Daily AncestorCord
A cord is a stack of firewood 8 feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet deep, a volume of 128 cubic feet.
The name comes from the cord or line once used to measure the pile. Firewood was bought and sold by the cord, and most states still define the cord by law for firewood sales.
Local terms such as face cord or rick meant smaller stacks with shorter logs and varied from place to place, so only a full cord is the 128 cubic foot measure.
As seen in a recordTown account book, New England, 1820s
By 6 cords of wood delivered to Widow Sears at $2 per cord
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Cord." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/money-measures/cord-of-wood. Last checked 2026-10-03.