BEST Moisture levels for Firewood

Checking the moisture content of cut firewood is worth doing, especially with mixed hardwood loads.
Ideally don't buy anything with over 20% moisture, whatever the wood, you're paying for a lot of water which will have to be dried off before burning. Some firewood is sold unseasoned or part seasoned, fresh cut wood can be up to 60% water, but most hardwoods cut for burning are 35-40% when cut.

No stove manufacturer suggests burning anything with over 20% moisture content and the ideal to aim for is 15% Some softwoods will over-dry to below 10% and while good for kindling, as logs, these will burn too fast for a good fire. The dryer the wood the faster it will burn. Anywhere between 10 and 20% is where to aim for, on large logs it is worth splitting one and testing the central moisture content, because how a log seasons is dependent on volume as well as the storage conditions, and as we show there can be a 10-15% difference between the old cut surface and the center of the log when split.

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