Two-bay firewood storage study

Count the wood, not the loading space

Open the full labelled SVG

Only the filled stack envelopes count toward the half-cord example.

Two stack envelopes

Each selected 48 x 24 x 48 in envelope is 32 cubic feet; together they are 64 cubic feet, or 0.5 cord equivalent.

Batch separation

The chosen 12 in gap is excluded from capacity. It is not a validated airflow gap, structural support bay or a passage for a person.

Front handling strip

The selected 36 in front strip is working space, not wood volume. Try your own carrying or wheeling task before choosing its depth.

The plan view shows positions; the full labelled sheet adds the selected 48 in stack height in elevation. The height is an assumption, not a stability recommendation.

One cubic foot is 1728 cubic inches. Two selected stacks give 2 x 48 x 24 x 48 / 1728 = 64 cubic feet. Dividing by 128 gives 0.5 cord equivalent.

The nominal storage enclosure is unspecified. Supports, covering and usable clearances can increase the required footprint beyond the drawn allocation.

Keep both batches reachable from the front

Open the full labelled SVG

Keep a direct front approach to each separately identified batch.

Handle one batch without crossing the other

1. Identify the batch

   Label the bays by delivery or storage date. Their left/right positions do not establish whether either batch is ready to use.

2. Load or collect at the front

   Approach the selected bay through the front strip. The arrows do not represent a measured wheelbarrow, carrier or person.

3. Leave the route available

   Remove loose pieces and containers from the handling strip. Include the complete route back to the delivery or use point in your own trial.

Independent loading faces

Both arrows enter from the front. Neither drawn route passes through the neighboring stack.

A strip is not a handling test

No carrier dimensions, turning circle, reach or body envelope are included. The route outside this allocation is also unknown.

Separate batch labels support a storage routine, but the drawing cannot identify dryness or readiness from age or location.

EPA guidance discusses keeping stored wood off the ground and protecting it from weather. A base and cover need their own design; this plan does not specify their construction.

More stack depth leaves less handling space

24 in stacks / 36 in handling

36 in stacks / 24 in handling

Tan blocks are stack footprints. Pale green is the remaining handling area. Hatching marks the extra 12 in of stack depth. Both panels share a scale; stack height is held at the selected 48 in.

64 to 96 cubic feet: 50% more selected volume, with 12 in less front handling depth.

Open the full labelled SVG

The same allocation cannot gain storage depth without giving up handling depth.

What is held constant

Both cases use two 48 in wide stacks, a selected 48 in stack height, the 12 in batch gap and the same 108 x 60 in allocation.

What changes

Stack depth grows from 24 to 36 in. Total volume grows from 64 to 96 cubic feet, while the front strip shrinks from 36 to 24 in.

The added storage footprint is 2 x 48 x 12 = 1152 square inches. At the selected 48 in height it adds 32 cubic feet.

The smaller front strip is a trade-off, not an automatic safety failure. This comparison does not determine a minimum aisle width or validated stack capacity.

Choose the stored volume after checking the task

Measure the wood separately from the enclosure

Two 32 cubic foot envelopes give 64 cubic feet; the batch gap and handling strip contribute no stored volume.

Measure or try

Record the actual filled width, depth and height of each stack and divide total cubic feet by 128.

Change the arrangement if...

If the logs or packing do not fill the assumed envelopes, reduce the expected quantity or change the stack dimensions.

Try loading and collecting from both bays

The two drawn arrows reach the front faces without crossing the neighboring pile. They contain no person or carrier envelope.

Measure or try

Mark both stacks and try your loaded carrier, reach and return route.

Change the arrangement if...

If the carrier cannot turn or be set down, enlarge or rearrange the handling allocation before increasing storage.

Compare depth before adding a roof or supports

The deeper option adds 32 cubic feet but reduces the selected front strip from 36 to 24 in.

Measure or try

Keep the same overall allocation while marking each option; then add actual support and cover constraints.

Change the arrangement if...

If either the handling task or enclosure needs occupy the same space, reduce volume or expand the layout. Review structure and location separately.

Filled stack

Record width, depth and height of the actual stack, rather than the overall shed. Do not count large voids or unused bay space as stored wood.

Handling task

Try the actual carrier, body position and turning movement at each loading face.

Enclosure and site

Record supports, cover, drainage and location separately from the chosen stack envelopes.

Facts and assumptions

The selected 108 x 60 in allocation contains two stacks and a front handling strip. It is not an overall shed footprint: supports, roof overhang, drainage and external access are not dimensioned.

Selected width of each stack: 48 in

planning assumption. Selected example, not a safe-height, ventilation or operating-clearance recommendation.

Selected baseline stack depth: 24 in

planning assumption. Selected example, not a safe-height, ventilation or operating-clearance recommendation.

Selected stack height: 48 in

planning assumption. Selected example, not a safe-height, ventilation or operating-clearance recommendation.

Selected gap between batches: 12 in

planning assumption. Selected example, not a safe-height, ventilation or operating-clearance recommendation.

Selected baseline handling depth: 36 in

planning assumption. Selected example, not a safe-height, ventilation or operating-clearance recommendation.

Studied allocation width: 108 in

calculated. 48 + 12 + 48 = 108 in; excludes supports and roof.

Studied allocation depth: 60 in

calculated. 24 + 36 = 60 in; a task allocation, not a building exterior.

Baseline stack volume total: 64 ft3

calculated. 2 x 48 x 24 x 48 / 1728 = 64 ft3; bay separation and handling strip excluded.

Baseline cord equivalent: 0.5 cord

calculated. 64 / 128 = 0.5; rectangular filled-envelope equivalent, not a measured delivery.

Alternative stack depth: 36 in

planning assumption. Selected example, not a safe-height, ventilation or operating-clearance recommendation.

Alternative stack volume total: 96 ft3

calculated. 2 x 48 x 36 x 48 / 1728 = 96 ft3 = 0.75 cord equivalent.

Alternative front strip: 24 in

calculated. 60 - 36 = 24 in; adequacy for a person or carrier remains untested.

Volume per cord: 128 ft3

source reported. NIST stacked-volume definition, not solid timber volume.

Sources and separate build resources

ShedBuildPlans: P14 original layout and volume assumptions

Authored stack envelopes and handling reservations only; neither external source reviews this layout.

Open source · Reviewed 2026-10-12

NIST: Handbook 133 (2025): stacked firewood volume

Defines a cord as 128 cubic feet of ranked, well-stowed wood. Used only for volume conversion, not to approve storage design or stack height.

Open source · Reviewed 2026-10-12

US EPA: Build Firewood Storage (historical Burn Wise record)

General storage guidance and separate original build resources. Burn Wise ended in 2025; EPA states this content is no longer updated after October 30, 2025.

Open source · Reviewed 2026-10-12

Looking for construction instructions?

Free at EPA. A separate historical design, not the construction version of this study. EPA has stopped updating Burn Wise; read the landing-page updates alongside the older PDF and video.

Still to establish

• Actual log sizes, packing and achievable filled-stack dimensions.
• Stack restraint, stability, base capacity and structural supports.
• Roof, rain protection, drainage and drying performance.
• Site-specific fire separation and local placement requirements.
• Actual carrier, body movement and the delivery route.