What Is a Rick of Wood?
Half the country buys firewood by the rick and the other half has never heard the word. Here is what a rick really is, where the word comes from, and the measurement check that keeps a vague word from becoming an expensive one.
A rick is a regional term for a face cord: a stack 4 feet high and 8 feet long, one log deep, typically with 16 inch logs, totaling about 42.7 cubic feet or one third of a full cord. Unlike a cord, a rick has no legal definition, so always confirm the log length and face dimensions before buying.
The short answer: a face cord by another name
A rick is a stack of firewood 4 feet high and 8 feet long, one log deep, just like a face cord. With the standard 16 inch logs, that is 4 x 8 x 1.33 feet = 42.7 cubic feet, or one third of a full 128-cubic-foot cord. The word is regional, the stack is universal.
Where the word is used
"Rick" is the everyday word across much of the South, the Ozarks, and parts of the Midwest, while "face cord" dominates the Northeast and much of the West. The word itself is old farm English: a rick was a stack of hay or grain, so a rick of wood is simply a wood stack. Sellers use whichever word their customers expect, which is why the same stack has two names a state line apart.
Rick vs face cord vs full cord
Put the three side by side:
Full cord: 4 x 8 x 4 ft = 128 cubic feet. Legal unit of measure in most states. The yardstick.
Face cord: 4 x 8 x 1.33 ft (16 in logs) = 42.7 cubic feet = 1/3 cord. Trade term, no universal legal definition.
Rick: 4 x 8 x 1.33 ft (16 in logs) = 42.7 cubic feet = 1/3 cord. Regional word, no legal definition anywhere.
Notice that the physical stack is identical for rick and face cord. The difference is only legal: a seller advertising a "cord" is bound by weights-and-measures law in most states, while a seller advertising a "rick" is bound by nothing but the conversation you had.
Why the missing definition costs buyers money
Because "rick" has no legal meaning, some sellers quietly shrink it. The classic move is short logs: a rick with 12 inch logs is 4 x 8 x 1.0 = 32 cubic feet, only a quarter of a cord. Work the price: $80 for that rick divided by 0.25 cords = $320 per cord. The buyer heard "$80 a rick" and thought they were getting a deal; they paid mid-range cord prices for a short stack.
A rick can also grow. With 24 inch logs it is 4 x 8 x 2.0 = 64 cubic feet, a full half cord. That is a great deal at rick pricing and a terrible deal to miss if you pass it up thinking all ricks are equal.
Three questions before you buy a rick
First: "How long are the logs?" Sixteen inches is standard; anything else changes the volume. Second: "Is the face a full 4 feet high and 8 feet long?" Some sellers stack to 3.5 feet and still call it a rick. Third: "Is it stacked or loose?" A loose rick thrown in a truck bed holds far less wood than a stacked one. Get the answers, multiply height x length x log length in feet, divide by 128, and you know exactly what fraction of a cord you are buying.
Should you buy ricks or full cords?
Price per cord decides. Three standard ricks equal one cord, so multiply the rick price by 3 and compare to the full-cord price. Full cords usually win on price but demand storage space and a bigger single payment. Ricks suit occasional burners and tight budgets. Either way, the word on the ad matters less than the tape measure on the stack.
Skip the arithmetic
Buying by the rick? Plug the seller's stack dimensions into our free calculator to convert any rick to exact cords, face cords, and cubic feet, so vague words do not cost you real money.
Rick of wood questions
Is a rick of wood a half cord?
No. A standard rick (4 x 8 feet with 16 inch logs) is 42.7 cubic feet, or one third of a cord. The half-cord confusion comes from sellers using 24 inch logs, which makes a rick 64 cubic feet, exactly half a cord. Same word, different stack: measure the log length.
How many ricks are in a cord?
Three standard ricks make one cord: 3 x 42.7 = 128.1 cubic feet, effectively one full cord. If the logs are 12 inches, it takes four ricks; if 24 inches, two. The count follows the log length, so ask before you do the division.
Why is it called a rick of wood?
Rick is old farm English for a stack, originally of hay or grain. Settlers applied it to stacked firewood, and the word stuck in the South and Midwest while other regions adopted face cord. It survives because firewood is still sold neighbor to neighbor, where local words carry weight.
What is a rick of wood in feet?
Typically 4 feet high, 8 feet long, with logs 16 inches deep: 42.7 cubic feet. But since the term has no legal definition, treat any given rick as a claim to verify, not a standard. Measure the face and the log length yourself.
Should I buy a rick or a face cord?
They are the same stack in most regions, so buy whichever is cheaper per unit. Multiply the quoted price by 3 to get the per-cord equivalent and compare. If a seller insists a rick and a face cord are different sizes, ask for both sets of dimensions in feet.