Firewood is normally sold in units called cords. A cord of wood is a neat stack measuring four feet wide by four feet high and eight feet long. The heat content of a cord will vary depending on the species of wood. A cord of mixed softwood will have a heat value of 17 or 18 million BTU and a cord of mixed hardwood will have a heat value of 27 to 29 million BTU. By way of comparison, a gallon of No. 2 fuel oil has a heat value of 140,000BTU per gallon and propane has 93,000 BTU per gallon. Please use our fuel cost comparison tool to calculate the relative fuel costs in your area.
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