Fuelwood - Firewood
Firewood heating values
On this page you will find information about firewood and its different heating values providing you with a comparison table of the different types of wood.
On this web page you can find a table, listing the different types of wood with the relevant heating values. This allows you to compare which types of wood have the best heating values/cubic metre. Additionally, there is information about replacement ratios for oil to fuelwood if you are thinking about changing your heating system. Please note that the information about the firewood heating values are approximations as they depend amongst other things on the residual moisture in the firewood, which has a relatively strong impact on the heating value. Depending on the circumstances this can lead to +/- 25% deviation. The values provided are based on fuelwood with 15-20% residual moisture.
What is a cubic metre firewood?
The most commonly used measurement for fuelwood is the cubic meter. It describes a cube of 1 metre long trunk wood or logs, stacked to a height of 1 meter and 1 meter deep. 1 cubic metre equates to approximately 0.65 solid cubic meters. . A solid cubic meter describes a cube with an edge length of 1m x 1m x 1m of compact or solidly stacked wood, leaving no space free. For more information about firewood measurements click on Solid cubic metre.
Is calorific value & heating value the same?
Commonly the words calorific value and heating value are used as synonyms. However, in trade language and technical terms these two terms differ. The heating value is a theoretical value that can’t be proven scientifically and describes the maximum of usable heat during the process of burning. Describing the differences between calorific value and heating value would take too much detail at this point. However, it is important in this context that the heating value usually is 10% less than the calorific value. The ratio of calorific value to heating value is 0.926 to be precise.
Wood heating value table - compares the heating value of different types of wood an other fuels. |
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Type of wood / fuels |
firewood calorific value KWh /cubic metre |
firewood calorific value KWh /kg |
Replacement ratio oil litre per cubic metre |
Oak wood |
2100 | 4,2 | 195 |
| Beech wood Beech |
2100 | 4,0 | 180 |
| Robinia wood Robinia ( bastard acacia) |
2100 | 4,1 | 170 |
| Ash wood Ash |
2100 | 4,1 | 180 |
| Horse chestnut wood Horse Chestnut |
2000 | 4,2 | 170 |
| Maple wood Maple |
1900 | 4,1 | 180 |
| Birch wood Birch |
1900 | 4,3 | 165 |
| Sycamore wood Sycamore |
1900 | 4,2 | 175 |
| Elm wood Elm |
1900 | 4,1 | 170 |
| Cherry wood Cherry tree |
1800 | 4,3 | 170 |
| Larch wood Larch |
1700 | 4,4 | 185 |
| Pine wood Pine |
1700 | 4,4 | 170 |
| Douglas fir wood Douglas fir |
1700 | 4,4 | 170 |
| Alder wood Alder |
1500 | 4,1 | 130 |
| Linden wood Linden |
1500 | 4,2 | 130 |
| Spruce wood Spruce |
1500 | 4,5 | 130 |
| Fir wood Fir |
1400 | 4,4 | 125 |
| Willow wood willow |
1400 | 4,1 | 110 |
| Poplar wood Poplar |
1200 | 4,1 | 100 |
| Wood chips |
900 | 4,0 | 80 |
| Bamboo wood Bamboo |
??? | 4,4 | ??? |
| Wood pellets Pellets |
4,9 | ||
| Wood briquettes |
4,9 | ||
| Straw | 4,7 | ||
| Paper / Cardboard | 4,2 - 4,4 | ||
| Brown coal briquettes Coal briquettes |
5,6 | ||
| Anthracite | 7,5-9,0 | ||
| Domestic fuel oil | 11,8 | ||
| Bio diesel | 10 | ||
| Ethanol | 7,4 | ||
Source: kaminholz-wissen.de
