# How much exactly is a "chord?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 17, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747 "2005-06-17T20:07:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/1 "2005-06-17T20:07:55Z")
Let’s say I’m going to go camping and I want to buy firewood. They offer it in “chords.” How much wood would I be getting? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/2 "2005-06-17T20:12:33Z")
It’s a cord – 128 cubic feet. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/3 "2005-06-17T20:13:25Z")
One [cord](http://www.ncforestry.org/docs/Products/cord.htm) of wood is 4’ x 4’ x 8’, or 128 cubic feet. Enough to make a whole bunch of campfires. ---
**Author:** ![Irvm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d78d45/32.png) [@Irvm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irvm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/4 "2005-06-17T20:13:26Z")
> [@](#): > Must be a long camping trip. A ‘cord’ is a pile 4 x 4 x 8 ft. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/5 "2005-06-17T20:13:56Z")
It’s “cord,” and it’s the amount of wood in 4 feet x 4 ft. x 8 ft. A rick is less formal, but it’s usually 4 ft. x 8 ft. x the length of the wood. You may have seen a Honda Accord with a vanity plate reading “4X4X8.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/6 "2005-06-17T20:20:21Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > It’s a cord – 128 cubic feet. :smack: That’s why Google yielded nada. Thanks folks! I knew it was a hefty amount but wanted to know for sure. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/7 "2005-06-17T20:36:01Z")
Apropos of not much, we’re talking firewood rather than a solid 4x4x8 chunk, so how it’s stacked varies the actual amount of wood you end up with. (My grandfather’s rule of thumb was “loose enough for a rat to get through, tight enough so the cat can’t follow it.”) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/8 "2005-06-17T20:50:11Z")
Since this has already been answered… How much is a chord? Usually about 3 notes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/9 "2005-06-17T21:43:41Z")
Watch out for woodcutters offering “face cords”, which are exactly half of a cord: 2x4x8 ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/10 "2005-06-17T21:50:42Z")
> [@andros](#): > > (My grandfather’s rule of thumb was “loose enough for a rat to get through, tight enough so the cat can’t follow it.”) Colorful… and cool. 🙂 > [@Fear Itself](#): > > Watch out for woodcutters offering “face cords”, which are exactly half of a cord: 2x4x8 Umm, why do you have to watch out for them?? Because they aren’t clear that it isn’t a regular cord or they’re charging you as much as a full cord would cost?? Assuming that the price and quality of the wood are in line, and that they’re being honest, I would think there are times when a face cord would be just the thing. As people have pointed out, a full cord is quite a lot sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/11 "2005-06-17T21:52:19Z")
How much is a chord? That depends on the quality of the musician and whether or not he or she is seeking Union scale. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/12 "2005-06-17T22:16:31Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Apropos of not much, we’re talking firewood rather than a solid 4x4x8 chunk, so how it’s stacked varies the actual amount of wood you end up with. > (My grandfather’s rule of thumb was “loose enough for a rat to get through, tight enough so the cat can’t follow it.”) Exactly. You got to consider the space between the logs. What kind of wood, etc. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/13 "2005-06-17T22:22:15Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > How much is a chord? That depends on the quality of the musician and whether or not he or she is seeking Union scale. And if the musician is forgetful, you might find him singing a sad song about “The Lost Chord.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/14 "2005-06-17T23:27:27Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Watch out for woodcutters offering “face cords”, which are exactly half of a cord: 2x4x8 I thought a face cord was a third of a cord. When I was buying wood, it was typically 16" long, so there were three stacks in a cord. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/15 "2005-06-18T01:14:10Z")
I thought a face cord was a 4 foot by 8 foot stack of wood with a “depth” of anything _less_ than 4 feet. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/16 "2005-06-18T02:48:12Z")
Yes, you are correct. I looked it up after posting; there is no standard depth for a face cord. ---
**Author:** ![wheelie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b4bc9f/32.png) [@wheelie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheelie)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exactly-is-a-chord/308747/17 "2005-06-18T02:51:22Z")
I recently paid $30 for 1/4 cord, but that was BBQ quality wood, not campfire/fireplace-grade stuff (and I didn’t drive out to the country, where it’s cheaper). Wood not meant for cooking goes for 1/2 to 3/4 as much, in my experience. A full cord of oak was going for $90, that’s a pretty big stack of wood, though. mmmmm…barbecue…::drool::