Home Q&A: How dry should firewood be to burn in a stove?

If you have bought wood to season, ensure it is light in the hand and makes a signature 'clack' when you hit two logs together 

Commercially dried seasoned, chopped firewood will come in between 15% and 25% moisture content. 25% has been the minimum under the Solid Fuel Regulations in Ireland since 2022. File picture

How dry should my firewood be to be suitable for burning in a stove?

ANSWER

Commercially dried seasoned, chopped firewood will come in between 15% and 25% moisture content — 25% has been the minimum under the Solid Fuel Regulations in Ireland since 2022. 

If you store logs in wet, damp conditions the firewood won’t retain this nice tinder-dry condition, and it’s a good idea to bring them in for a few days before using them if they are stored outside, for instance, under a tarp. 

If the wood sizzles markedly when you put it on the fire (a little sizzling is normal), it’s most likely over 25% in moisture content. 

Wetter wood will burn slower and release more smoke and particulate matter, throwing off less heat to your room. Look out for eco-logs made of timber waste and compacted new forms of briquettes made up of fast-growing Irish species like willow (WillowWarm, from €5 for 10). 

By 2026, all wood sold for burning in packs under two cubic metres will have to achieve a moisture content of 20% or less. 

The Woodsure mark “Ready to Burn” signals that the wood has already achieved this standard, and yet has enough moisture in it to burn at just the right rate for most stoves. 

Wood marked by the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance (WFQA) has to be certified as sustainably sourced, wfqa.org. 

If you have bought wood to season, before you burn it, ensure it is light in the hand and makes a signature “clack” when you hit two logs together. 

A log moisture reader is a handy bit of kit for foragers and home producers. Prices start from €25.

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