There are a lot of different ways that wood fuel suppliers advertise their firewood – loose loads, stacked volumes, dimensions, pallets, bags, and sometimes even weight is used to sell quantities of firewood!

It’s important to understand how much wood you’re getting when you order it. This will not only help you have enough in your log store to last you through winter, but it will also avoid any confusion if a bag you have bought has a larger volume, yet less wood in it.

The two most common ways for suppliers to advertise large amounts of firewood for sale is by loose volume and stacked volume.

Both loose and stacked volume are measured, as standard, per cubic metre (m³). However, buying 1m³ of logs loose will mean you have less logs than if you bought your firewood by stacked volume.

Why is this? These diagrams explain the difference:

Logs that are stacked loosely in a bag or a crate will have random pockets of air between them, depending on the way the logs fall. While the logs may fill the 1m³ of space, not every space is filled, so your overall volume of wood can be reduced by up to 15-20% when buying wood in this way.

Stacked loads are usually hand-stacked by your supplier, ensuring they are tightly placed together to minimise gaps of air. This means when you buy 1m³ of stacked logs, you are getting as close to 1m³ of logs as possible, saving you money.

Many wood fuel suppliers sell their wood in stacked volumes, making sure you get the most wood for your money. It’s common, however, for suppliers to advertise by loose volume. This helps stove users compare prices without having to get bogged down by complicated maths.

Keeping things simple lets you make an informed choice and get the most fuel for your money. Suppliers will usually provide additional measurements, such as the stacked volume, crate measurements, log length, and average density.

Confusingly, logs can be bought in bulk bags, builder’s bags, dumpy bags, ton bags, nets, crates, and simply bags.

Larger, heavy-duty bags (bulk bags, builder’s bags, dumpy bags, ton bags, log sacks, etc.) are measured by volume and generally contain loosely stacked logs. Larger bags (and crates) will offer you some of the best value for your money as you’re buying in bulk.

Log crates will usually be measured by volume and have the logs neatly stacked, with most suppliers giving you the loose volume and the stacked volume so you’re easily able to compare prices and amounts.

Barrow bags offer you a way to still buy your logs in bulk, even if you haven’t got the space for a full bulk bag. These are usually measured by volume and ideal to move around on a sack truck, generally containing loosely stacked logs.

Smaller grab bags offer a quick way to top up your wood supply that can be easily carried from the supermarket to your home. These bags are sometimes measured by the litre to give you an idea of how big a bag you are buying, and small bags generally have an average of 10 logs per bag, although bag sizes vary across suppliers.

Net bags are an alternative to small grab bags, using net for packaging instead of plastic. These, like grab bags, come in a variety of sizes and allow for ease of transportation, letting you stock up when you’re out and about.

Using weight as a measurement can help give you a rough estimate of how much wood you’re getting, but there’s a reason suppliers only give a range of weight in their product descriptions.

Logs have more weight the higher their moisture content, so buying a bag of logs that weighs more will not necessarily always mean you are getting more logs. In England, legislation requires all wood fuel sold in quantities under 2m³ to be certified as Ready to Burn, having a moisture content of 20% or less, so you can rest assured that all firewood you buy with the Ready to Burn mark has a low moisture content and is safe to burn.

However, moisture content can vary across logs in your bag. This means some logs may have a moisture content of 18%, whereas some may have a moisture content of 15%, for example. So one bulk bag may have the same volume as another, yet their weights will be different due to slight differences in the moisture content of the logs.

Giving a range of weight will help you get an approximate idea of how much wood you’re buying, but using the volume provides a much more accurate description of the amount of wood you’re buying. The industry standard of measuring by volume rather than weight keeps prices fair for customers and lets suppliers be transparent about the amount of wood you are getting.

As with most things, buying in bulk is cheapest. If you have room to store a considerable amount of logs, two loose bulk bags (2m³ of logs) could last you all through winter – depending on your burning habits, stove, and preferred household temperature.

Smaller bags will usually cost more per cubic metre than buying in bulk, but are a great alternative if you don’t have the space to keep lots of logs in storage.

When storing your logs, having gaps of air between them is great to help dry them and stop any from rotting. However, you’ll be emptying out your bulk bag so if it your logs have arrived stacked you don’t need to worry.

All wood fuel from Woodsure certified suppliers goes through stringent checks to ensure it has a moisture content of 20% or less, whilst also having the entire supply chain assessed to assure you of its sustainability, so stacked bags do not need air pockets for drying for their short journey to your house.

If you’re only burning occasionally or short on space so you usually buy small grab bags, make sure you don’t leave the wood in the plastic bag for too long. The plastic bags can trap moisture and make your wood rot. If you’re planning on burning the entire bag’s worth of wood in the next few days, it won’t be a problem, but plastic bags aren’t a great way to store your logs for a long time.