Selling firewood in Maine: cords, delivery tickets and labels

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It follows sections of Title 10, Part 6, the weights and measures law, as published by the Maine Legislature's Office of the Revisor of Statutes.

The standard cord, the loose cord and the face cord

In Title 10, section 2302 defines the cord. Maine adds a loose cord and a face cord, so each part is set out here.

A standard cord is a unit of measure of wood products 4 feet wide, 4 feet high and 8 feet long, or its equivalent, containing 128 cubic feet when the wood is ranked and well stowed. Any voids that would take a stick, log or bolt of average size for that pile are deducted from the measured volume.
Fuel wood sold loose and not ranked and well stowed is sold by the cubic foot or by the loose cord, unless the buyer and seller make other arrangements.
When sold by the loose cord, the wood in any cord averages 12 inches, 16 inches or 24 inches in length. A loose cord of 12 or 16 inch wood means the wood, bark and air in a space of 180 cubic feet. A loose cord of 24 inch wood means a space of 195 cubic feet.
A face cord is a unit of measure 4 feet high and 8 feet long, or its equivalent, containing 32 square feet, with the length of the sticks agreed by both parties.

The model rule from NIST says the terms face cord and similar are not used. Maine's section defines the face cord instead. Section 2362-A adds that the wood measurement subchapter does not change the fuel wood standards in section 2302.

Bulk sales and the delivery ticket

Under section 2624, bulk sales in excess of US$20, and all bulk deliveries of heating fuel, come with a delivery ticket when the seller determines the quantity. The ticket carries these items.

The name and address of the vendor and the purchaser.
The date delivered.
The quantity delivered, and the quantity the price is based on if different.
The identity of the commodity in the most descriptive terms commercially practicable, including any quality statement made in the sale.
The count of individually wrapped packages, if more than one.

The section lets a vendor with electronic receipt equipment give a buyer the choice of receiving this information electronically, with the buyer's written consent. Section 2621 says a person may not sell or offer less than the quantity the person represents.

The national method-of-sale rule

Section 2628 says the methods, units, terms and other requirements for the sale of commodities adopted by the National Conference on Weights and Measures, and published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, apply to sales in Maine, except where the state sealer modifies, amends or rejects them by regulation. The part for wood is section 2.4 of NIST Handbook 130, 2026 edition. It sets the cord at 128 cubic feet ranked and well stowed, sale by measure, a species claim accurate within 10 percent, and a delivery ticket for non-packaged wood. This page did not look for a state sealer regulation that changes it, so it does not report one.

Penalties

Section 2633 is titled civil penalties for firewood. It says a person who violates the sale of commodities subchapter as it relates to the sale of firewood commits a civil violation, with a fine of not less than US$50 and not more than US$2,000. It was added by Public Law 2025, chapter 193. Section 2751-A, added by the same law, gives the commissioner power to assess administrative penalties of up to US$5,000 per violation for violations of the chapter with no specific penalty, but it excludes violations of the wood measurement subchapter and the sale of firewood violations in the sale of commodities subchapter. Section 2751 lists offenses, among them selling less than the quantity represented.

For the model rule and other places, see the firewood sale rules overview. Maine movement rules for wood are on the Maine moving firewood page.