Frequently Asked Questions

Cornish Firewood supply logs from a variety of species including Ash and Birch.

Burning logs is a much more environmentally friendly process than burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil or gas. Using logs or other wood products as an energy source is an almost carbon neutral process. Although burning logs releases CO2 into the atmosphere, for every tree that is felled and burnt, another tree is planted and this will absorb CO2 as it grows. Therefore the net release of CO2 into the atmosphere is zero. Wood fuel is also a sustainable fuel; we can literally grow our own energy and wood fuel is increasingly used for electricity as well as heat energy in the UK. Fossil fuel prices will continue to escalate beyond affordable household budgets but if we grow our own renewable fuel we can control energy prices better too.

Kiln Dried Logs burn hotter than Seasoned Logs as they have a higher calorific value. A kiln dried log has a lower moisture content, meaning less energy is required to burn off residual moisture, resulting in more energy being converted to heat.

Kiln Dried Logs are much more efficient – The higher temperatures generated by kiln dried logs mean that everything is burnt, even the gasses released by the wood. In a cooler fire these would simply escape up the chimney. They are also more economical; because they burn hotter and more efficiently, you use less of them to achieve the same heat output.

Kiln Dried Logs help to prolong the life of your heating appliance – The higher temperatures burn off the water and sap remaining in the wood, stopping it from building up on the inside of your appliance as tar, which over time, can foul and rust your appliance leading to a loss of efficiency.

It depends on the exact species of wood you are comparing but, generally speaking hardwood logs tend to be much denser than softwood logs and therefore they burner hotter and longer. Given two similar sized and seasoned logs, one hardwood and the other softwood, the hardwood log would generally be heavier and produce more energy than the softwood log. You therefore need fewer hardwood logs to produce the same heat output and because they take longer to burn the refuelling intervals are longer as well. Softwood logs are easier to light and are great when you want a fire with lower heat output, like autumn and spring.

We sell both seasoned logs and kiln dried logs.

A seasoned log is one that has been cut and dry stored (i.e. under cover) for a long period of time, usually over 12 months. During this time the moisture contained in the wood evaporates into the atmosphere. To season logs yourself you will need a log store located in a well ventilated area, some unseasoned logs and lots of patience.

Unseasoned logs are ok to burn on an open fire (best burnt with solid fuels as you will reduce the amount of condensates building up in your chimney), but can lead to severe damage if burnt on closed appliances because the temperature is not sufficient to burn off the sap contained in the wood, which then builds up on the inside of your appliance as a tar condensate.

Unseasoned logs or green logs basically means that a log has been freshly cut and is likely to have a high moisture content – i.e. above 50%. A seasoned log however, has been cut and dry stored for a long period of time so that the moisture content is considerably less – between 25% and 50%.  Because of the lower moisture content seasoned logs will burn hotter and more efficiently than unseasoned logs.  For the same reason Kiln Dried Logs with approximately 20% moisture, burn hotter and more efficiently still.

At Cornish Firewood we focus more on the moisture content rather than the term ‘seasoned’ as often wood is sold as seasoned and yet it contains high moisture. As we use heated drying rooms and a kiln heated using a biomass boiler we only send out wood that has reached a target moisture percentage for seasoned that’s 25% and kiln dried below 20%.

Not a lot really. The seasoning or kiln drying process dries the wood from the centre out, and a little rain will make virtually no difference to the moisture content of the wood. However, prolonged exposure or immersion of your logs will increase the moisture content over time and is not advisable. Seasoned and Kiln dried logs should therefore, always be stored under cover in a well ventilated area – a log store is ideal for this purpose.

There’s no real answer to this question. How wet is “wet”? It will likely be a minimum of 12 months given warm dry weather, but may well be considerably longer if recent UK weather trends are anything to go by. Better to simply buy seasoned or kiln dried logs and start seasoning your green logs ready for next year. With experience you will know when a log is dry enough to use. Alternatively there are moisture content meters available to buy in our online shop.

Moisture content can vary and is dependent on a wide range of factors – for example, a tree felled in winter is likely to be drier than the same one felled during the summer as they take on less water out of the growing season. Therefore, logs with a moisture content of over 50% are termed as unseasoned.  Between 30 and 50% are termed seasoned and up to 25% is termed as Kiln Dried. The definitions used by Cornish Firewood to describe moisture content are in line with HETAS Biomass Assurance Scheme and therefore, all our kiln dried logs have an average moisture content of less than 20%.

