How many board feet in an average cord

[Joe Hillmann]

Does anyone have any numbers on how many board feet are in a full cord of logs?

I am guessing 600-800bdft but hope someone here has actually figured it out.

[Tree Dan]

Hi Joe, have a look here   https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=29126.0

[Jeff]

The rule of thumb is 500

[red oaks lumber]

we figure 2.2 cords per thousand b.f.

[Clark]

Jeff's rule of thumb is what I use for quick figuring. I talked to a small mill owner several years ago and he said that ROL's figure is closer to reality. If I am figuring it out "formally" I use that figure which is about 450 bd ft/cord.

Clark

[Jeff]

We would consistently average a bit over 500 feet. That was sawing minimum 10" logs and sawing with a 1/4 saw kerf. If you are sawing 450 average than that I'd say you are cutting small wood or not optimizing your cuts or mis-scaling your logs.

[ladylake]

It's 500 bf here too but have heard 2.2 a couple of times.  Steve

[brendonv]

Sry what scale. Int?

[Jeff]

No scale. Board feet is board feet. A cord is a cord.

[brendonv]

This is all new to me so..

Depending on which scale you use youll get a different bdft number for a certain log/ group of logs?  Or am i totally off.

[Jeff]

You are off. ;)   Actually, you are correct in your sentence, but not on the topic at hand.   You are not comparing log board scale to log cord scale. We are measuring actual yield of one cord of logs. A board foot of lumber is a board foot of lumber no matter what scale it is read on. 144 cubic inches. A cord of wood it 128 cubic feet of wood. The question was, how much lumber is in a cord of wood.   A log scale is an estimation of the board feet in a log or a tree and that log or tree is a variable. A cord of wood is a given, a board foot, is also a given.

[WH_Conley]

I cut up some small scrappy logs that were measured Doyle rule. Averaged 500 feet per cord.

[brendonv]

Humph. Maybe i huffed to much argon today welding. Ill re-read later.  :D

[Jeff]

There are not multiple scales to determine what a board foot is. A board foot is a board foot. There are multiple scales to estimate how MANY board feet there are in a log or a tree. A log or a tree are all different from each other, so different scales have been developed to estimate how many board feet are in a log or a tree, not to determine what a board foot is. When you say how many board feet are in a cord, all cords are the same size in volume. Your board feet will only differ not because the size of the cord, but the size and utilization of the logs that make up that cord.

[brendonv]

ok. I just hung upside down and got all that argon out.  8)

I get all the terms.  No sweat.

Hes asking tho, or maybe not.   That cord of logs sitting over there in that pile. How many bd ft of lumber would be in that. 

So if i had two cords of logs on my trailer, theres approx 1000 bdft of lumber.

The conversion depends on both the diameter of the logs and the bd ft scale you use. But despite that most people use the standard factor of 500 bd ft per cord or 2 cords per MBF.

[Jeff]

YES.   depending on the logs and their size and quality.

[beenthere]

Good on the explanation Jeff.

[Tree Dan]

Wow that cleared things up thanks Jeff

[Clark]

We would consistently average a bit over 500 feet. That was sawing minimum 10" logs and sawing with a 1/4 saw kerf. If you are sawing 450 average than that I'd say you are cutting small wood or not optimizing your cuts or mis-scaling your logs.

That's good to know. I was under the impression that 500bdft to the cord was the estimate that was close enough but not necessarily accurate.

I don't know what this guy cut or what his specs for logs were so I really can't say what his inputs were to arrive at 450.

Clark

[brendonv]

Jeff. This totally hit me smack in the face later on in the night. Totally understand now. Thanks.

On another note. We know 128 cu ft is a cord.

Is there a rule of thumb, relating to the three log scales, that you can measure uncut logs with a stick, and say "ok, that should be a cord of wood if we were evaluating it in those terms"

That's where my head was in that equation. Until late that night like I mentioneD

In that case, one would probably assume it's less than 500 in those terms. The way I'm thinking.

Thanks. I enjoy learning this stuff.

[O.R.Birr]

I have read much and heard much on this topic as logging is in my blood.  I am curious why noone EVER states how many board feet are in an actual cord.  There are 1,536 board feet in a 4ft x 4ft x 8ft area we loggers refer to as a cord.  With that being said, we all know logs are round, have bark, and dont fit perfectly together, so there is a little wood lost right away.  Then there is waste from the milling process, which is neglegable, especially since it is either chipped and sold for mulch and pellets, or firewood.  Then there is shrinkage from the drying process and from the kerf of the saw blade.  
Here is where it gets interesting.  Every cord produces a different amount of board feet because of timber quality, the type of mill used, the skill of the person milling, and what kind of boards are being taken.
Because of these discrepencies, it has been the dispute of many a logger in times recent AND past.  That is why the figure of 1,000 board feet has been used widely rather than the 1,536 that actually exists in a 4'x4' 8' cord.  The 1,000 board feet standard is supposed to deduct 1/3 of the cord due to waste and the other factors.  That way loggers were able to figure out how much they were to be paid based on the cord measurement they use in the woods, making it easier for them to get paid fairly.
There is the possibility to get more or less board footage depending on log size and timber quality.  It is very possible to get 1,000 board feet per cord with 16" clear logs, which was the standard size of sawlogs for many sawmills in America when trees taken to mills were typically bigger being of virgin timber stands.

[arky217]

Jeff. This totally hit me smack in the face later on in the night. Totally understand now. Thanks.

On another note. We know 128 cu ft is a cord.

Is there a rule of thumb, relating to the three log scales, that you can measure uncut logs with a stick, and say "ok, that should be a cord of wood if we were evaluating it in those terms"

That's where my head was in that equation. Until late that night like I mentioneD

In that case, one would probably assume it's less than 500 in those terms. The way I'm thinking.

Thanks. I enjoy learning this stuff.

Yes of course, there are 128 cu. ft. in a cord, but sometimes in the past, companies
and others have looked at it a little differently. For example:
In the early 60's, I cut pulpwood for several years and hauled it to a river with a farm tractor and trailer.
I had to cut it 5' long and at the river had to stack it 6' high and put uprights every 6'.
So, I was paid by buyers definition of a 'cord' which was 180 cu. ft.
( I got $18/'cord', of which $6 went to the landowner for the trees.)

[Jeff]

500 ft.   500ft. 500ft

Depending...


AaAgain.

[Andries]

500 ft.   500ft. 500ft
Depending...
AaAgain.

Jeff, you're being cryptic . . .
500 b?ft hi quality lumber
500 b?ft sawdust, bark and air
500 b?ft firewood
equals = 1500 bft.
So, you agree with O.R.Birr ? 
Just kiddin' You really really want us to know that the estimate is 500 bf. per cord. 

[barbender]

I'd like to see someone get 1000bf of sawn lumber out of a cord.