Free tool
Firewood revenue calculator
By Umair Nawaz, founder of Lirevon Updated How we test tools
You already have the wood. The question is whether turning it into firewood beats paying to dump it. Enter your log pile, the time it takes to split and stack, your price per cord and your delivery costs. You get the profit, the break-even price per cord and a plain answer. Every number is yours to change.
Learn more: break-even price, job costing, tree species guides, quick answers.
1. Your wood
2. Splitting and seasoning
3. Selling and delivery
4. The other option: dumping it
Firewood vs dumping
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Gain vs paying to dump
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Firewood cords
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Profit from sales
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Break-even price per cord
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Earned per hour of work
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Estimate only, built from the numbers entered. Real prices, labor time and demand vary. Check your local market before you commit.
How the math works
- Cords in the pile = length × width × height × how tight (%) ÷ 128. A full cord is 128 cubic feet stacked. Or type the cords yourself.
- Firewood cords = cords in the pile × share good for firewood.
- Labor = firewood cords × person-hours per cord × loaded cost per hour. Splitter cost = firewood cords × splitter cost per cord.
- Deliveries = cords sold × share delivered ÷ cords per delivery, rounded up. Delivery cost = deliveries × cost of one delivery.
- Profit from sales = (cords sold × price) + delivery fees − labor − splitter − delivery − storage − ads − any tree work you give up.
- Dump fees skipped = firewood cords × cost to dump one cord. The wood you do not use still gets dumped either way, so it is left out.
- Gain vs dumping = profit from sales + dump fees skipped. Above zero, firewood wins. Below zero, dumping is cheaper.
- Break-even price per cord = the price where the gain is zero: (all costs − delivery fees − dump fees skipped) ÷ cords sold.
- Earned per hour of work = (gain + labor cost + tree work given up) ÷ total person-hours. Compare it with what a crew hour earns on tree work.
Questions about selling firewood
Is selling firewood worth it for a small tree service?
It can be, but only if the labor is cheap for you. Wood from jobs is free to you, and keeping it saves a dump fee. The cost is the hours to cut, split, stack and deliver it. If those hours come from slow days, firewood often pays. If they pull your crew off paid tree work, it often does not. Put your own numbers into this tool to see which side you are on.
How many cords are in my log pile?
Measure the pile in feet: length times width times height. A neatly stacked cord is 128 cubic feet. A loose pile of logs and rounds has a lot of air in it, so this tool lets you set how tight the pile is compared with a neat stack. Treat the answer as a rough estimate until you have split and stacked a few cords and know your own number.
What is the difference between a cord and a face cord?
A full cord is 128 cubic feet of stacked wood, 4 by 4 by 8 feet. A face cord, also called a rick, is one row 4 feet high and 8 feet long, as deep as the pieces are long. With 16-inch pieces that is about one third of a cord. Say clearly which one you sell, because buyers compare prices.
What should I charge per cord?
Check what others near you charge right now for the same thing: seasoned or green, hardwood or mixed, full cord or face cord, delivered or picked up. Prices change a lot by region and season. Then use the break-even price in this tool so you never price below your own cost.
How long does it take to cut, split and stack one cord?
It depends on your splitter, the wood, how far you move it and your crew. Time yourself on the next few cords and put that number in the tool. The starting point here is only a guess to get you going, change it.
Should I charge for delivery?
Each delivery costs you drive time, fuel and truck wear. You can add a delivery fee or build it into the delivered price. This tool lets you enter both the cost of a delivery and any fee you charge, so you can see if delivery makes or loses money.
Are there rules for selling firewood?
Often, yes. Many states have weights and measures rules on how firewood is sold and labeled, and many limit moving firewood across county or state lines to stop tree pests. Check with your state agriculture or weights and measures office before you sell. Short explanation, not legal advice.
Does green wood sell for less than seasoned wood?
Usually, because the buyer has to wait for it to dry. Selling green means no storage time and faster cash. Selling seasoned means more yard space and waiting, but often a higher price. Run the tool twice, once with each price and storage cost, and compare.
What about wood that is rotten or not good for burning?
Some wood from jobs is punky, rotten or a species buyers do not want. Set the "good for firewood" percent to cover that. The rest still has to be chipped, dumped or hauled, so this tool only counts dump savings on the wood you actually turn into firewood.
Is anything I type sent to Lirevon?
No. The math runs in your browser. Your numbers are kept only in this browser on this device so the form is filled in next time. Clear your browser data to remove them.
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