Best And Worst Types Of Wood For Your Fireplace (2024)

FAQs

Best And Worst Types Of Wood For Your Fireplace? ›

Lasting Heat

When deciding what kind of wood to burn in your fireplace, oak is probably the top choice. This is because oak burns the longest and produces the most heat out of all the different kinds of hardwood. One cord of oak firewood produces around 29 million BTUs. That's equal to burning 200-250 gallons of fuel oil!

When hardwoods are burned in good conditions for a fire, they produce very little smoke or unhealthy particulate matter. A few examples of the most popular hardwoods for fires are white oak, ash, birch, red oak, hard maple, beech, hickory, pecan, dogwood, apple, and almond.

Contrary to popular opinion, the hardwood's, like oak and poplar , created MORE creosote than the softwoods, like tamarack and pine. The reason for this, is that if the softwoods are dry, they create a hotter, more intense fire. The draft created by the hotter fire moves the air up the chimney faster!

For the serious fire lover, you may want to invest in hardwoods like madrone, live oak, ash, hickory, walnut and fruit trees like apple or cherry. Hardwoods are denser woods that burn hotter and longer than softwoods, but you'll need to let them season more than a year.

Typed of Wood That Don't Burn Well in Your Fireplace

Alder: This wood is just a lot of work for no results. Alder burns quickly and doesn't produce much heat. Chestnut: Produces a lot of smoke and a weak flame. Gum: Prone to producing sparks, which can become a fire hazard.

When asking which wood burns the hottest the answer is still ash, even if the wood isn't completely dry. Beech: As one of the best fire logs for fireplaces and also topping the best firewood for heat, this is second to ash only because it needs to be seasoned. Hawthorn: Very much like beech.

Not only does fir and pine smell like Christmas trees, these types of logs create a pleasant crackle and pop in your fire. These are softwoods which dry quickly, are easy to split, and create lovely crackling fires. Before burning fir or pine, be aware that the popping throws a lot more sparks than other firewood.

Creosote Sweeping Logs: Uses and Limitations

They're advertised to significantly reduce the build up of creosote, and they function as a chemical chimney cleaner. When the smoke from the burning creosote sweeping log comes into contact with creosote in a chimney, it's designed to make the creosote flake off and fall.

Is oak or pine better for firewood? ›

Hardwoods also burn hotter than softwoods. However, not all hardwoods provide an equal amount of heat. For example, hardwoods like oak, ash, birch and hickory have a higher heat value than walnut and elm. However, those woods have higher heat values than softwoods like pine and cedar.

Conversely, ash does not produce a high amount of creosote. Creosote is the black, tar-like substance you may have seen building up around a fireplace or chimney. It's a deposit caused by regular wood burning, but only some types of wood produce large volumes of creosote.

Hardwoods, such as oak, maple, and cherry, are considered the best types of firewood because they burn hot, long, and clean.

Can Wood Be Too Old to Burn? Firewood that's properly stored should be good for use for about 3-4 years. After that, you'll want to invest in some new wood, as old wood will not burn well for you.

Hawthorn: Hawthorn trees produce an efficient combination of slow-burning, heat-generating wood, making it a great choice for your winter firewood. Walnut: As a hardwood, walnut naturally has high levels of durability and density. That means you can expect a slow burn that requires less of your attention to maintain.

Most types of hardwood, for instance Ash (generally regarded as the best), Birch, Beech, Oak and Elm can be used. However, avoid burning woods with a high resin content. As a rule of thumb, the heavier the wood, then the greater the heat output and the longer burn time – the time between refills.

Oak, cherry, maple and walnut are popular choices due to their strength and aesthetic appeal; each wood species boasting their own distinct beauty from rich warm tones of cherry to bold grainy patterns of oak.

Some of the best slow-burning and fragrant wood for your fireplace include: Apple. Beech. Black Locust.