Buying Firewood – The Definitive New Zealand Guide

Whether you’re living in Auckland, Dunedin or somewhere else, our firewood guide explains what wood is best and how to buy a quality supply

Updated 23 June 2020

Know this first: If you're reading this in winter, finding affordable dry wood ready for immediate burning can be difficult. It's also the most expensive time to buy as unprepared people panic buy.

This guide explains how to buy firewood at any time of the year, with a focus on buying in advance of winter and storing it for DIY drying. Our research revealed that while firewood suppliers sell year-round, spring and summer are the best times to buy.

Our dedicated guides for Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin list firewood providers who are reliable, trusted and, most importantly, sell good quality wood.

Summary:

• Every year, many New Zealanders attempt to heat their home with over-priced and poor-quality firewood that’s damp, contains many varieties of trees (making it difficult to burn and manage a fire consistently) and/or generally offers ​poor value for money.
• The best approach to securing firewood is to pre-order it in advance, with the best time being between September and December. If you wait until winter, there are delays, price gauging and (in some years) scams. 
• If you only use your fire to heat your home (i.e. there's no heat pump installed), and you have large spaces, you’re going to need a sizeable amount of firewood. It’s always cheaper to buy in bulk upfront and dry it at home before use. The longer you can dry it, the less wood you'll need to burn.
• The size of your firebox limits the firewood you can burn – there's no point buying big if you can only burn small/medium (and while an axe will split average-sized pieces into single burnable pieces, it's a hassle that can be avoided with the right planning). 
• A well-insulated home (pink batts, double glazing, etc.) requires less firewood as your home stays warm for longer and brings down heating costs in general. You may qualify for an insulation subsidy.
• Firewood is often sold in cubic metres (one cube of wood is 1 metre x 1 metre x 1 metre), and it's measured as dropped wood, not stacked. How many cubic metres of firewood you'll need per year depends on where you live and the size of your home. However, you can buy it by the sack full.
• Open fires send the majority of the heat up the chimney – a log burner, by comparison, retains heat and uses far less wood. 
• How often you light the fire influences what wood to buy. If your fire is on all day, hardwood slow-burns so you don’t need to stoke it or top-up wood. If you’re just lighting a fire in the evening for a couple of hours, you'll need softwood to start it off and hardwood to sustain the fire.

This guide has been published to help you get the best-burning firewood for your home at a competitive price. We cover:

• Softwood vs Hardwood Explained
• Buying Firewood in a Nutshell
• ​​Firewood Essentials - Five Must-Knows for the coming winter

MoneyHub user Dave describes his philosophy for firewood:
"There's no secret to having good firewood; all you have to do is plan in advance. Around October every year without fail, I go shopping for a good stack of wood that slow burns. I prefer blue gum as it's easy to chop up and light. In October, demand is low and I don't pay more than $600 for three cubic metres. I then leave it in the garage until the fire lights up around June. By that time, it's perfectly dry. I never have any issues with wet wood, nor do I get ripped off".

Softwood vs Hardwood Explained (and why burning the right type makes a big difference)

There are two different types of firewood – softwood and hardwood, and within those several species of trees. 

1. Softwood is a low-density wood, which means (compared to hardwood):

• It doesn’t give as much heat as there is less wood to burn
• It’s easier to light, carry and split (as it weighs less)
• It’s quicker to burn
• It’s quick to grow
• It dries faster but can absorb more moisture

2. Hardwood is a high-density wood, which means (compared to softwood)

• It burns longer and gives out more heat
• It takes longer to dry but is far more resistant to moisture given its density
• It is heavier and more difficult to split

In the table below, we outline the different woods available throughout New Zealand, and how long it takes to dry (also known as 'season'). We have excluded pricing as it varies month to month, and there is no standard size - suppliers sell it by 3.6 cubic metres, 1 cubic metre, 48cm x 78cm hessian sacks and other sizes. 

