Whether you’re moving firewood or logs, transporting them is definitely a heavy task. Thankfully, there’s a wide range of pick-up trucks to get the job done.
In this article, we’ll help you pick the right truck for easy transportation for every load of wood you need. Read on to know your choices!
How much wood can fit in pickup trucks?
A pick-up truck can carry 1,500 to 2,000 lbs. of wood, and one cord of wood is approximately 5,000 lbs. So, an average pick-up truck can hold between 0.2 to 0.5 cords of wood (1,000 to 2,500 lbs).
Popular Pick-up Trucks in the United States
If you’re transporting less than one cord of wood, you can use regular pick-up trucks.
Here are the most common pick-up trucks in the United States and how much cord of wood they can carry.
| Truck | Storage Space (cubic feet) | Carrying Capacity (cord of wood) |
| Ford Ranger | 43 | 0.3 |
| RAM 1500 | 61 | 0.47 |
| Ford F150 | 77.4 | 0.6 |
| GMC Sierra | 89 | 0.69 |
| Chevrolet Silverado | 88 | 0.69 |
Logging Trucks
We know there’s a constant demand for logs, timber, and all other types of wood in the forest industry. To meet the big demand from the industry, we’ll have to bring out the big guns – logging trucks.
The carrying capacity of logging trucks is measured by yield in board foot. One board foot is equivalent to 1 inch thick by 12 inches long and wide piece of wood.
Here are all the kinds of logging trucks and their carrying capacities.
| Logging Truck | Cords of Wood (Tons) | Board Foot Capacity (number of logs) | Log Capacity |
| Semi-Trailer | 13 cords (33 tons) | 3,000 to 5,000 | 20 to 50 |
| Straight Tri-Axle | 7 cords (18 tons) | 1,500 to 2,500 | 20 to 50 |
| Off-Road | 20 cords (50 tons) | 6,000 to 8,000 | 40 to 100 above |
What is a cord of wood?
A cord of wood measures the weight or quantity of wood per 128 cubic feet. Generally, a full cord of wood weighs 5,000 pounds with logs measuring 8 feet long, 4 feet wide, and high.
The weight of a cord of wood varies on the tree species. So, here’s a list of the most common tree species and their weight per cord of wood.
| Species | Weight per Cord (lbs) |
| Ash | 5,000 |
| Elm | 5,500 |
| Silver Maple | 5,000 |
| Willow | 5,000 |
| Aspen | 4,500 |
| Birch | 4,600 |
| Cottonwood | 5,000 |
| Red Maple | 5,000 |
| Sugar Maple | 5,500 |
| Basswood | 4,600 |
| Yellow Birch | 5,500 |
| Black Walnut | 5,500 |
| Butternut | 5,000 |
| Oak | 5,500 |
| Red Oak | 5,500 |
| White Oak | 5,500 |
| Black Oak | 5,500 |
| White Ash | 5,000 |
| Hackberry | 5,000 |
| White Pine | 4,400 |
| Norway Pine | 4,700 |
| White Spruce | 4,200 |
| Balsam Fir | 4,700 |
| Black Spruce | 4,200 |
| White Cedar | 2,900 |
FAQs on Loading Wood on Trucks
Every truckload of wood is measured per cord. One cord of wood is equal to 128 cubic feet.
One cord of wood contains around 600 to 800 pieces of wood depending on the species, thickness, and length of the pile.
Depending on the wood species, a cord of wood costs from $120 to $180. During peak season, each cord of wood costs as high as $300 to $600.
It costs $70 to $300 for every pickup truckload of wood, assuming that a truck can carry 0.2 to 0.5 cords of wood and one cord costs $300 to $600.
