Buying guide
Best Wood to Burn: Firewood Types Compared
The best wood to burn is dense hardwood dried to 20% moisture or less. Oak, ash and beech are the classic choices, with birch and sycamore close behind. Weight for weight, all dry wood gives about the same heat, so what matters is density and dryness: dense wood packs more heat into each log and burns longer, and dry wood burns hotter and cleaner.
The Logs Local team Kiln-dried logs from our yard in Keighley
In this guide
What makes good firewood?
Two things: dryness and density. Forest Research says there is little variation in energy between species at the same moisture content, but that dense woods burn for longer than less dense woods. Its guide adds that you get more heat from a cubic metre of hardwood than softwood, and that well seasoned logs can hold about twice the energy of green logs.
Firewood types compared
| Wood | Density (kg/m³) | Heat per log (1 to 5) | In short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | 830 | 5 | Dense and slow, with a sweet scent. Small pieces |
| Hawthorn | 800 to 900* | 5 | Very hard and hot. Thorny |
| Beech | 710 | 5 | Excellent once properly seasoned |
| Pear | 690 | 5 | Burns nicely with a pleasant smell |
| Ash | 680 | 5 | Driest when felled, easy to split |
| Oak | 675 | 5 | Slow burning. Two years or more to air dry |
| Birch | 640 | 4 | Burns fast. Mix with oak |
| Sycamore | 615 | 4 | Burns well when dry |
| Cherry | 600 | 4 | Sweetly scented smoke |
| Sweet chestnut | 590 | 3 | Spits badly. Not for open fires |
| Elm | 565 | 3 | Very wet when felled, hard to split |
| Scots pine | 550 | 3 | Lights fast, burns fast, can spit |
| Alder | 535 | 3 | Not a good fuelwood |
| Douglas fir | 510 | 2 | Lights fast, burns quickly |
| Horse chestnut | 500 | 2 | A fairly poor firewood |
| Spruce | 405 to 425 | 1 | Light, low quality |
| Willow | 400 | 1 | Wet when cut, hard to season |
| Poplar | 385 | 1 | Very wet when felled |
Densities from the Wood Database for solid wood at 12% moisture. *Hawthorn from the DELTA timber database, with no moisture basis given. Heat per log is our own 1 to 5 scale from density, where 5 is densest. Notes draw on the Forestry Commission, Hyndburn Council's firewood guide, Stovax and the Woodland Trust.
What's the best wood for a log burner?
- For long evenings: oak or beech, the densest common logs.
- For an all-rounder: ash, which dries and splits easily and burns with a steady flame.
- For lighting and quick fires: softwood, which HETAS says lights easily and burns faster. See softwood logs.
- For value: mixed hardwood, with faster-burning birch and sycamore alongside dense oak, ash and beech.
What's the best wood for an open fire?
Hardwoods that don't spit. Hyndburn Council says hardwoods are generally best for open fires because they tend not to spit, with exceptions such as sweet chestnut. Use a fireguard whatever you burn. In a smoke control area, you can't burn wood on an open fire at all. See can you burn wood in a smoke control area?.
Does the wood need to be dry?
Yes, more than anything else. HETAS says to burn wood only at 20% moisture or less, and GOV.UK says wood sold in volumes under 2 m³ must be certified Ready to Burn. Forest Research's figures for freshly felled wood range from about 32% water for ash to 65% for Norway spruce. See firewood moisture content and kiln dried vs seasoned logs.
Which woods should I avoid?
- Willow, poplar and the worst firewoods
- Wood you should never burn
- Can you burn pine in a log burner?
What's in our bags?
| Bag | Wood | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed hardwood tonne bag (80 cm) | Oak, ash, beech, sycamore and birch | £120 |
| Mixed hardwood XL tonne bag (90 cm) | Oak, ash, beech, sycamore and birch | £160 |
| Oak tonne bag (80 cm) | Oak | £150 |
| Beech tonne bag (80 cm) | Beech | £140 |
| Softwood tonne bag (80 cm) | Pine and Douglas fir | £95 |
All kiln dried below 20% moisture. Prices correct as of 21 October 2026.
Questions
What's the best firewood in the UK?
Oak, ash and beech, dried to 20% moisture or less. Hawthorn and apple are denser still, but rarely sold in bulk.
What wood burns longest?
The densest: apple, hawthorn, beech, ash and oak. See oak vs ash vs beech.
Is it worth paying more for oak?
For the longest burn per log, yes. Mixed hardwood costs less and still includes oak, ash and beech.
What's the best wood for kindling?
Dry softwood, such as pine or spruce. See our kindling guide.
Burning outdoors? See the best wood for outdoor fires.
Which bag should I order?
Answer two questions and we'll suggest a bag. You can always call us on 07435 515639.
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Logs for this guide
Kiln dried below 20% moisture and ready to burn. Add a bag to your cart, then check out as normal.
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