It can be overwhelming if you have to buy firewood for the first time. There are so many options available to purchase in the United Kingdom. Each type of firewood has it’s own unique properties from how long they burn to their heat output, and moisture content.
When to Buy Logs
The demand for good quality firewood increases during the winter months, therefore the best time to buy logs is during the summer. The price of logs fluctuates throughout the year with prices being higher during winter, as the demand increases. The prices during summer months tend to be lower as the demand is less.
The price varies from one year to the next, though you can expect to pay less during summer than in winter. You often see a slight price increase around September, then again in November.
The following impacts the price you will pay for logs:
- Reduced supply – firewood is usually cut and dried in summer
- Demand – when winter hits, the demand for firewood sky rockets in the UK. Some companies need to hire additional staff to help them meet demand, pushing up the price of the logs
- Storage fees – firewood needs to be stored in a dry and well-ventilated area, which can increase the cost.
- Delivery – as demand peaks in winter, customers don’t want to wait for their wood delivery. This forces some wood manufacturers to have to partner with delivery companies to ensure their deliveries go out in a timely manner. This can also impact the cost you pay for your logs
Save Money by Buying in Bulk
The best option to save yourself money is to determine how often you intend to light your fire during the cold winter months and buy enough logs to see you through the winter. The more you buy, the more you save. You can buy a pallet of kiln dried logs rather than a box, saving yourself money on heating your home.
Are All Logs the Same?
There is a wide choice of logs you can purchase in the UK, each offering their own advantages, disadvantages, and costs. You can find wet wood to premium kiln dried logs. Each quality level has its own tree species from oak, birch, and ash kiln dried logs, to low quality wet pine logs.
Oak, birch, and ash are hardwood trees. This is dense high quality wood that is the perfect firewood, while pine will cost considerably less, it is a softwood. Softwood doesn’t offer the same long burning time and heat output you get with hardwood.
The Drying Process
When a tree is cut down and turned into logs, it is filled with moisture and nutrients. There are a number of drying processes used to reduce the moisture content of the wood, making it ideal for burning. The drying process will also impact the cost of the logs.
- Kiln dried logs – the highest quality firewood you can purchase on the market with a moisture content of less than twenty percent to provide a consistent and long burn with excellent heat output. These are more expensive than other logs, but they burn for a long time, meaning you use less logs to warm your home each night
- Seasoned logs – these tend to be up to ten or fifteen percent cheaper than kiln dried logs. Seasoned logs will burn, though they are not consistent, due to how they dry. Often these logs are drier on the outer edges, yet still have moisture in the centre. These logs have been allowed to air dry, making it difficult to reach a low moisture level, that you get with kiln dried logs
- Green wood – this is wet wood and the cheapest you can purchase. It is a freshly chopped wood that has not been dried. You will need to dry this wood yourself, and it can take up to two years to achieve a low moisture content. This is not a ready to burn certified wood and is illegal for sale in the UK. It is also not suitable for smokeless zones.
Conclusion
The price of different types of logs is determined by the type of wood and how it is dried. Kiln dried logs tend to be on the more expensive side, but these are considered the highest standard of firewood you can purchase in the UK.
