Conversion m³ / stere
A stere corresponds to one cubic metre of stacked 1m logs. This convention is known as the «reference stere».
But if we cut this pile of logs by 1m, and stack them again, the apparent volume will decrease and no longer occupy 1m³ :
- If we crosscut these 1m logs into 50cm, the wood pile will measure 0.8m³.
- If we crosscut these 1m logs into 40cm, the wood pile will measure 0.74m³.
- If we crosscut these 1m logs into 33cm, the wood pile will measure 0.70m³.
- If we crosscut these 1m logs into 25cm, the wood pile will measure 0.60m³.
Use the converter below to find the stere/m³ equivalents.
Attention equivalents only work for stacked logs!
Converter stere / m³
1) Select the log size :
2) Enter the number of m³ or steres :
Calculate the quantity in steres from a volume in m³. :
- First of all, you need to calculate the volume in m³ of your wood pile. To do this, measure the length, height and depth of your wood pile in metres. Then multiply these 3 dimensions to obtain the volume in m³. If you don't have a calculator handy, you can use the m³ calculator below.
- Once you have the volume in m³, all you have to do is use the converter, enter your volume in m³ and select the length of the logs to find the equivalent in steres.
Calculate the volume in m³ from a quantity in steres :
- If your supplier has sold you a volume in steres, you can enter this volume in steres in the converter, by selecting the correct length of log. The equivalence in m³ will appear.
If you want to do the calculations yourself, you can use the coefficients in the table below.
Video summary
Conversion coefficients
To find the equivalence between steres and cubic metres, the easiest way is to use the converter above. But if you want to do the calculations yourself, you can use your calculator and apply the coefficients in the table below.
| Log length | Value of a stere in apparent m³ (of stacked logs) : | Value of an apparent m³ (of stacked logs) in steres : |
| 1m | 1 | 1 |
| 50cm | 0,8 | 1,25 |
| 45cm | 0,77 | 1,30 |
| 40cm | 0,74 | 1,35 |
| 33cm | 0,7 | 1,43 |
| 30cm | 0,66 | 1,52 |
| 25cm | 0,6 | 1,67 |
| 20cm | 0,57 | 1,75 |
The middle column shows the conversion coefficients.
- To go from stere to m³ you need multiply by coefficients of the middle column. Example: if your supplier sold you 12 50cm logs, you multiply 12 by 0.8. This gives 9.6m³: you are therefore supposed to find an apparent volume of 9.6m³ of stacked logs.
- To go from m³ to stere, it's the other way round you need divide by coefficients of the middle column (or multiply by the coefficients in the right-hand column, which amounts to the same thing). Example: in a 2m³ 30cm pallet, there are: 2 / 0.66 = 3 steres of wood.
You don't need to know these coefficients, you can use the converter at the top of this page.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate the amount of wood?
First of all, you need to measure the volume (in cubic metres) of the stack of logs. Multiply the width, length and height. To do this, you can use your calculator, or our m³ calculator at the top of this page.
The volume in m³ that you will find corresponds to a different quantity in steres depending on the size of the logs. The smaller the logs, the better they stack up, so there's more wood in the same volume.
Once you have your volume in m³, you can convert it into steres. You can use the conversion coefficients, or directly our converter at the top of this page.
Why does the apparent volume decrease with log size?
You will notice that the smaller the logs, the smaller the apparent volume (in cubic metres), but the quantity of wood remains the same: 1 stere.
That's because the smaller the logs, the better they stack and the fewer gaps there are between them.
How to calculate the volume of round wood (logs)
Above, we have seen how to calculate the volume of split logs. But for round wood, one cubic metre is considered to be equal to one stere.
If, for example, you buy a log truck with a standard capacity of 60m³, this theoretically corresponds to 60 steres.
In reality, conversion into steres doesn't make much sense for round wood. Conversion coefficients were invented specifically for split logs, for the firewood trade.
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