How Much Does a Cord of Wood Cost?
Cord prices swing from $150 to over $500 depending on region, species, seasoning, and delivery. This guide gives you the going ranges, the per-cord formula that normalizes any seller's unit, and the add-ons to watch for.
A full cord of seasoned hardwood, split and delivered, typically costs $250 to $400 in most US regions. Green wood runs $150 to $250, softwood less than hardwood, and delivery or stacking adds $25 to $75 per load. Convert any advertised price to cost per cord (price divided by cords) to compare offers fairly.
The short answer: $250 to $400 per cord
For a full cord of seasoned hardwood, split, delivered, and dumped in your driveway, $250 to $400 is the going range in most US regions in 2026. Prices climb toward $450 to $500 in cities and the Northeast, and dip to $150 to $250 in rural timber country. Anything under $150 is almost certainly green wood, short measure, or a scam, and anything over $500 should come with a very good explanation.
Price by type
The same seller will quote very different numbers depending on what "a cord" actually means:
Green hardwood (fresh cut): $150 to $250 per cord. Cheapest up front, but you are buying water weight and a year of waiting. A cord of green oak can be 20 percent water by weight compared with seasoned wood.
Seasoned hardwood (split, dried 6 to 12 months): $250 to $400 per cord. The standard most buyers want: burns hotter, lights easier, makes less creosote.
Seasoned softwood (pine, fir): $175 to $300 per cord. Cheaper and lighter, but a pine cord holds about 60 percent of the heat of an oak cord, so the per-BTU price is closer than it looks.
Face cord (seasoned hardwood): $75 to $150. One third of a cord, so multiply by 3: a $120 face cord is $360 per cord.
Rick (seasoned hardwood): $75 to $150, same math, but confirm the log length first because a 12 inch rick is only a quarter cord.
The per-cord formula
Sellers quote cords, face cords, ricks, truckloads, and "a winter's worth." The only fair comparison is cost per cord = price / cords:
Seller A advertises a face cord for $120 with 16 inch logs. That is 42.7 cubic feet, or 0.333 cords. $120 / 0.333 = $360 per cord.
Seller B advertises a full cord for $330. That is 128 cubic feet, or 1.0 cord. $330 / 1.0 = $330 per cord.
Seller B wins, even though $330 "sounds" more expensive than $120.
Run the trap case: Seller C offers a rick for $80 with 12 inch logs. A 4 x 8 face with 12 inch logs is 32 cubic feet, or 0.25 cords. $80 / 0.25 = $320 per cord. The cheapest headline price, the middle-of-the-road real price.
What moves the price
Region: timber country is cheap, cities are expensive. The same seasoned oak cord can be $200 in rural Missouri and $450 outside Boston.
Species: oak, hickory, and maple cost more than pine and poplar because they carry more heat per cord.
Seasoned vs green: expect to pay $75 to $150 more per cord for wood that is ready to burn today.
Delivery: local delivery is often included within a few miles; beyond that, $25 to $75 per load is typical. Stacking service adds $25 to $50 per cord.
Split vs rounds: split wood costs more than unsplit rounds, usually $25 to $50 per cord extra, because splitting is labor.
Red flags
Watch for these: the seller refuses to give stacked dimensions in feet, prices by "truckload" without a bed size, advertises a "cord" with no mention of seasoning, or demands full prepayment from an ad with no local address. Also compare the face-cord math. If three face cords cost noticeably more than the same seller's full cord, they are charging a convenience premium, which is fine if it is disclosed, and a scam if it is not.
How to get a fair price
Buy in late spring or summer when demand is low and green wood is cheapest, then season it yourself if you have the space. Ask for a price with delivery and stacking separated so you can see what the wood itself costs. And always get the stack dimensions in writing: "4 x 8 face, 16 inch logs, seasoned" turns an argument into arithmetic.
Skip the arithmetic
Comparing two sellers quoting different units? Enter each stack's dimensions and price in our free calculator to get an exact cost per cord for both, then pick the better deal.
Cord of wood price questions
How much is a face cord of wood vs a full cord?
Multiply the face cord price by 3 to get the equivalent full-cord price. A $120 face cord equals $360 per cord. Full cords are usually cheaper per unit because sellers save on delivery trips, so compare the per-cord number before deciding.
Why is firewood so expensive?
Most of what you pay for is labor and diesel, not the wood. Cutting, splitting, seasoning for 6 to 12 months, loading, delivering, and sometimes stacking takes real time and equipment. Delivery fuel costs and local demand, especially after storms or in cold snaps, push prices up further.
Is it cheaper to buy a full cord or face cords?
Almost always a full cord. A seller delivering one 128-cubic-foot load has one trip and one stacking job; delivering three face cords over time has three. That said, if you only burn a fireplace occasionally, one face cord now beats a full cord rotting in the yard for three years.
How much does a truckload of firewood cost?
A heaped pickup bed holds roughly 60 to 70 cubic feet of thrown wood, well under half a stacked cord, and typically sells for $75 to $150 depending on region. Convert it to per-cord terms: $100 for 65 cubic feet is about $197 per cord of loose wood, but remember loose wood is about 70 percent of the stacked equivalent.
When is the cheapest time to buy firewood?
Late spring through summer, when demand is lowest and sellers want to move inventory. Buy green wood in spring at the low end of the range, stack it with airflow, and it will be seasoned by heating season. Buying in January, when everyone is cold and supply is tight, is the most expensive way to do it.