5 min read
Cord, rick, face cord
A cord is the only unit with a legal definition in most places: a stack 4 feet high by 4 feet deep by 8 feet long, 128 cubic feet including the air gaps.
A rick, also called a face cord, is one row off the front of that stack. Same 4 feet high and 8 feet long, but the depth is however long the pieces are cut. So a rick of 16-inch wood is about a third of a cord, and a rick of 24-inch wood is about half.
This matters because the piece length changes what a rick is worth. When you price firewood, ask how long the pieces are cut. Two ricks at the same price are not the same amount of wood if one is cut 16 inches and the other 12.
Seasoned versus green
Fresh-cut wood is up to half water by weight. Burning it wastes most of the heat boiling that water off, so it smoulders, throws little heat, and deposits creosote in your flue, which is what chimney fires are made of.
Seasoned wood has been split and dried, usually six months to a year depending on species and how it was stacked. How to tell:
- Cracks radiating out from the centre of the cut face
- Grey, weathered ends rather than bright fresh colour
- A sharp knock when two pieces are banged together, not a dull thud
- Noticeably lighter than it looks
- Bark loose or already off
Split wood seasons far faster than rounds, because the split face is what lets moisture out.
What burns well here
| Wood | Heat | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mesquite | Very high | Excellent firewood and the best local smoking wood. Burns hot and long. Sparks, so use a screen. |
| Post oak | High | The classic Texas barbecue wood. Clean, steady, long burn. |
| Live oak | Very high | Dense and long-burning. Wants a full year to season. |
| Pecan | Medium high | Good heat and a mild sweet smoke. Popular for cooking. |
| Hackberry | Medium | Burns fine, seasons fast, does not store well. Use it this season. |
| Elm | Medium | Burns acceptably but is notoriously hard to split by hand. |
| Cottonwood, willow | Low | Light, fast, smoky. Kindling at best. |
Never burn treated lumber, painted wood, pallets of unknown origin, or anything with glue in it. Those release genuinely toxic fumes indoors.
Storing it
- Off the ground, on pallets or rails. The bottom row rots otherwise
- Cover the top. Leave the sides open. It needs airflow more than it needs shelter
- Somewhere sunny and windy, not tucked in shade
- Away from the house wall. A woodpile against siding invites termites
- Bring in a day or two at a time rather than storing a week indoors, which brings insects with it
Questions worth asking before you buy
- Rick or cord, and how long are the pieces cut?
- Seasoned or green, and how long has it been split?
- What species, or is it mixed?
- Is delivery included, and how far?
- Do you stack it, or is it dumped in the driveway?