You got your fireplace nicely installed. You now want to add a cozier feel to your home—what better way than burning some wood. So you go on a search for some firewood you can use to warm things up, but suddenly you are flooded with all these terms, rick, cord, face cord, and feel stumped.

You are stuck and haven’t a clue what these measurements mean.

Yes, all these are measurements used to classify a stack of wood, so how big is a rick of wood, for instance?

A rick of wood is eight feet wide, four feet tall, with a depth that ranges from 16 inches to 18 inches. The depth of rick is dependent on the length of the logs. And can weigh from 650lbs to 3000lbs depending on the type of wood used on the rick. A rick made of softwood would be lighter than one made from hardwood.

While the transactional firewood laws enacted in most states will ensure you get the correct amount of wood for the money you pay, ensuring that the wood is of good quality and suited to your needs is entirely up to you.

Some of the things to consider when getting wood would be how clean the wood is. The last thing you need is to handle an insect-infested moldy wood.  Are you a handyperson? If the answer is no, ensure you get your wood ready to use with the logs split.

Simple checks like these can save you a lot of time and literal energy when handling wood. If you want to use the wood immediately, don’t go for greenwood with high moisture levels, it would be more practical to get dry wood. And if you can get it thicker, even better, this guarantees that it will burn well and for long.

Likewise, knowing the size of a rick of wood is essential. The amount of wood you will get and its exact measurement is a great fact as they will influence other factors like storage and cost.

Rick of Wood Sizing

The first thing to know about the rick of wood is that it is used to define the number of wood pieces available in a given stuck of wood. The term can be used interchangeably with face cord.

The entire stack that makes up a rick is about eight feet wide, four feet tall, with a depth ranging from 16 to 18 inches. The logs in a rick are usually cut down to a length of about 16 to 18 inches.

The size is based on the average depth of most fireplaces. However, logs in the face cord can vary from 12 inches to 16 inches, and some even extend up to 24inches.

Weight and Number of Wood in a Rick

Together with sizing, it is important to know the weight of the wood you are getting and the number of pieces of wood that usually go in a rick.

The weight of the face cord will vary depending on the sizes you select and the type of wood you are getting. Light firewood, like spruce, will make up a rick of about 625 lbs. On the other hand, weighty wood like white oaks will make for really heavy ricks with upwards of 3000 lbs.

 How well the vendor cuts the wood and how tight the overall stack is will determine the amount of timber in a rick. Loosely stacked rick with poorly cut wood will generally result in fewer logs in the face cord. But the typical amount of wood pieces in a rick ranges from 275 to 325.

Generally speaking, these numbers will vary from region to region and from vendor to vendor. There is no exact measurement of what a rick of wood should be. It is great to thoroughly have things worked out with your vendor to ensure your expectations are met.

How to Identify a Good Rick of Wood

A good rick of wood has quality wood that is efficient in combustion. The quality is important as it will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide production. Quality wood will generally burn faster to warm up the room while utility a small number of logs. Below are some features in a rick that will assure you of the quality of each piece of wood.

The Wood is Grey

Grey-colored wood means it is dry and has high combustion efficiency meaning it will burn clean ( not producing any smoke) for a long time. If, however, your wood seems to have freshly left the forest recently and is still wet, you are in trouble.

Firstly the wood combustion will produce a toxic gas, carbon monoxide, that can cause asphyxiation. The smoke will also blacken chimneys or wood-burning stoves. Secondly, a lot of heat will be wasted burning off the excess water in the log.

The Wood Ends Have Splits

Splits at the ends of the wood are a clear indication that the wood is well seasoned. A block in well-seasoned timber is entirely dry therefore burns efficiently. Generally, the seasoning timber process takes anywhere from 6 to 12 months. The variation is because softwood drys out faster than hardwood.

 Log Radius

Larger long will burn longer and are more efficient, but the diameter of your large log should not exceed 10 cm. Larger logs would need to be split for them to burn more effectively. The size of the wood could also vary depending on the size of your wood-burning stove or fireplace.

Woodsure Ready to Burn Label

The surest way to know that your wood is 100 percent of great quality for burning is some wood certification or quality assurance system. The Woodsure Ready to Burn Label is a great example of such a scheme.  It ensures the wood burns optimally and efficiently without risk to you or your appliance.

How to Store Your Rick of Wood

You have finally made that big investment, and your rick of wood has arrived. What next? The answer is storage. You need to figure out how you will store this wood to prevent damage and ensure longevity.

The first thing you need to do before storing the wood is to split them to make them more manageable, then decide on how you’ll stack them.

A Firewood Shed

The firewood shed is a great place to store your wood outdoors.  Ensure it comes with a roof to prevent snow and rain from penetrating the stack.

Wood Holders and Racks

Wood holders and racks provide for more versatility as you can use them to store wood both indoors and outdoors. Generally, storing firewood indoors is not convenient due to the pest, dirt, and debris they attract.  Wood present in a home may also trigger some allergy reactions.

Wrap

When you don’t feel like doing the extra work that involves changing the location of the rick of wood, you can opt to wrap it.

You only need to get a durable material that is both water and snowproof. Then lay it over the rick.  Be sure to only cover about a third of the rick to prevent mildew from foaming under the wood. 

Wrapping will also ensure the wood gets great air circulation and plenty of sunlight.