How Much Firewood Do You Need for a Winter? A Practical Guide

The most common firewood question we get isn't about species or moisture; it's simply "how much do I need?" Here's the honest maths, based on years of delivering across Dorset.

Rule-of-thumb by usage

• Weekend burner (a few fires a week, ambience more than heating): roughly 1-2m³ across the season.
• Evening regular (lit most evenings November-March): 3-4m³, That is our most common customer, and why the 3m³ loose load is our bestseller.
• Primary heating (stove running day and evening): 6m³+, two loads, one delivered early autumn, one in the new year.

Stove size, house insulation and how cold the winter runs all move these numbers, but they're reliable planning figures.

Buy early, store right

Your logs may need further drying when they arrive, and storage is what gets them there. The rules are simple: off the ground, stacked loosely for airflow, covered on top, open at the sides. A log store facing away from the prevailing weather is ideal; a sealed tarpaulin over a heap on grass will keep them wet. Burn them once a moisture meter reads below 20%.

Why dry hardwood

Dry mixed hardwood burns hotter, cleaner and longer than softwood or "seasoned" wood of uncertain moisture, more heat per load, less smoke, and far less tar in your flue. All our logs are cut from timber our own tree teams bring home, so nothing is wasted. Order a 2m³ or 3m³ load online or reserve a winter standing order on 01929 480 995.