How Much Firewood Do I Need for Winter?
If you're stocking up before the colder weather arrives, one of the first questions is:
How much firewood will I actually need for winter?
You might be hoping for an answer like:
“Buy 2m³ and that'll see you through.”
Unfortunately, anyone giving every household the same number is guessing.
A stove that's lit for three hours on Saturday evenings will use a completely different amount of firewood from one that's burning every day from October through to March.
Your stove, home, burning habits and the role firewood plays in your heating all affect how much you'll get through.
So rather than throwing out a meaningless number, here's a much better way to work out how much firewood you should order.
What Determines How Much Firewood You Use?
The biggest factors are:
- How often you light your stove
- How many hours you normally keep it burning
- The size and output of your stove
- How warm you like your home
- How well insulated your property is
- The weather
- Whether the stove supplements another heating system
- Whether wood is one of your main sources of heat
- The moisture content of the firewood
- How you operate the stove
That's why your neighbour saying “I only use two bags all winter” doesn't tell you very much.
Their house and heating habits may be completely different from yours.
Start With How Often You Actually Use Your Stove
This is probably the easiest way to put yourself into the right category.
Occasional Stove User
Perhaps you light the stove:
at weekends, on particularly cold evenings or when you've got people round.
You probably don't need to fill every available corner of your property with logs.
A smaller quantity allows you to keep a useful supply ready without taking up unnecessary storage space.
Our 0.7m³ Builders Bag can be a sensible starting point for customers who don't burn logs every day.
Regular Stove User
Perhaps your stove is lit several evenings each week throughout autumn and winter.
Now you're likely to appreciate having a larger supply available.
A 1m³ Bulk Bag gives you more firewood in one delivery and reduces the likelihood of needing to reorder as frequently.
Frequent or Heavy Stove User
If your stove is running most days during colder weather, your firewood requirements are obviously going to be considerably higher.
That's where larger quantities such as our 1.7m³ Super Large Bulk Bag or 1.75m³ 6 Barrow Bag option become more relevant.
But there's another question you need to answer first.
How Much Firewood Can You Actually Store?
Don't order three months' worth of logs if you've only got somewhere suitable to store three weeks' worth.
It sounds obvious, but quantity discounts can encourage people to order more than their property can comfortably handle.
Before placing a large firewood order, look at your storage.
You need somewhere that's:
Dry
Covered
Well ventilated
and ideally keeps the logs away from persistently damp ground.
Measure your log store if necessary.
There's no benefit in buying properly kiln dried firewood and then leaving half of it exposed to rain because you ran out of storage space.
Should I Buy All My Winter Firewood at Once?
You can if you have:
suitable storage, enough space and the budget to stock up.
There are obvious conveniences to having a good supply already at home before the colder weather arrives.
You don't have to think about ordering every few weeks, and you know you've got logs available when you want to light the stove.
But buying your entire winter supply in one go isn't compulsory.
If you're unsure how much you'll use, buying a sensible initial quantity and learning your household's actual consumption can be much smarter than guessing.
A Better Way to Estimate Your Winter Firewood
If you've used your stove before, your own consumption is the best starting point.
Think back to last winter.
How much did you buy?
How long did it last?
Did you run out?
Did you have loads left in spring?
That's far more useful than an online calculator pretending every UK household burns exactly the same amount.
If you're new to wood burning, start keeping a simple note of your usage.
For example:
Date delivery arrived
Quantity purchased
How frequently the stove was used
Date you needed to reorder
After one season, you'll have a very good idea of your own consumption.
How Long Does a Bulk Bag of Logs Last?
This is one of the questions people naturally ask.
Unfortunately, there's no universal answer.
Take two households that both order exactly 1m³ of firewood.
House A lights the stove twice a week for a few hours.
House B lights theirs every afternoon and keeps it running into the evening.
The same quantity could last dramatically different lengths of time.
Stove size and fuel loading matter as well.
So when somebody tells you:
“A bulk bag lasts X weeks.”
Treat it as their experience, not a guarantee of yours.
Does Stove Size Affect Firewood Consumption?
Yes.
Stoves have different heat outputs and fuel requirements.
A small stove heating one room doesn't necessarily consume firewood at the same rate as a larger appliance being used to heat a bigger space.
The correct approach is to operate your stove according to the manufacturer's instructions, including its recommended fuel load.
Don't deliberately overload a small stove because you think more logs automatically means more useful heat.
Does the Moisture Content of Logs Matter?
Absolutely.
When you burn wood containing excess moisture, energy is used dealing with the water in the fuel rather than simply producing useful heat.
That's one reason properly dried firewood matters.
Our kiln dried firewood is Woodsure Ready to Burn certified and below 20% moisture content.
So when you're estimating how much firewood you need, quality matters alongside quantity.
A cubic metre tells you about volume.
It doesn't, on its own, tell you whether the logs inside are properly dry.
Which Firewood Quantity Should I Choose?
We've deliberately built the Armstrong Country Store range around different households and different properties.
0.7m³ Builders Bag
A useful option for customers wanting a substantial supply without jumping straight into one of the larger quantities.
It can work particularly well for occasional or lighter stove users or households with more limited storage.
1m³ Bulk Bag
A step up in quantity and a practical option for people who use their stove regularly and have suitable storage.
