Firewood chart UK
Wood suitable for burning on a woodburning or multifuel stove
The quality of the following firewood is based upon various characteristics such as its speed of burn, heat given off, tendency to spark (spit), ease of splitting, time required to season, etc
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Grade: 1 = Poor
Grade: 2 = Low
Grade: 3 = Good
Grade: 4 = High
| Common Name | Botanical Name | Comments | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alder | Alnus | A low quality firewood | Grade: 1 |
| Apple | Malus | Needs to be seasoned well. Burns well with a pleasant smell and without sparking/spitting. | Grade: 3 |
| Ash | Fraxinus | Considered to be one of the best woods for firewood. It has a low water content (approx. 50%) and can be split very easily with an axe. It is said it can be burned green but like all wood should be seasoned first. Burns at a steady rate and not too fast. | Grade: 3 |
| Beech | Fagus | Beech has a high water content (approx. 90%) so only burns well when seasoned well. Not as good as Oak. | Grade: 3 |
| Birch | Betula | Birch is an excellent firewood and will burn unseasoned. However, it does burn very fast so is best mixed with slower burning wood such as Elm or Oak. | Grade: 3-4 |
| Cedar | Cedrus | A good firewood which burns well with a pleasant smell. Gives off a good, lasting heat. Doesn't spit too much and is good for lighting fires. | Grade: 2 |
| Cherry | Prunus | Needs to be seasoned well. Burns well with a pleasant smell and without spitting. | Grade: 2-3 |
| Elm | Ulmus | A good firewood but due to its high water content of approximately 140% (more water than wood!) it must be seasoned very well. It may need assistance from another faster burning wood such as Birch to keep it burning well. However it gives off a good, lasting heat and burns very slowly. Larger pieces of wood will prove difficult to split. | Grade: 2-3 |
| Eucalyptus | Eucalyptus | Allow to season well since the wood is very wet (sappy) when fresh. Can be difficult to split due to stringy wood fibre. Best method is to slice into rings and allow to season during the summer, the rings will start to split themselves. Burns fast with a pleasant smell and without spitting. | Grade: 2-3 |
| Hawthorn | Crataegus | Good firewood. Burns well | Grade: 3-4 |
| Hazel | Corylus | Excellent firewood. Allow to season. Burns fast but without spitting | Grade: 4 |
| Holly | Ilex | A good firewood | Grade: 3 |
| Hornbeam | Carpinus | Good firewood. Burns well | Grade: 3 |
| Horse Chestnut | Aesculus | A low quality firewood | Grade: 2 |
| Larch | Larix | Needs to be seasoned well. Spits excessively while it burns and forms an oily soot within chimney's, but burns hot and fast, great for lighting fires. | Grade: 2 |
| Lime | Tilia | A low quality firewood | Grade: 2 |
| Oak | Quercus | One of the best firewood's. When seasoned well, it gives off a good, lasting heat. Burns reasonably slowly. | Grade: 4 |
| Pear | Pyrus | Needs to be seasoned well. Burns well with a pleasant smell and without spitting. | Grade: 3 |
| Pine | Pinus | Needs to be seasoned well. Spits while it burns and forms an oily soot within chimney's. Burns hot and is good for lighting fires. | Grade: 2 |
| Plane | Platanus | A usable firewood | Grade: 3 |
| Poplar | Populus | Considered a poorer firewood. | Grade: 1 |
| Rowan | Sorbus aucuparia | Good firewood. Burns well | Grade: 3 |
| Spruce | Picea | A low quality firewood | Grade: 2 |
| Sweet Chestnut | Castanea | Burns when seasoned but spits continuously and excessively. Not for use on an open fire and make sure wood-burning stoves have a good door catch | Grade: 1-2 |
| Sycamore (Maples) | Acer pseudoplatanus | Good firewood. Burns well | Grade: 3 |
| Walnut | Juglans | A low quality firewood | Grade: 2 |
| Wellingtonia | Sequoiadendron | Poor for use as a firewood. | Grade: 1 |
| Willow | Salix | Willow has a high water content so only burns well when seasoned well | Grade: 2 |
| Yew | Taxus | A usable firewood | Grade: 2-3 |