Cord (volume)

The cord is a unit of measure of dry volume used in Canada and the United States to measure firewood and pulpwood. One cord, also commonly called a full cord or bush cord, is defined as convert|128|cuft|m3|2, [cite web
last = British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Range
first =
authorlink = British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Range
coauthors =
title = Glossary of Forestry Terms in British Columbia
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/glossary/Glossary.pdf
format = .PDF
doi =
accessdate = 2008-09-04] ,corresponding to a woodpile 4 feet wide × 4 feet high × 8 feet long. In the United States, the cord is defined by statute in most states. The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology Handbook 130, section 2.4.1.2 [cite web
last = NIST
first = Weights and Measures Division
authorlink = National Institute of Standards and Technology
coauthors =
title = Uniform Laws and Regulations in the Areas of Legal Metrology and Engine Fuel Quality
work = NIST Handbook 130 - 2006 Edition
publisher =
date = 2006
url = http://ts.nist.gov/WeightsAndMeasures/h130-06.cfm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-09-04] defines a cord and provides uniform regulations related to the sale of fireplace and stove wood. In the metric system, wood is usually measured in steres or cubic metres: 1 stere = 1 m³ ≈ 0.276 cords.

Another measure of wood volume is the sheldon cord (sometimes called a long cord), which usually "does not" have a legal definition, and its size varies regionally but is always larger than the regular cord.

Other non-legal definitions of firewood volume include standing cord, kitchen cord, running cord, face cord, fencing cord, and country cord. A face cord many times is defined as 1/3 of a full cord. It is therefore typically a pile of stacked wood with logs (split or unsplit) 16 inches in length x 4 feet high x 8 feet long. According to the Weights and Measures Act in Canada, the only true definable cord is a full cord and all other fractions thereof.

The word, "cord," originates from middle English from the old French "corde," and from Latin "chorda" and Greek "khord." [cite book
last = Houghton Mifflin Company
first =
authorlink = Houghton Mifflin Company
coauthors =
title = The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
publisher =
date = 2000
location = cord
pages = 2074 pages
url = http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cord
doi =
id =
isbn = 0618082301] Apparently derived from the use of a fiber cord to measure quantities of firewood.

References

External links

:* [http://www.co.kern.ca.us/weights/firewood.html Kern County Weights and Measures "About Firewood" ]
:* [http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/publications/energy/buyfirewood.pdf Nova Scotia Natural Resources Information Circular DNR - 1A: "GUIDE TO BUYING and MEASURING STACKED FIREWOOD"]