Measure to be sure it's a cord. A cord of wood is 128 cubic feet in volume, regardless of the shape it is stacked. Traditionally, a cord is a stack of wood eight feet long by four feet high and four feet wide. A properly stacked cord of wood should have pieces placed parallel to each other in a compact manner. Seasoned hardwoods are best.
Unseasoned wood produces only two-thirds of the heat of seasoned wood.
Hardwoods such as oak, hickory, ash, and beech are more dense and produce more heat than soft woods such as aspen or poplar. If a firewood dealer claims the wood is a specific type, the delivered load must contain at least 90 percent of that species of wood. Get a receipt. Firewood sellers must provide a sales invoice to buyers. It must contain the name and address of the seller and buyer, delivery date, cord or weight price, amount delivered, and total cost.