How to Identify Dry Wood: A Guide
Written by Dries Nijs2 min read
Quick Guide to Identifying Dry Wood
Dry firewood contains less than 20 percent moisture: measure with a moisture meter costing 10 to 25 euros on a freshly split surface. Without a meter, sound, cracks, bark, weight, and flame also reveal it, and fresh wood needs 1.5 to 2 years of drying time.
Wet wood burns its own water first: dry burning is the cheapest saving.
Dry firewood contains less than 20 percent moisture, and you can verify this most reliably with a moisture meter costing 10 to 25 euros on a freshly split surface. Without a meter, 5 simple tests also reveal it: sound, cracks, bark, weight, and the flame itself.
Below, you'll learn how to perform the meter test correctly, go through the 5 tests without a meter, and learn how to buy and stack wood to keep it dry.
Why That 20 Percent Matters
Freshly cut wood contains 45 to 60 percent moisture. All that water must evaporate before the wood provides heat, costing up to 30 percent of the energy. Additionally, the wet smoke cools in the chimney and deposits as tar and creosote, the fuel for a chimney fire.
How to Properly Dry and Stack Wood
Wet wood burns its own water first: you pay for heat and get steam and tar.
Measuring with a Moisture Meter
Split a log open and measure on the fresh inner surface, as the outside is always drier than the core. Insert the pins across the wood grain, measure in 3 places, and take the average. Below 20 percent is ready to burn, between 15 and 18 percent is ideal.
The 5 Tests Without a Meter
The sound: hit 2 logs together, dry wood sounds hollow and clear, wet wood dull.
The end grain: dry wood shows star-shaped cracks at the ends.
The bark: easily comes off dry wood or is already partially gone.
The weight: dry wood feels noticeably light for its size.
The flame: if moisture sizzles or bubbles out of the end grain in the fire, it's too wet.
How Much Wood Do You Need
A supplementary heater burns 2 to 4 cubic meters per winter, a primary heater 6 to 10. At 100 to 130 euros per stacked cubic meter, buying ahead in spring pays off twice: prices are lower and summer dries for free.
If you burn significantly more than these ranges, you might be burning wet wood or using an outdated appliance: a modern Ecodesign appliance from the wood stove buying guide uses up to 30 percent less.
What to Look for When Buying
Ask about the moisture percentage and measure yourself upon delivery, on a freshly split surface.
Oven-dried wood is immediately below 20 percent but costs 20 to 40 percent more per cubic meter.
Freshly cut wood is cheaper, but count on a 2-season waiting period.
Buy in spring: the selection is larger and summer dries for free.
Mix wood types freely, as long as each type is below 20 percent.
Read about what burning wet wood does to your chimney in why wet wood is bad for the chimney. If you're unsure between logs and briquettes, compare briquettes with firewood. Maximize each dry log with the Swiss method. Official burning tips are available on the Flemish government page on indoor burning.
You can find moisture meters and quality fuel in our webshop. If your stove smokes or tars despite using dry wood, have the stove and chimney checked during a maintenance service. Request a quote or advice and burn dry and efficiently this winter.