.7 million BTU | 9 months after splitting | Dries fairly fast; good for spring and fall. |
| Ash | 20.0 million BTU | 6 months after splitting | Dries fast — split early and it can burn the same winter. |
| Black locust | 27.9 million BTU | 12 months after splitting | Very hot — mix with softer wood so the stove doesn’t overfire. |
| Osage orange (hedge) | 32.9 million BTU | 18 months after splitting | Hottest wood there is; it sparks, so keep the door shut. |
| Beech | 24.0 million BTU | 12 months after splitting | Good heat; split while green. |
| Birch | 20.8 million BTU | 9 months after splitting | Rots fast with bark on — split it soon. |
| Cherry | 20.4 million BTU | 9 months after splitting | Burns clean with a pleasant smell. |
| Black walnut | 22.2 million BTU | 9 months after splitting | Decent heat. |
| Mulberry | 25.8 million BTU | 12 months after splitting | Hot; sparks like osage. |
| Apple and fruit woods | 26.5 million BTU | 12 months after splitting | Hot — save some for the smoker. |
| Elm | 20.0 million BTU | 12 months after splitting | Stringy to split; a hydraulic splitter helps. |
| Cottonwood | 15.8 million BTU | 9 months after splitting | Light heat; burns fast. |
| Aspen / poplar | 13.5 million BTU | 6 months after splitting | Low heat — fine for shoulder seasons. |
| Pine and other softwoods | 15.0 million BTU | 6 months after splitting | Good kindling. Burn hot and sweep the chimney more often. |
Seasoning and safety
- Split wood dries many times faster than rounds. Stack it bark-up, off the ground, in a sunny, breezy spot, and cover only the top.
- Seasoned wood is under 20% moisture: check a freshly split face with a moisture meter. It sounds hollow when two pieces knock together and has cracks in the ends.
- Wet wood wastes heat and builds creosote. Have the chimney swept at least once a year, and keep smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors working.
- Keep ashes in a metal can with a lid, outdoors and away from the house, for several days before dumping.
Wood Warms You Twice
Log each pile you cut, split or buy. You will see when each species should be seasoned, a moisture-meter reading under 20% marks it ready, and the woodshed shows how many weeks of heat you have put up against what your house needs. Bring wood in from the burn log and the piles keep count. “He that gathereth in summer is a wise son.” — Proverbs 10:5