If you’re heating your home or cooking with wood, choosing the right firewood makes a big difference. Different types of wood offer different burn speeds, heat outputs, and characteristics. At The Logsmith, we only sell kiln dried hardwoods — but even within that range, your choice matters.
Here’s how to choose the right wood for your stove, woodburner, open fire, or cooking setup.
Understanding your appliance
The type of wood you use should match the appliance or fire setup you have. For example:
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Woodburners and stoves work best with slow-burning, high-density hardwoods like oak or ash.
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Open fires benefit from a quicker-burning wood like birch, which catches fast and gives a good flame.
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Outdoor ovens, fire pits and hot tubs often need a mix — fast-burning kindling and longer-burning logs for sustained heat.
If you’re using a modern stove (especially an EcoDesign model), drier wood under 15% moisture content is essential for clean, compliant burning. All firewood from The Logsmith meets the Ready to Burn standard, and ours goes further — our kiln dried wood is under 15% moisture for maximum performance.
Oak logs – long, hot burn
Oak is a slow-burning hardwood with high density. It takes longer to catch but burns for a long time once lit, producing consistent, reliable heat. That makes it ideal for overnight burns, long evenings by the stove, or if you want fewer top-ups through the evening.
Best for: woodburners, stoves, open fires, hot tubs
Ash logs – balanced and reliable
Ash is one of the best all-rounders. It lights more easily than oak but still burns with a long, hot flame. It produces very little smoke and offers excellent heat output — often considered one of the best woods for home heating.
Best for: stoves, woodburners, open fires, cooking
Birch logs – fast lighting, great flame
Birch lights quickly and gives off a bright, attractive flame, which is great if you want quick heat and visible flames. It burns a bit faster than oak or ash, so you may go through more of it — but it’s fantastic for creating atmosphere or lighting pizza ovens fast.
Best for: open fires, pizza ovens, BBQs, fire pits, chimineas
Briquettes – clean, efficient heat
Wood briquettes are compacted hardwood sawdust with very low moisture (usually under 10%). They burn hotter and longer than most traditional logs and are great for consistent heat. They’re also ideal if you have limited storage space.
Best for: stoves, long burns, overnight heat, commercial use
Kindling – for easy starts
Every fire needs a good start. Kindling is essential for getting your logs going — especially with dense hardwoods like oak. Our kindling is ultra dry and easy to light, making fire-starting faster and cleaner.
Best for: all fires — always add kindling to your order
Firelighters – natural ignition
We sell natural fire starters made from untreated wood shavings and wax — no chemicals, no fumes. Just a clean, reliable way to get your fire started without odour or residue. These work especially well with kindling and help light even dense logs like oak or briquettes.
Best for: stoves, open fires, outdoor cooking, eco-conscious homes
Moisture content matters
Whatever wood you choose, it’s crucial that it’s properly dried. Wet or green wood (over 20% moisture) burns inefficiently, gives off more smoke and tar, and can damage your stove or flue. According to the Forestry Commission and HETAS, logs under 20% moisture meet the UK’s Ready to Burn standard — but logs under 15% perform better, burn cleaner, and produce more heat per kilo.
All Logsmith logs are ultra kiln dried to under 15% moisture. This means:
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Easier ignition
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More heat per log
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Cleaner burning
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Less soot and maintenance
Which is best for you?
If you want:
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Long heat with fewer top-ups → Choose oak or briquettes
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Quick heat and fast lighting → Try birch
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An efficient, balanced burn → Go with ash
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A clean start every time → Add kindling and fire starters
Still unsure? Build your order based on your fire setup. All our logs are suitable for woodburners, stoves, chimineas, BBQs, pizza ovens, saunas and more.
Need help choosing the best wood for your appliance or space? Just drop us a message — we’re always happy to help.