… measurements.
While we’ve got no particular problem with firewood sold by the truckload, pound or any other type of measurement, you’ll notice that there’s a certain consistency in the firewood ads we’ve got listed. Specifically, you’ll see that the fuel is listed by cord or by partial cord. Every wonder why that is? And what is a cord, anyway?
While we consider ourselves rather likely to think outside the box, we do observe the letter of the law in the ads we publish. And Title 70 of Pennsylvania Code & Section 2.11 of the Weights & Measures Act of 1965 states that all firewood sold in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania be advertised and sold only by the cord (or fraction thereof).
So what, exactly, does that mean? Well, for starters, a cord of wood is defined as a quantity of stacked wood totaling 4’x 4’x 8′ (or 128 cubic feet). By using a hard-and-fast amount of wood, it keeps the advertised amounts consistent, making it simpler for potential buyers to smoke out the best deal. Why the word cord? We’re not sure, but it’s theorized that the name comes from the cord (or string) used years ago to measure the stacked amount.