In this guide
If you have bought firewood recently you will have seen the words Ready to Burn. This guide explains what the label is for, what it tells you about a bag or crate of logs, and how to check dryness yourself, whoever you buy from.
What the label is
Ready to Burn is a certification scheme for firewood. Wood carrying the label has been checked by the scheme to have a moisture content of 20% or less, which means it can be burned straight away rather than needing months of further drying. The scheme is run by an independent certifier, and suppliers that join are checked and audited.
Why 20%? Freshly felled wood can be around half water by weight. The drier the log, the more of the fire's energy goes into heating your room instead of boiling water out of the wood.
Why moisture matters
Burning wet or poorly dried wood causes several problems:
- It is harder to light and tends to smoulder rather than burn.
- It gives out less heat, because energy is used up evaporating the water.
- It produces more smoke, which is bad for the air indoors and out.
- It leaves more tar and soot in your flue and on your stove glass, which is a fire risk if it builds up in the chimney.
That is why the rules in England now restrict how wood can be sold in small quantities. The details have changed over the last few years, so check the current position on the government's website (search gov.uk for "wood fuel moisture content") rather than relying on an article, including this one.
What the label does not tell you
A Ready to Burn label tells you about moisture. It does not tell you:
- The species. Oak, ash, birch and softwood all burn differently. See our guide to choosing logs.
- How much you are getting. Look for the volume, ideally both stacked and loose. See crate sizes explained.
- Whether the logs have stayed dry since. Wood re-absorbs moisture if it is stored badly. See how to store firewood.
How to check any log yourself
A moisture meter is the surest way to know. They are inexpensive and well worth owning if you burn regularly.
- Take a log from the middle of the pile, not the top.
- Split it, so you have a fresh, unweathered face. The surface of a log can feel dry while the middle is still wet.
- Press the meter's pins into the fresh face, following the instructions that came with your meter. Most are used with the pins in line with the grain.
- Take a few readings in different places and average them.
You are looking for a reading of 20% or below. Anything much higher needs more drying time.
No meter? Some rough signs of dry wood are logs that feel light for their size, ends with cracks radiating from the centre, a clear "clack" rather than a dull thud when two logs knock together, and bark that comes away easily. These are hints, not proof.
Questions to ask a supplier
- What is the moisture content, and how is it measured?
- Is the wood certified, and can you show me the certificate number?
- What species is it, and how much is in the crate or bag, measured how?
- How has it been stored since it was dried?
A good supplier will answer all four plainly. On our product pages we show the stated maximum moisture where we have one, and any certification appears only where it is genuinely held.
The short version
Look for the label, but trust a meter more. Dry wood lights easily, burns hot and keeps your stove and chimney cleaner.
