Q&A BTU content of different woods

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

QandA

New Member
Staff member
Nov 27, 2012
0
Question:

I own a woodstove and am interested in determining the best wood to burn. One topic of interest is the heat content for each type of wood in millions of BTUs per dry cord of wood. I typically burn red and white oak which has been seasoned about 12 months. I have had good results with this approach but am wondering if there is another better type of wood that I should be burning.



Answer:

Thanks- I'll check the wood info page. Most all wood has the same BTU content per pound --but the key is that the denser woods have more pounds per cord. Unless you have access to hickory- oak will be the best wood to burn.

A good HearthNet article on various woods is linked below.

Link: Heat Values and Burning Properties of Wood Species
 
Status
Not open for further replies.