Table 1 - Firewood Specs

Firewood & Type	​Burn Time	Burn Temperature	Time to Dry
Standard Pine (Softwood)	Short (use for starting fires)	Hot	6-12 months
Old Pine (Softwood)	Medium	Hot	​6-12 months
Macrocarpa ​(Softwood)	Medium	​Hot	​6-12 months
​​Douglas Fir (Softwood)	Long	​Hot	6-9 months
Gum (Hardwood)	Long	​Hot	9-18 months
Macrocarpa (Softwood)	Medium	Hot	6-9 months

Buying Firewood in a Nutshell

Making the wrong buying decision today can lead to sub-optimal fires and colder homes during winter. There's no point drying firewood that burns quickly and doesn't heat as well as better burning varieties. We reveal what you need to know in detail.

What type of firewood should I buy?

You may be asked “Gum, pine, larch or mix?”. Our view is simple:

1. Gum (hardwood) is the best; it’s usually the most expensive and it’s harder
2. Pine (softwood), means you’re forever topping up the fire – what you save in money you pay for in time and inconvenience.
3. Macrocarpa (softwood) burns for longer than pine but shorter than gum. 
4. “Mix” could mean anything and is not recommended as the sole source of firewood. When you buy wood, you want certainty about what species of tree it is, and that it's easy to put on the fire. Having to burn all different wood types in different sizes doesn’t make an inviting fireplace.

Our view:

• If you have a small home, a short and intense fire can warm up your living areas to be comfortable, and softwoods will do the job just fine. However, more people like longer-lasting fires that slow burn, and hardwoods deliver more heat overall meaning they're more cost-effective.
• Many homeowners buy two types of firewood for balance, just as pine (softwood) and gum (hardwood) to manage their fire.
• Ordering gum or other hardwoods as the core of your firewood pile means your fire will be cost-effective to run and easier to predict and manage.

How much firewood do I need to buy every year?

Where you live and the size of your home directly influence how much firewood you need. Our estimates for major cities include:

• Auckland – evening use is the norm in Auckland; we estimate 3-5 cubic metres of hardwood should through June to September
• Wellington – with cold, windy winter evenings, we estimate 6-10 cubic metres of hardwood should get an average home through winter (and retain some for cooler evenings)
• Christchurch and Dunedin – the average house will most likely use between 7-14 cubic metres of hardwood. 

Important:

1. If you have significant storage space (i.e. in the garage, under the house), buying more than you need for one year is a good idea. Firewood never 'expires', but running short during winter means you'll be forced to pay whatever price is asked. 
2. In addition to the hardwood you buy, you'll need to purchase some kindling to start your fire, or have some softwood on hand (such as pine).

How do I get the best price for firewood?

The only way to avoid ending up with bad wood and/or overpaying is to compare. The Consumer Institute reported that in their price investigation, they found a cubic metre of pine in Wellington ranged between $60 to $190, and a cubic metre of macrocarpa in Auckland ranges from $60 to $230. 

To get the best price, be organised, shop in spring or early summer, store the wood and re-order every year at the same time.

​When is the best time to buy firewood?

The best (and cheapest) time is spring and summer because firewood needs time to dry before use. Buying is October, for example, lets you dry the wood for around six months before you use it. The worst time (and most expensive) is winter. You’ll either end up with pre-dried firewood (which is very expensive), or ‘unseasoned’ (i.e. wet) firewood, which isn’t going to dry in time for use.

It may feel unusual to spend $300 or $600 of firewood just as winter comes to an end, but doing so will lock in the best quality wood, lowest price and give you the longest runway for drying it at home. However, freshly cut hardwood like gum needs at least six months to dry (and in some cases, up to 18 months).

​How long does it take firewood to dry?

Our chart above outlines the approximate drying time.

Why is some firewood smoky when I burn it?

Firewood that isn’t sufficiently dry is known as ‘green wood’ and burning it creates smoke. It also adds to air pollution and is bad for your health to breathe in. You may also be burning wet wood, which is even worse than green wood. Neither woods are fit for the purpose of burning.

Where should I store firewood, and how do I stack it?

