What is the calorific value of firewood?

The calorific value of wood depends on the species, moisture content and density. Hardwoods (oak, hornbeam, beech) have a higher calorific value than softwoods (spruce, pine). One stacked cubic metre of dry beech wood contains approximately 2000 kWh of energy.

How does wood moisture content affect its energy?

Moisture content reduces the calorific value of wood. Fresh wood with a moisture content of 45% has a calorific value 30–40% lower than air-dried wood with a moisture content of 20%. Part of the energy is used to evaporate the water.

What is meant by stacked and loose firewood?

Stacked firewood means logs arranged in a row with minimal gaps. Loose firewood contains more air. One stacked cubic metre of firewood contains approximately 0.7 m³ of actual wood, while loose firewood only 0.5 m³.

How can firewood be compared with other fuels?

The calculator converts the energy content of wood into equivalents of electrical energy (kWh), heating oil (litres) and natural gas (m³). For example, 1 stacked cubic metre of beech firewood corresponds to approximately 200 litres of heating oil.

Firewood
Calculation of the energy content of wood

Select the wood species, moisture content and enter the wood volume. The calculator will calculate the energy content and equivalents of other fuels.

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Energy

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Electric energy

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Heating oil

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Natural gas

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Wood species

Wood storage

Moisture

Volume (stere (m³ stacked))

The volume of firewood includes air gaps: a solid cubic metre is the actual wood mass, stacked wood contains some air between the logs, and loose firewood contains the most air. Different countries use their own standards and conversion factors — for example, 1m³ of solid wood ≈ 1.4m³ stacked ≈ 2m³ loose.
In this calculator, we have used the following conversion. If different factors are used in your country, please let us know.


Solid cubic meterSolid cubic metre	StackedStacked cubic metre	LooseBulk cubic metre

The final value is approximate and due to various factors may differ from the actual value.Did you find an inaccuracy?

Did you find an inaccuracy?

Our aim was to create calculators for wood professionals that provide the most accurate results possible. However, there are many coefficients, standards, deviations and calculation methods that vary by country and local conditions, so it is not possible to cover all locations with 100% accuracy immediately. For some calculators, however, it is possible to enter custom parameters, such as wood densities or growth factors.
However, the system is designed so that we can refine it gradually, and we would appreciate your feedback, which will help us improve the calculators further and adapt them to practical use.

Tree species parameters

Wood species parameters, such as density, can vary significantly depending on location and growing conditions. To account for these natural variations, we offer fine-tuning options that help ensure accurate and reliable data adapted to specific environments.

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FirewoodCalculation of the energy content of wood

Energy

Electric energy

Heating oil

Natural gas

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Tree species parameters

Preferred species

Firewood
Calculation of the energy content of wood