HardWood Vs Softwood

We are often asked which type of fire wood our customers should buy, soft wood or hard wood? both types of wood can be used for different purposes and can come down to personal preference or price. 

Firstly,  it is important to know the difference between the two types of wood. Hardwood comes from trees that lose their leaves during winter for e.g. Beech, Oak, Ash etc. These trees are slow growing (80-100 years maturity) which provides a more dense timber. Soft wood tends to grow a lot faster coming from trees such as spruce, pine, larch, Douglas fir and the timber is therefore less dense. 

​Softwood is ideal for building a fire and getting it going quickly. They are fantastic for burning. The important thing when buying softwood is to make sure that they are seasoned and have an average moisture content of 20% or less.

Yes, soft wood burns quicker than hardwood - but do you just need to build a fire or are you needing a long lasting fire? We have many customers that burn softwood and only that. This could be due to the slightly lower price or people just enjoy the novelty of feeding their fire with logs.  Soft wood is often used for kindling and has the advantage of being able to dry a bit quicker. Hardwood logs are best used to keep a fire going due to them being more dense than softwood.  Once your fire has been lit by using softwood you can then use hardwood to keep them burning. 

Hardwood is a much denser, longer lasting fire wood. The only real disadvantage to using hardwood is that it takes longer to season than softwood. Luckily all of our logs are Kiln Dried, once it arrives at your doorstep, you can immediately use it. There’s no need to let it “air dry” for months on end. 

In conclusion, no two types of logs are better than each other and both have their purposes, it's up to you what you think is best for your requirements. 

To order visit our shop here or give our office a phone on 01360 660264 

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