How to Measure a Cord of Wood
Stack it, measure the outside, divide the cubic feet by 128. That’s it.
Stacked volume and pickup estimator
Your pickup’s usable stacked space
Measure between the wheel wells. This is space, not payload — check your door-jamb sticker for weight.
| Bed | Cubic feet | Cords, stacked level |
|---|---|---|
| Ford F-150, short bed 5.5 ft | 52.8 | 0.41 |
| Ford F-150, standard bed 6.5 ft | 62.3 | 0.49 |
| Ford F-150, long bed 8 ft | 77.4 | 0.60 |
Bed volumes from published F-150 specs, retrieved 2026-10-28.
Measure a delivery, step by step
Snap a photo of the load before you touch it. Stack it in tidy rows with the ends lined up. Measure length, height and depth. If the top is bumpy, measure the height in a few places and average it. Multiply, then divide by 128.
How many pieces in a cord?
It depends on how big the splits are, and nobody splits to a standard size. That’s why counting pieces won’t tell you if you got a full cord. Measuring will.
How much wood fits in a pickup?
Measure the inside of the bed and leave out the wheel wells. A stack level with the sides holds much less than you’d think. The table below shows bed sizes for one popular truck.
Space isn’t the same as payload
A bed that fits half a cord may not be able to carry it. Wet hardwood is heavy. Check the payload sticker on your door jamb before you load up.
If your load comes up short
Photograph each stack with the tape measure showing and write down the numbers. Call the seller before you burn any of it. The homepage calculator tells you exactly how short it is.
Frequently asked questions
Should I measure before stacking?
Stack it first. A loose pile is much harder to measure.
Do I count the gaps between rows?
No. Measure each row and add them up.
Will a full cord fit in a pickup?
Not in one trip. The F-150 beds in the table above hold roughly 0.4 to 0.6 cord stacked level with the sides.
Can I count pieces instead?
Not reliably. Measure the stack.
Where these numbers come from
- nist.gov, checked
- carspecs.org, checked