How Heavy Is a Cord of Wood? 2,000 to 6,000+ Pounds
“A cord weighs about 2,000 pounds” is the answer you’ll see most often online, and it’s only right for one specific case. Here’s the real range and what actually determines where your wood falls in it.
The Real Range: It Depends Entirely on Species and Moisture
Skip the Guesswork
 |
Angel USA 400lb Digital Platform Scale – $129.99 Species tables only get you a range — if you’re loading a trailer near its rated capacity or verifying what you actually paid for, weighing a real bundle beats estimating.
|
A cord of wood (a stack 4 feet high, 4 feet wide, and 8 feet long, or 128 cubic feet) can weigh anywhere from about 2,000 pounds for dry softwood to over 6,000 pounds for green (unseasoned) hardwood — there’s no single correct number, because species density and moisture content each swing the weight dramatically. A quoted “average” of 2,000-2,500 pounds only really applies to seasoned softwood; a cord of green oak can weigh nearly three times that.
Weight by Species: Seasoned vs. Green
| Wood | Seasoned (dry) | Green (unseasoned) |
|---|---|---|
| Oak | ~4,200-4,800 lbs | ~5,500-6,000+ lbs |
| Maple | ~3,200-3,600 lbs | ~4,000-4,500 lbs |
| Birch | ~2,900-3,200 lbs | ~3,500-3,800 lbs |
| Pine | ~2,000-2,500 lbs | ~2,700-3,000 lbs |
These are practical estimates, not lab-precise figures — actual weight still varies with how densely a specific cord is stacked and the exact moisture level at delivery. The pattern that matters: dense hardwoods (oak, hickory) run heaviest, lighter hardwoods (maple, birch) sit in the middle, and softwoods (pine, fir) are lightest. Green wood consistently runs 20-30% heavier than the same wood fully seasoned, purely from water weight — which is also why green wood burns worse and is harder to haul.
Full Cord vs. Face Cord Weight
A face cord is roughly one-third the volume of a full cord (same 4-foot height and 8-foot length, but only about 16 inches deep instead of 4 feet) — so its weight scales down proportionally, not to some fixed number. A face cord of seasoned oak (roughly a third of ~4,500 lbs) comes out to around 1,400-1,600 lbs, while a face cord of seasoned pine lands closer to 700-850 lbs. Always confirm which measurement a seller means before comparing prices; see our face cord vs. pulp cord breakdown for the full conversion math.
Can a Full Cord Fit in a Pickup Truck?
Not in one load, for most trucks. A standard half-ton pickup bed holds roughly a third to half a cord depending on how high it’s stacked and the truck’s payload rating (most half-ton trucks max out around 1,500-2,000 lbs of payload, well under a full cord’s weight). Hauling a genuine full cord typically takes two to three truck loads, not one — plan deliveries or pickups accordingly rather than assuming a single trip covers it.
How to Estimate Your Own Cord’s Weight
- Identify the wood species — this is the single biggest factor in the estimate.
- Note whether it’s seasoned (dry, typically 6+ months to a year off the stump) or green — green adds 20-30% to the weight.
- Use the table above as a starting range for that species and moisture state.
- For a real number rather than an estimate, weigh a representative bundle on a scale and extrapolate, or ask your supplier for their own measured weight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you fit a cord of wood in a pickup truck?
Not in a single load, for most trucks. A standard half-ton pickup bed typically holds a third to half a cord at a time; hauling a full cord usually takes two to three trips.
How heavy is a face cord of wood?
It scales with the full cord’s weight, not a fixed number — roughly a third of whatever the equivalent full cord weighs. A seasoned oak face cord runs around 1,400-1,600 lbs; a seasoned pine face cord is closer to 700-850 lbs.
How much does a cord of oak wood weigh?
Roughly 4,200-4,800 lbs seasoned, and 5,500-6,000+ lbs green (freshly cut, unseasoned), since oak’s density makes it one of the heaviest common firewood species either way.
Conclusion
There’s no single correct answer to how much a cord of wood weighs — species and moisture content swing it from around 2,000 lbs (dry softwood) to over 6,000 lbs (green oak). Match your species and seasoning state to the table above for a realistic estimate, and plan multiple truck loads if you’re hauling a full cord yourself.
