What is the best wood to burn in a log burner?

Ash is widely regarded as the best all-round firewood: it burns hot and steady, gives good heat output, and seasons relatively quickly. Oak, beech and hornbeam are also excellent hardwoods. The key is that the wood is properly seasoned or kiln-dried, with a moisture content below 20%.

How long should firewood be seasoned before burning?

Most hardwoods need at least 12 to 24 months to season properly. Oak is denser and can take 2 to 3 years. Softwoods such as pine or spruce season faster, often in 6 to 12 months, but they contain more resin and can cause more creosote if burned in a stove.

Why does moisture content matter for firewood?

Wet wood has to boil off water before it produces useful heat, so you burn more fuel for less warmth and your stove glass blackens faster. It also burns cooler and less completely, which increases tar and creosote deposits in the flue — a leading cause of chimney fires.

Can you burn softwood in a log burner?

Softwood can be burned if it is dry and well-seasoned, but it burns faster and can produce more sparks and resin. Conifers like pine and spruce are best used as kindling or mixed with hardwoods. Avoid burning treated, painted or glued wood in any stove.

How should I store logs to keep them dry?

Store logs off the ground, under a waterproof cover with the sides open so air can flow through. A south-facing stack with good ventilation seasons wood fastest. Only bring inside what you will burn in the next day or two, as warm rooms can reintroduce moisture from the air.

Wood-Burning Guide

Best Wood for Log Burners: A HETAS Sweep's Guide

Choosing the right firewood makes a huge difference to how warm your room gets, how often you need to refuel, and how clean your flue stays. This guide covers the best wood to burn, how to season it properly, and why moisture content matters more than the species name on the bag.

Why the right firewood matters

A log burner is only as good as the wood you put in it. Dry, dense hardwoods produce more heat, less smoke, and fewer tar deposits. Wet or resinous wood does the opposite: it cools the firebox, blackens the glass, and coats the flue with creosote. That creosote is the main reason chimneys catch fire, which is why burning correctly and sweeping regularly go hand in hand.

Best firewood for log burners

Hardwoods are generally the best choice for a wood burner because they are denser and burn more slowly. Below is a quick comparison of the most common firewoods in the UK.

Wood	Heat	Seasoning	Notes
Ash	High	1–2 years	Often called the best firewood. Burns hot, steady, and lights fairly easily.
Oak	Very high	2–3 years	Dense, long-lasting burn. Needs a long seasoning time but excellent overnight heat.
Beech	High	1–2 years	Hot, bright flame with good coals. Best when well-seasoned; can spit if damp.
Hornbeam	Very high	1–2 years	Very dense, similar to oak. Slow burn with excellent heat output.
Birch	Medium-high	1 year	Seasons quickly, burns bright and gives off a pleasant smell. Burns faster than oak or ash.
Apple / Cherry	Medium-high	1–2 years	Fruit woods smell lovely and give a steady flame. Often used for flavour in cooking.
Pine / Spruce	Low-medium	6–12 months	Softwoods. Use dry, as kindling or mixed with hardwoods. Higher resin means more creosote risk.

For most homes in Worthing and West Sussex, ash, beech or oak give the best balance of heat, burn time and availability. If you buy by the cubic metre, hardwood also works out cheaper per unit of heat.

How to season firewood properly

Seasoning means letting freshly cut wood dry until its moisture content is low enough to burn efficiently. Splitting the logs first speeds this up enormously because the water escapes through the open grain.

Split logs to expose the inner grain and reduce drying time.
Stack them off the ground on pallets or a log store base.
Keep the top covered with a waterproof tarp or roof, but leave the sides open for airflow.
Place the stack in a sunny, breezy spot if possible.
Allow at least 12 months for softwoods and 18–36 months for dense hardwoods like oak.

Moisture content: the 20% rule

Wood with a moisture content above 25% is hard to light, burns poorly, and produces acid vapour that condenses in the flue as tar. The Ready to Burn standard — now a legal requirement for sold firewood in England — sets a limit of 20% moisture. For the cleanest, hottest burn, aim for 15–20%.

How to check moisture

A handheld moisture meter is the easiest way. Split a log and press the pins into the freshly exposed face — not the bark or the weathered outside. Take a few readings from different logs and average them.

Bark comes away easily and the log feels lighter than it looks.
The ends are cracked and grey-ish rather than smooth and fresh.
A moisture meter reads 20% or less when split and tested on the fresh face.
The wood makes a clear, hollow sound when knocked against another log.

What to avoid putting in your stove

Not everything that looks like wood is safe to burn. Avoid these materials entirely:

Treated or painted timber — releases toxic chemicals.
Plywood, MDF and chipboard — contain glues and resins.
Wet or mouldy logs — burn inefficiently and increase creosote.
Household rubbish — including plastics, cardboard and packaging.
Driftwood — the salt can corrode the stove and flue liner.

Seasoning and storage: quick tips for Worthing homes

Coastal air can be damp, so good storage is especially important. A dedicated log store with a slatted design and a roof keeps the rain off while letting the wind through. Only bring a small basket of logs indoors at a time; central heating can cause them to reabsorb moisture from the air.

If you don't have space to season your own wood, buying Ready to Burn kiln-dried hardwood is a reliable option. Just make sure the bag carries the Woodsure Ready to Burn logo, which guarantees a moisture content of 20% or less.

How burning habits affect your flue

Even the best wood will cause problems if you smoulder it. The cleanest burn happens with plenty of air and a visible flame. Once the stove is up to temperature, reload little and often rather than packing it full and damping it down. A hot, fast burn keeps creosote to a minimum and maximises heat into the room.

No matter how well you burn, some creosote and soot will still form over time. That's why HETAS recommends sweeping wood-burning stove flues every three months during the burning season, and at least once a year for occasional use.

Keep your log burner safe

Burning the right wood is only half the job. A regular HETAS sweep removes the deposits you can't see and checks that your flue is still sound. Book a sweep in Worthing and the surrounding West Sussex area.

Call 07429 863950 Email hello@fluefighter.co.uk

Serving Worthing and West Sussex.

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