Easiest to light, on a wood burner
BuyKiln Dried Firewood
Kiln dried is the most forgiving wood to learn on. It catches first time, burns hot and keeps the glass clean while you get used to the air control.
A first-timer's guide
New to wood burners? Start here.
Just had a stove fitted, or moved into a house with one? Ten minutes here and you will know what wood to buy, how to light it and how to keep the glass clean. Written by the people who cut and deliver the logs.
Step 1
What wood should I buy?
Three things matter, in this order.
- 1
Dry
20% moisture or less. This matters more than everything else put together. Wet wood smokes, blackens the glass and gives off far less heat.
- 2
Hardwood
Ash, oak, beech and the like. Hardwood is denser than softwood, so each log holds more heat and burns for longer.
- 3
The right length
Ours are cut to 8–10 inches, which fits the great majority of stoves. If yours is very small, check the longest log it takes in its manual.
Find yours in two taps
Easiest to light, on an open fire
BuySeasoned Ash Firewood
On an open fire, ash is the one to learn on. It lights easily, gives a steady flame and barely spits.
Best value, on a wood burner
BuySeasoned Mixed Firewood
Seasoned mixed hardwood is dry enough to burn the day it lands and costs less than kiln dried. It is what most of our regular customers burn all winter.
Best value, on an open fire
BuySeasoned Mixed Firewood
Seasoned mixed hardwood is dry, burns well and costs the least per load. Use a fire guard: a mix can spit a little more than pure ash.
Longest burn, on a wood burner
BuySeasoned Hardwood Firewood
Pure hardwood is denser, so each log holds its heat for longer. Get the fire going with kindling and a small log first, then put the dense logs on.
Longest burn, on an open fire
BuySeasoned Hardwood Firewood
Pure hardwood is denser, so each log lasts longer on the grate. Get the fire established first, then add the dense logs.
I want to dry my own, on a wood burner
BuyUnseasoned Firewood
Unseasoned logs are the cheapest way to buy firewood, but not for this winter. Stack them somewhere airy for 12 to 18 months first. Buy a load of dry logs to burn in the meantime.
I want to dry my own, on an open fire
BuyUnseasoned Firewood
Unseasoned logs are the cheapest way to buy firewood, but not for this winter. Stack them somewhere airy for 12 to 18 months first. Buy a load of dry logs to burn in the meantime.
Never burn painted, varnished or treated timber, chipboard or MDF, or household rubbish. They give off fumes you do not want in the house and they damage the stove and the flue.
Step 2
Why dry wood matters
A freshly felled tree is close to half water. Before a log can heat your room, the fire has to boil that water out of it. Drag the slider to see what that costs you.
Dry enough to burn. A clean, hot fire.
- Heat from each kilo
- 4.6 kWh
- Water in a 1kg log
- 120 ml
- Compared with a 10% log
- about the same
The 20% line
Wood burns properly at 20% moisture or less. Above that it hisses, smokes and struggles to stay alight. Our kiln dried logs read 5 to 11% and our seasoned logs 9 to 14%.
What wet wood costs
A kilo of hardwood at 10% moisture gives about 4.7 kWh of heat. The same kilo at 40% gives about 2.9 kWh, and puts tar on your glass and up your flue while it does it.
How to check
A moisture meter is not expensive. Split a log and push the pins into the fresh face, not the outside. Dry logs also feel light, have cracks in the ends and ring when you knock two together.
Step 3
Light your first fire
Six steps, the same every time. Have a go here first: follow the steps and the stove will do what a real one does.
-
1
Open the air
Open the stove's air control fully. A new fire needs all the air it can get.
-
2
Lay the kindling
Put a firelighter on the grate and build a small criss-cross stack of kindling over it.
-
3
Add two small logs
Rest two small dry logs on top of the kindling, with gaps between them for air.
-
4
Light it
Light the firelighter and close the door.
-
5
Build it up
When the logs are burning well, add a larger log.
-
6
Turn the air down
Once the stove is hot, turn the air down until the flames are lively but not roaring. Never shut it right down.
Start at step 1.
Heat into the room
Smoke up the chimney
- Stove glass
- Clean
- Logs burning
- 0
The air control, in plain English
Shut right down
The fire smoulders. It looks like it is lasting, but it is making smoke and tar instead of heat. This is what blackens glass and lines a flue.
