To ensure that your home is going to be heated sufficiently, it is vital to get the highest BTU rating possible. The higher the BTU level, the more heat the firewood can produce. Wood that is properly seasoned will have a grayish coloring. After all, you’re going to be creating energy from the fire.

The term firewood BTU is used to describe how much energy a fuel (firewood) has. To get the most energy out of your firewood the wood should be seasoned.

Doug Fir has more Btu/cord than many hardwoods.

BTU or British Thermal Unit is the amount of energy required to heat one pound of liquid water by one degree fahrenheit. Not all of the options listed above will be available to you since some trees only grow in certain parts of the country. The chart will provide you with a rough estimation of the heat that each cord of wood will produce. To get the most heat out of your firewood, you will need to give it time to season. What does it actually mean? Well, BTU actually stands for British Thermal Unit. Finally, this will lead to your chimney developing a creosote buildup at some point in the near future. However, if you're going to buy firewood from someone else why not get the best firewood available especially if it's all the same price? Seasoned firewood is described as having a 20% moisture content. Before getting in too deep, you should go ahead and familiarize yourself with the term BTU. At the same time, burning this type of wood will result in much lower BTU ratings. As you can see from the chart below, the famed red oak is not the highest on the list. As a reminder, we may receive a small share of the sale.

This seasoned firewood is ready to burn and will provide you with a much more enjoyable wood burning experience and more firewood BTUs. Wood with high contents of oil will take much longer to season. This is just another thing to take into account when attempting to choose the best wood to heat your home. A full cord of wood is a stacked wood pile that is four feet wide by four feet tall by 8 feet long - 4'x4'x8'. Most people understand that it has something to do with fire and heat. If you've burned wood before there's a pretty good chance you've heard that sizzling sound coming from a log that's on the fire. To get the most energy out of your firewood the wood should be seasoned. The picture below shows a good example of dry, seasoned firewood. As you can see, the BTU of the fire is very important.

What is the BTU content of firewood? As the green wood burns, the energy created from the fire is used to evaporate the moisture resulting is wasted heat. Calculate the amount of Btu's one cord of firewood potentially can produce based on … It can get a little confusing at times though because not all hardwood and softwoods are equal. As long as it's a good quality piece of wood, a few firewood BTUs here and there really won't make a huge difference. Learn how to stack firewood using the Holz Hausen method. [If you want to learn how I season my firewood, check out my guide on it here, How To Dry Wet Firewood. BTU is nothing more than the amount of energy needs to head a single pound of water and increase the temperature by a single degree. Privacy Policy     Advertising Policy     Share This Site     About Me     Additional Resources. Find out here. What makes the biggest difference is dry firewood compared to wet firewood. It is therefore 128 cubic feet but because of air space between pieces the actual amount of solid wood may be only 70-90 cubic feet. Of course it is stronger and harder than many “hardwoods”. If you have this type of wood available, save it Therefore, you should make sure that you steer clear of green wood.

Generally speaking, hardwoods are much more dense and will create more heat than a softwood. A lot of the fire’s energy will ultimately be used to deal with the wood’s moisture. The chart can also help you identify the most energy efficient wood. Suffice to say, it is downright essential to completely dry your firewood in advance. While you’re at it, you should know that hardwoods and softwoods are far different from one another.

While this isn't a huge issue, it is something you want to consider when buying firewood by the face cord compared to buying it by the full cord since a true full cord should be consistently 128 cubic feet no matter which supplier you buy it from compared to a face cord which will vary. Notice how the wood looks gray in color with cracks forming on the ends of the split logs? Whether you are interested in utilizing firewood to heat your home or fifth-wheel camper, you will need to know more about the BTUs it generates. It's essentially 1/3 of a full cord of firewood. Therefore, you should use the chart as guidance.

Softwoods on the other hand tend to light a lot easier than a dense hardwood but don't burn as long. At the same time, the current condition of the wood will help determine the BTU. As a reminder, we may receive a small share of the sale. Just remember that this is a rough estimate. Depending on where you live the amount of firewood you have can be referred to by several different names. Okay, now that we've determined the difference between seasoned vs green or wet firewood and the difference between a full cord vs a face cord, let's look at the amount of BTUs generated from a specific firewood type. This process can take anywhere from two to 12 months, depending on the type of wood you are utilizing. BTU or British Thermal Unit is the amount of energy required to heat one pound of liquid water by one degree fahrenheit. I looks like most of the Western Softwoods have about 8,600 Btu/lb dry while the Hardwoods are about 7,500 Btu…

Less dense softwoods have less BTU per cord than more dense hardwood but they also weigh less per cord. If the creosote is ignited, it will lead to the outbreak of a fire, which will be extremely difficult to contain.eval(ez_write_tag([[468,60],'woodsmanreport_com-box-4','ezslot_10',118,'0','0'])); eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'woodsmanreport_com-leader-3','ezslot_7',127,'0','0']));Whether you cut, chop and cure your own firewood or buy it from a vendor, it is crucial to know what it looks like after it is seasoned. Red Oak, along with its brother White Oak, are commonly used domestic lumber species. Calculate the amount of Btu's one cord of firewood potentially can produce based on species "basic specific gravity". This might seem pretty basic, but it can make a huge difference for people who are attempting to heat their home using firewood.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'woodsmanreport_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_9',116,'0','0'])); Each specific type of wood will have its very own BTU rating. A cord is simply a number utilized to measure the wood. Burning green wood is generally a bad idea. We hope you love the products and ideas we recommend! This is the best way to get the highest BTU rating and the most heat from your firewood. Do yourself a favor and have plenty of dry firewood on hand to last you the entire winter. For example, balsa is considered a hardwood but it's actually really soft and it's the softest of all commercial hardwoods. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'woodsmanreport_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_4',124,'0','0']));If you haven’t dried it enough, there is a good chance that the BTU will decrease. For example, a rick or face cord of firewood typically consists of a single row of firewood stacked 4 feet high by 8 feet long.

At the end of the day, the BTU rating is very unique. In return, you’re going to be losing energy that could be utilized to heat your home. At the same time, the green wood is going to be a disaster for your chimney. Everything from people eating some of the most exotic meats to... Can You Eat Chipmunk: [Taste & Nutritional Facts]. Here's a tip I've learned from making plenty of mistakes over the years.