1.2m³ – 4 Barrow Bags
Approximately 1.2m³ divided between four individual Barrow Bags.
This is worth considering if you want a larger supply but need to move the firewood from your delivery point to somewhere else on the property.
1.7m³ Super Large Bulk Bag
A substantial quantity for households that burn plenty of firewood and have the storage space to stock up.
1.75m³ – 6 Barrow Bags
Approximately 1.75m³ divided between six Barrow Bags.
You get a substantial quantity while retaining the convenience of moving the bags individually rather than dealing with one enormous bag of loose logs.
What If I Prefer Smaller Bags?
Not everybody wants a Bulk Bag sitting outside the house.
Our woven-bag firewood is another option.
The logs are cut to approximately 8 inches, making them suitable for all wood-burning stoves, and the individual bags make the firewood easy to carry and organise.
We offer:
24 woven bags
48 woven bags
72 woven bags
96 woven bags
This gives regular firewood users the ability to buy a substantial quantity while keeping everything divided into manageable bags.
Which Is Better for Winter – Bulk Bags or Woven Bags?
Neither is inherently better.
It's about convenience.
If your delivery point is close to a large log store, you may prefer a Bulk Bag.
If you need to move your logs down a narrow path or around the house, Barrow Bags may make more sense.
If you prefer smaller individual packs that you can carry and organise easily, woven bags could suit you better.
Don't choose your winter supply based purely on volume.
Think about what happens after the delivery arrives.
When Should I Order Firewood for Winter?
Don't wait until the first freezing night to discover you've got three logs left.
If you've got suitable storage, ordering ahead of the coldest part of the year means your firewood is already there when you need it.
Late summer and autumn are sensible times to check your log store and think about the coming heating season.
That doesn't mean you need to panic-buy six months of firewood.
It means you can make a considered decision about your likely usage and storage before demand increases during colder weather.
Should I Buy Extra Firewood Just in Case?
A reasonable buffer can be useful if you have the storage space.
But don't confuse being prepared with buying far more than you can sensibly store.
Your goal isn't to own the biggest pile of logs in the neighbourhood.
Your goal is to have enough properly stored firewood available when you need it.
How Much Kindling Will I Need?
Don't forget about the thing that actually gets your logs burning.
If you use your stove frequently, you'll also get through kindling regularly.
Our kiln dried kindling is dried to below 10% moisture content and produced by the Armstrong family.
We offer different pack sizes, including 12 Carrypacks, 14 boxes and larger 200-box quantities.
Keep your kindling somewhere dry and protected so it's ready when you need to light the fire.
Produced by the Armstrong Family
Whichever quantity you choose, our firewood isn't simply bought in as finished logs and resold.
It's produced by the Armstrong family.
We locally source timber from FSC® 100% certified, well-managed forests before processing it into firewood.
The timber is:
Sawn → Split → Kiln dried → Triple screened → Packed
Our firewood is dried in purpose-built kilns before being triple screened to remove excess bark and dust.
It's then packed into the different formats we sell and prepared for delivery to customers throughout eligible UK locations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much firewood do I need for winter?
There isn't one quantity suitable for every household. Your usage depends on your stove, property, frequency of use, hours of burning, weather and whether wood is your main or supplementary source of heat.
How long will 1m³ of logs last?
It depends entirely on how you use your stove. Someone burning a few evenings each week could make the same quantity last considerably longer than somebody using their stove every day.
Is 1m³ of logs enough for winter?
It may be for some households and nowhere near enough for others. Don't rely on a universal estimate; base your decision on your own stove usage and storage capacity.
Is it better to buy firewood in bulk?
Buying larger quantities can reduce how frequently you need deliveries, but it only makes sense if you use enough firewood and can store it correctly.
Should I buy my winter logs in summer?
If you've got suitable storage, buying before the coldest weather can be convenient. Late summer is a good time to inspect your remaining stock and plan for autumn and winter.
How should I store a winter supply of logs?
Keep kiln dried firewood somewhere dry, covered and well ventilated, preferably raised away from persistently damp ground.
Are Armstrong Country Store logs Ready to Burn?
Yes. Our kiln dried firewood is Woodsure Ready to Burn certified and below 20% moisture content.
What size logs do you produce?
Our woven-bag firewood contains approximately 8-inch logs. Our other firewood products contain mixed lengths with a maximum length of approximately 10 inches.
Which firewood packaging is easiest to move?
For awkward access, Barrow Bags or individual woven bags can be more convenient than one large Bulk Bag. The best option depends on your property.
Don't Guess Your Winter Supply
There's no magic number of logs that every UK household needs for winter.
If somebody tells you otherwise, they're oversimplifying it.
Instead, look at:
How frequently you use your stove.
How long you normally burn it.
How much storage you have.
How quickly you got through your previous order.
Then choose a quantity that makes sense for your household.
If you're new to wood burning, start sensibly and learn your actual consumption.
After your first winter, you'll have something much more valuable than an online estimate:
you'll know how much firewood your own home actually uses.
And when you're ready to stock up, choose properly dried firewood in a quantity and packaging format that you can receive, move and store properly.
That's a far better winter plan than simply ordering the biggest bag you can find.