How to Tell If Firewood Is Ready to Burn
Seasoned or green? Fresh-cut (“green”) firewood is still full of water. Seasoned firewood has dried out and is ready to burn. Here is how to tell them apart.
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Enter the secret wordWhich one is ready to burn?
Green
SeasonedThe bright, fresh ends on the left are green: freshly cut and still full of water. The faded, gray ends on the right are seasoned, so they are ready to burn.
5 ways to tell if firewood is seasoned
1Cracks on the ends
As wood dries, it shrinks, and cracks open up on the ends.
Fresh-cut wood has few cracks, or none. Seasoned wood shows deep cracks running out from the center.
2The color
Green
SeasonedFresh-cut ends look bright, with strong color.
As the wood dries, the ends fade and turn grayer.
3The weight
Green wood is heavy, because it is full of water. Seasoned wood is much lighter than green wood of the same kind.
If a piece feels heavy for its size, it may not be ready.
4The sound
Knock two pieces together.
Green wood makes a dull thud. Dry wood makes a clear, ringing clink.
5A moisture meter
The surest test is a wood moisture meter. They cost about $30.
Split a piece and test the fresh inside face. 20% moisture or less means it is ready to burn.
Recap
Green wood
- Few cracks, or none
- Bright color on the ends
- Heavy for its size
- A dull thud
Seasoned wood
- Deep cracks from the center
- Faded, grayer ends
- Much lighter
- A clear clink
- 20% moisture or less
More to know
Myth: if it has cracks, it's dry ▾
Not always. Wood that gets rained on later still keeps its cracks, so always check more than one sign.
How long does firewood take to dry? ▾
Split and stacked, most firewood needs 6 to 12 months to dry. Dense wood, like oak, takes longer.
Why it matters ▾
Seasoned wood gives about 20% more heat than freshly cut wood. Wet wood wastes heat boiling off its water.
Hardwood or softwood? ▾
Dense hardwoods, like oak, pack more heat into every cord. A cord of post oak gives about 1.7 times the heat of a cord of ponderosa pine. Softwoods, like pine, light fast, so they make good kindling.
Buying tip: know what a cord is ▾
Firewood is sold by the cord: a neat stack 4 feet high, 4 feet deep and 8 feet long (128 cubic feet). Words like "truckload" or "rick" don't tell you how much you're getting, and a pickup bed holds about half a cord at most.
Sources
- UNH Extension — seasoned firewood
- University of Maryland Extension — Measuring Wood Moisture (FS-1074)
- New Mexico State University Extension — Firewood Facts (G-102)
- Kansas Forest Service — firewood heat values (MF-773)
- NIST — Get What You Pay For (buying firewood)
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