How Long Does A Cord of Wood Last

Wood is used for fire and other purposes by humans for ages. People use firewood for cooking food and keeping the environment warm, especially in winter. Even now, in the winter season, the embers of the fire are as mesmerizing as they were centuries ago.

Firewood is still a heating solution for people who live in villages and backward areas. Even in urban areas, some people make use of wood in firepits in their homes to keep them warm. A cord of wood is the standard unit of measurement while buying or selling of firewood between dealers and consumers.

People buy the wood in terms of a half or full cord and the question, how long a cord of wood last is worth considering for every buyer. So, let us check and find the answer to this critical question for firewood buyers.

 

Full cord and Face cord

Before considering the factors on which the time of lasting of a cord depends, let us describe the difference between a face cord and a full cord.

A face cord is a wood stack that is 4 feet high, 8 feet long, and 16 inches deep. A regular or full cord or wood stack is 4 feet high, 8 feet long, and 4 feet deep. It means the only difference between a full cord and face cord or wood is in their depth.

A 4-feet deep log does not fit in the stoves and furnaces in homes. Therefore, people prefer to face cord firewood for home use. It is essential to understand the difference because a full cord of wood is equal to 3 face cords in volume.

 

How long a cord of wood last?

Now let us come to the question about how long a cord or wood last? In some cases, when heating a small house, a half a cord can last as long as two months. It means that small homes can be heated for as long as four months by a cord of wood. If you have a heater for the rocket mass, you may even be able to use a cord for cooking and heating water for six months.

A cord of wood can last for different times for different people and households. Let us check out the factors that determine the time for which you can use a cord.

 

Use of firewood in your house

There is a big difference between someone who gets 100% of their home heating from a wood stove and someone who uses it on the weekend only for campfires.

In the real example below, firewood is the primary source of heat. Still, if you get 70 percent of your heat from another source (e.g., natural gas, electric, etc.), then you’re going to reduce your wood consumption dramatically. You might not have considered processed wood pellets, but you can use them to heat your home.

 

Size of your home

If you use firewood as a primary source to heat your home in winter, how much a cord of wood lasts depends on the size of your house. Heating a 1,600-square-foot farmhouse takes a lot more wood than heating a 600-square-foot home. The larger your spot, the more wood you’re going to need. You have already thought about this one, but it’s going to help you compare your own home’s square footage.

 

Insulation of your home

In the world of wood heating, insulation is a big deal. For good insulation, the wood you need can be dramatically reduced.

Effective insulation also improves the durability of stuff. It makes things easier for you when you buy firewood. And either way, if you use less energy/wood, it’s better for the environment.

 

Your location and climate

Local moisture and rain/snow amounts, depending on how it is stored, can make your wood damp. It affects the burn performance and heat production.

The availability of wood is another thing that is affected by geographic location. I say both the usable amount of wood and the form of wood. When wood is scarce, early stocking (or considering alternatives to heating) is even more essential.

 

Hardwood or Softwood

Hardwoods will be denser, burn longer, and heat better than softwoods. To illustrate this point, here is an example: according to Nebraska-Lincoln University, a cord of spruce (softwood) produces 15.5 million BTUs of energy, while a Shagbark Hickory cord (a hardwood) provides 27.5 million BTUs. The energy produced is nearly double in the case of hardwood. If you’re not sure what kind of tree a softwood is and what hardwood is, you’ll find a list of some of the most common ones in each category:

 

Common types of hardwoods

• Oak
• Maple
• Hickory
• Locust
• Apple
• Ash
• Walnut

 

Common types of softwoods

• Pine
• Spruce
• Cedar
• Redwood
• Cypress
• Douglas-fir

 

Is the wood seasoned?

It’s just another way of saying the wood is thoroughly dried to be “seasoned.” You can still burn wood that is not thoroughly dried, but it will be less effective because some of the burning energy would be used to dry out moisture.

You’ll want to make sure it’s well seasoned before you start burning it to minimize the amount of wood you have to buy/gather. If a tree is freshly cut, the wood must be fully seasoned for 6-12 months.

 

Final Words

These are the factors that determine the time for which a cord of wood can last. If you use wood to heat the interior of a big house, the cord of wood would finish faster than in a small house. Hardwood produces more heat and lasts longer than softwood. The tree removal Blacktown services offer removal services for both hardwood and softwood.

Moreover, the insulation of your home is also essential. In case of inadequate insulation, homeowners need to burn wood for longer, and it would vanish faster to maintain the temperature. Also, if you use the firewood as a primary heating source and use it for everything from heating water, cooking the food, and warming up your house, a cord of wood would vanish faster.