Firewood Quantity Calculator
This tool was built by Serge (MSc) using established science and government sources. My academic background covers Biogeochemistry, Forest Science, Environmental Biology, and Plant Biology, and my field research directly measured soil carbon and tree growth in open-air experiments. My tools are for educational purposes and give practical guidance, not professional advice.
Buy too little firewood and you are cold in midwinter, paying peak prices for an emergency top-up. Buy too much and you have spent money you did not need to. This tool gives you an estimate of how many cords you are likely to need for the season, based on how you burn, your home, and your climate. It is a starting figure to guide your buying, not an exact promise, because every home and winter is different.
How This Works
How much wood you burn depends first on how you use it. An occasional fire for atmosphere burns a fraction of what a stove used as a home's main heat gets through. So the tool starts with a base range for your use level, then adjusts it up or down for your home size and insulation, and for how cold and long your winter is. The result is a range of cords to aim for.
Understanding Your Result
The result is a range in cords. A cord is a stacked pile 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet, which is 128 cubic feet, or about 3.6 cubic metres. If you are new to burning or unsure, start near the lower end and buy more if you run short, since wood keeps if stored dry. If your winters are hard and your home loses heat, lean toward the higher end. Buying dry, seasoned wood also stretches your supply, because wet wood wastes heat boiling off its own water.
Important Limitations
This is an estimate to guide your buying, not an exact figure. How much wood you need depends on many things this tool cannot know: your exact stove and its efficiency, how warm you keep your home, how well the wood is seasoned, and the particular winter you get. Two similar homes can burn quite different amounts. Use the range as a sensible starting point, then adjust from your own experience over a season or two.
Scientific Basis
The importance of burning dry, well-seasoned wood, which strongly affects how much you need, is set out by official sources. The United States Environmental Protection Agency advises burning only seasoned wood at around 20 percent moisture or below, because wet wood wastes energy and burns poorly. See the official source below.
- EPA Burn Wise, Best Wood-Burning Practices (season wood to about 20 percent moisture)
Related Reading
For the full method of working out your own number, the cord versus face cord trap, and a buyer's worksheet, see my guide How Much Firewood Do I Actually Need, and my firewood articles.
This calculator is for general educational use. It gives an estimate to help you plan how much firewood to buy, and is not a guarantee of the exact amount you will need. Your actual use depends on your home, stove, wood, and winter.