About right
Lively, bright flames that are not roaring. The glass stays clean, the chimney runs nearly clear and the logs last a sensible time.
Wide open
Right for lighting and for a few minutes after adding a log. Left there, the fire roars, the heat goes up the chimney and you get through wood quickly.
Every stove is a little different, and some have two controls. Your stove's manual will tell you which lever does what. Why won't my fire burn?
Step 4
Store it right
Dry logs will soak water back up if you let them. Two ways to keep a load of logs: one keeps them dry all winter, the other ruins them by Christmas.
- Off the ground. A pallet or bearers underneath stops damp wicking up into the bottom row.
- A roof on top. Keep the rain off the top of the stack.
- Sides open. Air moving through the stack is what keeps it dry.
- A basket indoors. Bring in a day or two's worth at a time so it is warm and bone dry when it goes on.
- Straight on the ground. The bottom logs sit in the wet and rot.
- Wrapped in a tarpaulin. It keeps the rain out and the damp in. The stack sweats and goes mouldy.
- Left in the delivery pile. Stack it within a few days of it being tipped.
Not sure your store is big enough? There is a log store calculator on the home page. How to store firewood
Step 5
Do and don't
Do
- Burn dry wood: 20% moisture or less.
- Open the air fully to light it, and again for a few minutes each time you add a log.
- Keep the fire bright. A hot fire keeps its own glass clean.
- Leave a thin bed of ash on the grate. Wood burns well on it.
- Have the chimney swept at least once a year, before the first fire of the season.
- Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the same room, and test it.
Don't
- Burn wet or freshly cut wood.
- Shut the air right down to keep it in overnight. It smoulders and tars up the flue.
- Burn painted or treated timber, chipboard or rubbish.
- Pack the stove full. Two or three logs with air between them burn better than six jammed in.
- Use petrol, paraffin or any other liquid to get it going. A firelighter and kindling is all it needs.
- Tip hot ash into a plastic bin. Let it go cold in a metal bucket first.
Step 6
Your first order
If this is your first winter with a stove, this is what we would put on the truck. A ton bag is enough to learn how fast you get through it, without filling the garden.
- A ton bag of logs1.1m³, tipped loose where you want it £145
- A net of kindlingTo get each fire going£8
- Wood wool firelightersA pack of 15: one per fire£6
- All inFree delivery across most BH postcodes. Pay the driver on the day.£159
Start this order
Delivery slots up to a month ahead.
With seasoned logs instead it comes to £134. You add the kindling and firelighters as you order. Work out a whole winter's worth · See each size to scale
First-timer questions
The ones we are asked most by people with a new stove. More on the firewood advice pages.
What wood should I buy for my first wood burner?
Start with kiln dried or seasoned hardwood that is ready to burn. Kiln dried (5 to 11% moisture) is the most forgiving while you are learning, because it lights first time. Seasoned mixed (9 to 14%) costs less and burns very nearly as well.
How do I light a wood burner?
Open the air controls fully. Put a firelighter on the grate, build a small stack of kindling over it, and rest two small logs on top. Light the firelighter and close the door. Once the logs are burning well, add a larger log, then turn the air down until the flames are lively but not roaring.
Why does my stove glass go black?
Almost always because the wood is too wet or the fire is being starved of air. Burn dry logs, keep the air open until the fire is hot, and do not shut the stove right down. A hot, bright fire keeps its own glass clean.
Can I burn wood I have cut myself?
Yes, once it is dry. Freshly cut wood is 35 to 50% water. Split it, stack it off the ground with the sides open to the air, and give it 12 to 18 months. It is ready when it reads 20% or less on a moisture meter.
How much wood will I use?
A stove lit most evenings uses about a full Transit load (4.4m³) over a winter. Weekends only, a ton bag or two. If this is your first winter, a ton bag is a sensible first order: you will soon see how fast you get through it.
Should I keep the stove in overnight?
No. Shutting the air right down to make the fire last all night makes it smoulder, which tars up the glass and the flue and wastes the wood. Let it burn out and light a fresh fire in the morning. With dry wood it only takes a few minutes.
How often should the chimney be swept?
At least once a year if you burn wood, and before the first fire of the season. A clean flue draws better and is safer.
Do I need a carbon monoxide alarm?
Yes. Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the same room as any stove or open fire, and test it regularly.
Ready for your first load?
Two minutes to order, a delivery slot you choose, and nothing to pay until the logs are on your drive.