This is covered in the Firewood Essentials below.

​What is better, a Woodburner or an open fireplace?

Modern Woodburners are far more efficient, healthy and cleaner than an open fireplace. A Woodburner is designed to transmit heat into the room, using 80% of the heat generated. This compares favourably to an open fire, which inefficiently sends around 80% of the heat generated up into the chimney. Woodburners can also be used to help heat your home’s hot water cylinder, reducing power bills in winter when electricity rates are at their highest.

Firewood Essentials - Five Must-Knows for the coming winter

Know how firewood is measured (to make sure you're not overcharged or buy too much or too little)

​The measurement of firewood can make price comparisons difficult. Common measurements can include "bagful", "sackful", "trailer-load" and "box-full". To avoid overpaying and/or buying too much or too little firewood, ask for your firewood in the standard measurement - cubic metres. And, to ensure you know much space you need to store firewood, cubic metres is measured as "thrown" wood, not stacked. Generally, 3 cubic metres of would you buy stacks into 2 cubic metres.

Before making an order, check the firewood supplier's measurements are certified. If they're not, you may end up overpaying.

Know the right questions to ask when arranging quotes for firewood

To avoid overpaying or being surprised at the final bill, here are six essential questions to ask before placing an order. It’s cost-effective to buy in bulk, meaning five cubic metres will cheaper than buying five orders of one cubic metre. Before you contact a supplier, make sure you know how much firewood you need (in cubic metres) and the variety of tree (i.e. gum, pine etc.) so you can get an ‘all-in, fully inclusive’ comparable quote.

1. What is the price for (insert quantity) cubic metres of (insert tree variety)  
2. How is the volume measured? (you’ll want a supplier that has certified measurement for their truck/trailer etc).
3. What size are the pieces? (make sure the wood fits into a standard log burner; wood that is 300mm/1 foot long) and in smaller lengths is best)
4. Is the wood green or dry? (if it’s green, you’ll need to store it at home and wait 6-18 months before you can burn it)
5. Does the quote include GST? (if not, you’ll need to add on 15%)
6. Does the price include delivery costs? (if not, you’ll be charged a one-off fee, which needs to be factored in)

Store wood the right way to avoid wet wood

The best time to buy wood is spring or early summer; this means you have a maximum of 6 to 10 months of drying time before you need to use it. Some hardwoods need longer to dry, so you may have to wait until the second winter to use what you have stored.

To avoid hassle later on, make sure firewood is cut into the right size first-time (300mm long, and different widths for slow or long burn). This gives each piece as much surface area as possible, meaning it can dry faster.
​
Firewood is best dried outside, stored under a tarpaulin or piece of roofing iron. This gives it maximum sun and airflow. Drying it in a woodshed takes longer as it lacks airflow and is likely to be dark. Stacking firewood needs careful consideration, and it should always be stacked in single-piece wide to maximize airflow. 

Avoid overpaying (and being scammed) by comparing prices in spring

The best time to buy firewood is, in most cities, from September to December. There's no 'panic buying' that occurs in winter, and the prices are generally the lowest in the year. It's a buyers market, and you can compare the cubic metre prices of your preferred softwood and hardwood without any fear of missing out. By setting aside some money, even $10/week per year, you'll have $500+ to spend on heating your home for winter. 

​Warning: MoneyHub has received reports from users who have been caught out by people advertising "dry, ready to burn" firewood on Facebook and Trade Me. The adverts and listings usually come around mid-winter, and in many cases, the reality is that the wood is wet and not fit-for-use. In some cases, it's completely overpriced and nonburnable. 

Make space for firewood upfront to secure cheap heating for years to come

Firewood is a long-term commitment. The ideal place to store it is outside on top of a brick surface or pallets to prevent it from rotting. If you don't have space outside, your garage is the second-best option as it gets a degree of ventilation and airflow. 

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Related guides:

• Firewood Auckland
• Firewood Wellington
• Firewood Christchurch
• Firewood Dunedin
• Arborists Auckland