30 Straight Answers

Firewood FAQs

Everything people ask us before they order — and a few things worth knowing after. Start typing and we'll find it.

30 answers

Ordering & Payment

Booking a load, paying for it, and changing your mind.

How do I order firewood?
Easiest is online — pick your firewood, choose a size, add kindling if you want it, then book a delivery slot. It takes about two minutes and the running total is on screen the whole way. If you'd rather talk it through, ring 01202 022560.
Do I have to pay up front?
No. There's no deposit and nothing is taken when you book. You pay the driver once the logs are down where you want them and you're happy with the load.
What payment do you take?
Card or cash on delivery. If you'd rather not be there, we can take payment by card over the phone instead — just say so in the order notes. Business accounts can be invoiced; ring us to set that up.
Can I change or cancel my order?
Yes. Since nothing is paid up front, there's nothing to refund. Give us a ring on 01202 022560 as early as you can so we can free the slot for someone else — especially in autumn when they go quickly.
Can I order by phone instead of online?
Of course. Ring 01202 022560 and we'll sort it in a couple of minutes. The online form is just quicker for most people and lets you see live slots, but plenty of our customers still prefer to phone.
Do you supply businesses and regular deliveries?
Yes — pubs, restaurants, holiday lets, campsites, glamping sites, estates and event companies. That's usually a scheduled drop on a set frequency rather than one-off online orders, so ring us and we'll build it around what you need.

Delivery

Where we go, when we come, and what happens when we get there.

Is delivery really free?
Yes, across BH1–BH18, BH21–BH24, BH31 plus Ringwood and SP6 Fordingbridge — no charge at all, whatever size load you order. It isn't a minimum-spend offer. Swanage, New Milton, Blandford and parts of the New Forest carry a small fee that we confirm before anything is charged.
Where do you deliver?
Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Wimborne, Ferndown, West Moors, Broadstone, Highcliffe, Ringwood, Verwood, Fordingbridge and everywhere in between, free. Swanage, New Milton, Blandford Forum and the New Forest for a small fee. Check your postcode on our delivery area page.
How soon can you deliver?
You pick the slot yourself from live availability, up to a month ahead, and there's often something within a few days. Autumn is our busiest stretch — if you want a particular week in October or November, book it early rather than hoping.
Do I need to be home for the delivery?
Not necessarily. If you're happy to agree a tipping spot in advance and settle up by card over the phone, put it in the order notes and we'll deliver without you there. Otherwise we'd rather someone points us at the right spot.
Where will you tip the logs?
Wherever you direct us, as long as the vehicle can safely reach it. Most people have them on the drive or by the garage. Everything comes tipped loose — and the bags go back with us, which is why you're not paying for packaging.
Do you stack the logs?
No — we tip loose and leave the stacking to you. It's a big part of how the prices stay where they are. We also don't barrow loads round to a back garden, so have a think about where the vehicle can get to.
What if access to my place is tight?
Tell us in the order notes — narrow lane, low branches, shared drive, gravel that won't take weight, whatever it is. We'd far rather plan for it than discover it on the day. If it's genuinely awkward, ring 01202 022560 before you order and we'll work out what's possible.

The Firewood

What it is, where it comes from and which one you want.

