Wood Burning Oven Fuel Facts
What type of wood should you use to fire your solid-fuel cooking equipment? The answer to this question depends on several considerations; geographical location, availability and relative cost of various fuelwood species and individual preferences regarding the flavor qualities of various wood types.
There are a wide variety of good fuelwood species in all geographic locations. Each species of wood has different characteristics, the table below should help weigh the pros and cons of various types of wood. Wood from conifers is not recommended due to its poor fuelwood characteristics (low weight, low-med heat, poor coaling, high sparking and high residual creosote).
Do Not use pressed wood products in Wood Stone equipment, they may damage the ceramics.
Wet wood is the most common operational difficulty associated with wood-fired cooking equipment. Wood Stone’s moisture meter can prevent you from paying for water when you thought you were paying for wood.
Wood Facts For Stone Hearth Home Ovens:
Species | Heat | Lbs./cord | Ease of Lighting | Coaling Qualities | Sparks | Fragrance |
Alder | Med-Low | 2540 | Fair | Good | Moderate | Slight |
Apple | High-Med | 4400 | Difficult | Excellent | Few | Excellent |
Ash | High | 3440 | Fairly diff. | Good-Exc. | Few | Slight |
Beech | High | 3760 | Difficult | Excellent | Few | Good |
Birch (White) | Med | 3040 | Easy | Good | Moderate | Slight |
Cherry | Med | 2060 | Difficult | Excellent | Few | Excellent |
Elm | High | 2260 | Very diff. | Good | Very Few | Fair |
Hickory | Very High | 4240 | Fairly diff. | Excellent | Moderate | Excellent |
Ironwood | Very High | 4000 | Very diff. | Excellent | Few | Slight |
Locust (Black) | Very High | 3840 | Difficult | Excellent | Very Few | Slight |
Madrone | High | 4320 | Difficult | Excellent | Very Few | Slight |
Maple (Red) | High-Med | 3200 | Fairly diff. | Excellent | Few | Good |
Maple (Sugar) | High | 3680 | Difficult | Excellent | Few | Good |
Mesquite | Very High | Very diff. | Excellent | Few | Excellent | |
Oak (Live) | Very High | 4600 | Very diff. | Excellent | Few | Fair |
Oak (Red) | High | 3680 | Difficult | Excellent | Few | Fair |
Oak (White) | Very High | 4200 | Difficult | Excellent | Few | Fair |
Pecan | High | Fairly diff. | Good | Few | Good | |
Walnut | High-Med | Fairly diff. | Good | Few | Fair |