List of unusual units of measurement
Half of a cord, sometimes called a yard, is a rough unit of measure used in the United States that is equal to the amount of wood that can be loaded into the back of a pick-up truck, a non-flatbed truck whose body creates a cargo area that ranges between 2 to 2.5 ft deep but whose volume is encroached by the truck’s wheel wells. Pick-up trucks come in short bed (5ft), standard bed (6ft), and long bed (8ft). As such, when an individual buys fire wood, usually from another private individual who posts a sign or ad and not from a true business or store, the wood’s cost becomes relative to the size of pick-up truck the buyer happens to be driving. However, while a roadside sign may post price per yard or half-cord, sometimes a seller will reduce the price for a buyer driving a smaller truck, but not always, saying: “Everybody knows ‘a yard’/’half a cord’ is whatever you can fit in the back of your pick-up; take it or leave it.”
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