Firewood BTU Chart
How much heat and weight you get from a cord of each species. Dense hardwoods sit at the top.
Filter the firewood chart
| Species | Million BTU | Seasoned lb | Green lb | Splitting | Smoke | Heat basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak, red | 24.6 | 3528 | 4888 | Moderate | Low | Dry wood (Utah State) |
| Oak, white | 29.1 | 4200 | 5573 | Moderate | Low | Dry wood (Utah State) |
| Maple, sugar | 24 | 3680 | 4685 | Easy | Low | Air-dried, about 20% moisture (Penn State) |
| Maple, red | 18.7 | 2752 | 3904 | Easy | Low | Air-dried, about 20% moisture (Penn State) |
| Birch | 20.8 | 2992 | 4312 | Moderate | Medium | Dry wood (Utah State) |
| Ash, white | 23.6 | 3472 | 3952 | Moderate | Low | Air-dried, about 20% moisture (Penn State) |
| Ash, green | 20 | 2880 | 4184 | Easy | Low | Dry wood (Utah State) |
| Hickory | 28 | 4327 | 5700 | Moderate | Low | Air-dried, about 20% moisture (Penn State) |
| Beech | 27.5 | 3760 | 5000 | Hard | — | Dry wood (Utah State) |
| Cherry | 19.9 | 2928 | 3696 | Easy | Low | Air-dried, about 20% moisture (Penn State) |
| Elm, American | 20 | 2872 | 4456 | Hard | Medium | Dry wood (Utah State) |
| Pine, white | 15.9 | 2250 | 3500 | Easy | — | Dry wood (Utah State) |
| Pine, ponderosa | 16.2 | 2336 | 3600 | Easy | Medium | Dry wood (Utah State) |
| Cedar, eastern redcedar | 13 | 2060 | 3350 | Easy | Low | Dry wood (Utah State) |
| Cedar, western redcedar | 18.2 | 2632 | 2950 | Moderate | Medium | Dry wood (Utah State) |
| Douglas-fir | 20.7 | 2970 | 3319 | Easy | High | Dry wood (Utah State) |
| Aspen, quaking | 18.2 | 2160 | 3900 | Easy | — | Dry wood (Utah State) |
| Poplar | — | 2080 | — | Easy | — | — |
| Birch, yellow | 23.6 | 4000 | 5100 | — | — | Air-dried, about 20% moisture (Penn State) |
— means we couldn’t find a reliable number. Heat figures assume dry wood.
BTU per cord, explained
A BTU is a unit of heat. The chart shows million BTU in a full cord. Denser wood packs more wood into the same space, so a cord of hickory gives a lot more heat than a cord of pine.
Oak, maple and birch
These are the classic firewoods: dense, steady-burning and easy to find. Red and white oak are listed separately. Maple and birch numbers cover the common species; the sources section has the details.
Pine and cedar
Softwoods light fast and burn quick — great for kindling and shoulder-season fires. What really matters is that they’re dry. Dry pine beats wet oak every time.
Why dry wood matters more than species
Wet wood wastes its heat boiling off water. Your stove also doesn’t turn all of the wood’s heat into a warm room. Use the calculator on the homepage with your stove’s output to estimate how long a cord will last.
Weight for hauling
Green wood weighs a lot more than seasoned. Use the weight column to plan trips, but check your truck’s payload sticker before you load up.
Frequently asked questions
What does million BTU mean?
It’s the total heat in a cord of wood — not how fast your stove puts it out.
What does — mean in the chart?
We couldn’t find a reliable number for that one, so we left it out.
Can I sort the chart?
Yes. Sort by name, heat or weight.
Is high-BTU wood ready to burn?
Only if it’s dry. Check it with a moisture meter.
Where these numbers come from
- extension.usu.edu, checked
- extension.psu.edu, checked
- Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, 'Firewood' (Fuel Values of Wood From Arkansas Trees, compiled from USDA Forest Service Leaflet No. 559), checked
- forestupdate.frec.vt.edu, checked
- University of Minnesota Agricultural Extension Service, 'Wood as a fuel resource' (Forestry No. 9-1974, L. T. Hendricks), table 'Heat Value of Cordwood', checked
- University of Minnesota Agricultural Extension Division, 'Wood as Fuel' (Special Bulletin 158, Dec. 1932), Table 2, 'Approximate Weights of Wood per Standard Cord, 90 Cubic Feet, Green and Air Seasoned, Based on Figures Published by the Forest Products Laboratory', checked