Selling firewood in New Hampshire: 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 Chapter 438 of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, Standards for Weights and Measures, as published by the New Hampshire General Court, and two consumer guides from UNH Cooperative Extension that carry the state Division of Weights and Measures' wording.

The cord defined

In RSA 438, section 438:3 defines special units of measure. It says the term cord, used for wood intended as fuel, means the wood held in 128 cubic feet of space, ranked and well stowed, with those terms defined in the National Institute of Standards and Technology Handbook 130 and its revisions. The section names the handbook directly, so New Hampshire's cord is tied to the model text.

Method of sale and the national handbook

In the same chapter, section 438:20 covers the method of sale of commodities. It says commodities not in liquid form are sold only by weight, by length or area measure, or by count, except as the chapter provides otherwise. It then says all nomenclature, procedure and methods of sale of commodities in the state comply with Handbook 130 and its amendments, unless the chapter provides otherwise. Exemptions listed in the section include loose solid materials such as earth, soil and gravel sold by cubic measure. It lets the commissioner adopt rules so that the amounts sold are accurate and informative to all parties. The section does not mention firewood by name. The handbook's fireplace and stove wood section, 2.4 in the 2026 edition, is where the model text on firewood sits: sale by the cord or a fraction of it, no use of terms such as face cord or truckload, and a delivery ticket for non-packaged wood.

Offences and fines

In the same chapter, section 438:40 lists acts that are unlawful. Among them are selling or offering less than the quantity represented of any commodity, thing or service, and selling any commodity in a condition or manner contrary to law or rule. The section says a person who recklessly does a prohibited act is guilty of a misdemeanor, and that a later violation by anyone other than a natural person is a felony. A violation of a commissioner's rule is a violation. On top of any other penalty, the commissioner may levy an administrative fine of up to US$1,000 for each violation.

What the Division and Extension say

UNH Cooperative Extension published a buyer article dated October 31, 2019 from the New Hampshire Division of Weights and Measures. Its points follow.

It says firewood is sold only by the cord or a fraction of one, never as a truckload, face cord, rack or pile.
The receipt it describes shows the supplier's name, address and phone number, the species of wood, the volume supplied and the price of the sale.
The article advises buyers not to prepay for additional deliveries before they arrive.
If a buyer thinks the measure is short, the Division says to contact the supplier before any wood is burned.

A second Extension piece, a two-page firewood purchase leaflet, lists the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture's Division of Weights and Measures among its providers. It states that New Hampshire law requires a receipt or delivery ticket to be given to the purchaser. It lists a receipt as showing the seller's and buyer's names and addresses, the date delivered, the quantity delivered and the quantity the price is based on, the price, and a description of what was delivered. That list closely matches the delivery ticket in the national handbook. The leaflet gives moisture figures too: kiln-dried wood is about 20 percent, seasoned wood tends to be around 30 percent, and green wood can be over 50 percent. It names no legal moisture limit for sale.

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