In a word no. Wood that contains more moisture will weigh heavier so paying by the kilogram or tonne is a false economy unless you are buying dry wood of course. The normal way to purchase split logs is buying in volume cubic metres. This makes it easier to compare prices in the market place and calculate the space required to store the wood.

When we supply firewood and logs we try to think of our customers’ needs and requirements, so we aim to manufacture logs and firewood that will fit most open fires and appliances. With this in mind all our logs are cut to a length of 9”. However, due to the nature of wood (unusual shapes and sizes), this is not always possible to achieve, so you may, on occasion, have to cut wood to meet the measurements of your particular stove or wood burning appliance.

We also provide chunky mansion logs which are 12” in length for use in larger appliances and we offer a special order service where we can cut to a specified length. These special orders will incur a 10% surcharge and may require up to 2 weeks’ notice in advance of delivery.

Our log net bags are all 60 x 45cm and our neat kindling net bag measures 70 x 50cm

Each net bag holds around 12 -13 logs in each depending on the varying size of the log that has been split. Therefore a 1m3 load (20 bags) will give around 240 – 260 logs and a 2m3 load 480- 520 logs. Please note our loads are measured loose in metal cages once split so once stacked a 1m3 loads will measure 0.832 cubic metres and a 2m3 load will measure 1.664 cubic metres with no gaps in your wood store or shed. When comparing our loads to other suppliers please also bear in mind you will be buying loose measured cubic metres unless buying by the net bag.

To help you with handling we can provide the approx weight for our softwood and hardwood net bags.

Our seasoned softwood nets weigh approx 15 kg and our seasoned hardwood nets weigh approx 20kg. Our kiln dried hardwood weighs approx 14kg.

We do not deliver loose loads. We find these inconsistent and difficult for customers to accept and handle. All our loads are sold in cubic metres that are measured loose in cubic metres cages once split and then net bagged for convenience of handling by our drivers and customers. This also to offer a consistent load every order. For local deliveries net bags will be stacked on pallets and delivered and handballed off the vans to a log store driveway or garage near to unloading point. We ask if wood is to be left outside while you are at work or away from home that you leave something to cover the logs until you return. Goods are left at customers own risk. National delivery orders will be delivered on pallets of 60 bags in a 7.5 tonne lorry using a tail lift and pallet truck. Therefore adequate access suitable for this type of delivery is required. Pallets trucks will not travel over gravel or soft ground so in this instance will be roadside delivery as close as driver and vehicle can safely reach. For further information please refer to our delivery guide.

We are often asked how much wood will be required for autumn winter season. The answer will of course depend on many factors such as whether wood is the only fuel used or if coal or briquettes are also used, if it’s the only source of heat for homes and water, if more than one burner or fire is used for example. Based on average home size efficient burner regularly serviced and flue cleaned, using every evening from 6 till 10 you would expect to use 3-4 cubic metres from September to March. Less if using kiln dried hardwood. Most customers order 3 loads and top up in February is colder Spring occurs. If climate is much colder, or the fire is used all day this will of course increase your usage.

Payment can be made online by card or PayPal. We do not accept Diners or Amex cards unfortunately. For telephone and email orders we can also take payment by bank payment to the following bank details:

Barclays Bank
Bank/Sort Code: 206719
Account Number: 83270459
Reference: Please use order number or name.

Alternatively cash is accepted on delivery for telephone and email order. All online orders must be paid for by debit/credit card or PayPal.

Cornish Firewood offer a money back guarantee, should you not be happy with your load size, quality or moisture content of the wood we deliver we shall exchange or refund less delivery charges. We value our products and service and feel certain we will meet your expectations, however the varying nature of the product means at times we may fall short of our high standard and if this should happen you can be confident we shall replace or refund with no quibble.

Simply contact our customer service personnel on 01209 899301 and advise of the problem at your earliest convenience. Please note we cannot accept returns and refunds after all of product has been used so it is advised to let us know if you feel the product is not performing as it should.

We will arrange at your convenience to replace or refund the order whichever is preferred.