Where does your firewood come from?
All of it comes from tree surgery work carried out across Dorset by Clearcut Tree Surgery — storm damage, disease, safety work and clearance. Nothing is felled just to be sold as firewood, and nothing is imported. It's timber that would otherwise have gone to chip or landfill.
What's the difference between kiln dried and seasoned?
Both are ready to burn the day they arrive. Kiln dried is taken down to under 20% moisture in the kiln, so it lights easiest, burns hottest and leaves the least soot. Seasoned is air-dried under cover in our yard, costs less and is what most of our customers order year after year.
What species are in the seasoned mixed?
Ash, oak, beech, sycamore and birch, in whatever proportions that month's tree work gives us. It's all hardwood — no softwood filler. If you want one species specifically, order the pure ash or the pure hardwood instead.
Is it hardwood or softwood?
Hardwood throughout. Hardwood is denser than softwood, so it burns longer and gives more heat per log, and it doesn't spit the way resinous softwoods do. We don't sell softwood firewood.
What size are the logs?
Every log is cut to 8–10″, whichever product and whichever size you order. That fits the vast majority of stoves, fireplaces and multi-fuel burners without you needing to split anything further. If you have an unusually small firebox, ring us before ordering.
Can I burn unseasoned wood straight away?
No — and please don't try. Fresh-cut wood is mostly water; it hisses, throws out very little heat and coats your flue in tar. Unseasoned is sold for people who want to buy cheap now and dry it themselves over 12–18 months. If you need wood for this winter, order kiln dried or seasoned.
Is your firewood suitable for a smoke control area?
Kiln dried is the one to go for — it's dried to under 20% moisture, which is what matters for clean burning. You also need a stove that's exempt for your area; the appliance and the fuel both count, so check your stove's listing if you're not sure.

Sizes & Prices

How much wood you actually get, and where the value is.

How big is a ton bag?
1.1m³ — roughly four and a half wheelie bins' worth. Tipped out it's about a metre square and knee-to-waist high. A half transit is 2.2m³, a full transit 4.4m³, and a barrow bag 0.275m³ (about a large wheelbarrow load).
How much firewood do I need for a winter?
It depends on your appliance and how often you light it. As a rough guide: a stove lit most evenings through a winter gets through somewhere around a full transit (4.4m³); most weekends only, a ton bag or two. An open fire burns through roughly double a stove. There's a calculator on our home page that will size it for you in three questions.
Is it cheaper to order one big load?
Considerably. A full transit of kiln dried is about £102/m³ against £132/m³ for a ton bag of the same wood — roughly 22% less. The saving is bigger again on unseasoned. The only reason not to go big is if you've nowhere to stack it.
What sizes do you sell?
Net bag, barrow bag (0.275m³), ton bag (1.1m³), half transit (2.2m³) and full transit (4.4m³). Unseasoned starts at the ton bag — it isn't sold in net or barrow bags. Full pricing for every size is on the products page.
Do the prices include delivery?
Yes, across the free delivery zone — the price you see is the price you pay. In the small-fee areas we tell you the delivery figure before anything is charged, so there's still nothing added at the door.

Storing & Burning

Getting the most out of the load once it's on your drive.

How should I store my logs?
Off the ground and open to the air. A pallet or a couple of battens underneath stops damp wicking up from the soil, and a roof or sheet over the top keeps rain off — but leave the sides open so air moves through. A log store against a sunny wall is ideal. Don't wrap the whole stack in a tarpaulin; you'll trap moisture in and end up with mould.
How long does unseasoned wood take to season?
Around 12–18 months stacked somewhere airy and covered. Split it if any pieces are particularly chunky — split wood dries far faster than round. Buy in spring, stack it, and it'll be ready for the winter after next.
How do I know if my wood is dry enough?
A moisture meter on a freshly split face is the reliable way — you want 20% or under. Without one: dry logs are lighter than they look, the bark comes away easily, the ends have fine cracks radiating out, and two knocked together give a sharp crack rather than a dull thud.
Why is my stove glass sooting up?
Nearly always damp wood or too little air. Wet logs burn cool and smoky, and the tar lands on your glass and up the flue. Get the fire properly hot before you damp it down, keep the air open enough to see flames rather than smoulder, and burn wood at 20% moisture or under. If you're using our seasoned and still sooting, try kiln dried.
Can I use your logs in a fire pit, chiminea or pizza oven?
Yes — hardwood at 8–10″ suits all three. For a pizza oven go kiln dried: it lights fast, gets hot quickly and produces very little smoke, which matters when the food's in the same chamber. For fire pits and chimineas, seasoned mixed is plenty and cheaper.

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