Comparing Firewood Prices in Jersey? Make Sure You're Comparing the Right Things

When the time comes to stock up on logs for winter, it's natural to shop around. A quick search for firewood in Jersey throws up a handful of suppliers, each with different prices, different products and different ways of selling. But before you decide purely on price, it's worth making sure you're actually comparing the same thing — because in the firewood market, the difference between what looks like a cheaper option and what genuinely is one can be significant.

Kiln dried vs naturally seasoned — not the same product

The most common and most important comparison mistake is treating kiln dried logs and naturally seasoned logs as equivalent. They're not.

Naturally seasoned logs are cut and left to dry outside over one to two years. In Jersey's damp maritime climate, this process is unreliable at best — logs stored outside rarely drop below 25-30% moisture content, even after extended drying periods. You might be buying wood that still contains a third of its weight in water.

Kiln dried logs are dried industrially to below 20% moisture content — guaranteed and independently verified. When you burn a log with high moisture, a significant portion of the energy goes into evaporating that water rather than heating your room. The result is less heat, more smoke, more tar in your chimney, and more logs burned to achieve the same warmth.

So when comparing a price per net of naturally seasoned wood against kiln dried, you're not comparing the same product. The kiln dried net will almost always deliver more usable heat per log — which changes the real cost per unit of warmth considerably.

Specific wood type vs mixed or unspecified

The second comparison trap is wood type. Ash, birch and oak all burn differently:

• Ash burns steadily and produces excellent, consistent heat
• Birch lights quickly and burns brightly — ideal for getting a fire going fast
• Oak is the densest hardwood, burning slowly and lasting longest

A "mixed hardwood" bag or crate of unspecified wood could contain anything — including softer woods that burn faster and produce less heat than premium hardwoods. If a supplier isn't telling you exactly what species is in the bag, that's worth asking before you buy.

At Kiln Dried Logs Jersey we sell ash, birch and oak separately — you choose exactly what you're burning and why, rather than hoping for the best with a mixed load.

Stacked cubic metres vs loose — the measurement gap nobody talks about

Another comparison trap that catches many buyers out is how volume is actually measured and presented by different suppliers.

A cubic metre sounds straightforward — 1m x 1m x 1m of wood. But there's a significant difference between a stacked cubic metre and a loose cubic metre, and not every supplier is upfront about which one they're selling you.

Stacked cubic metre:
Logs are neatly arranged so they sit tightly together with minimal air gaps. A stacked cubic metre contains roughly 65-70% actual wood by volume — the rest is the inevitable small gaps between logs. This is the most accurate and honest way to measure and sell firewood.

Loose cubic metre (or "thrown" cubic metre):
Logs are tipped loosely into a crate, bag or lorry without being stacked. A loose cubic metre can contain as little as 40-50% actual wood — the rest is air gaps between randomly arranged logs. You might be buying what looks like the same volume but receiving significantly less actual wood.

The 1.7 industry multiplier

The firewood industry uses a standard conversion factor to account for this difference. 1 stacked cubic metre is generally considered equivalent to approximately 1.7 loose cubic metres — meaning a supplier selling you 1.7 loose cubic metres of logs is giving you roughly the same amount of actual wood as a supplier selling 1 properly stacked cubic metre.

In practice this means:

• A supplier quoting you "2 loose cubic metres" at a seemingly great price may actually be delivering the equivalent of just over 1 stacked cubic metre of real wood
• A supplier quoting "1 stacked cubic metre" at a higher headline price may actually be offering significantly more wood for your money once you apply the multiplier

Always ask whether a quoted volume is stacked or loose — and if loose, divide by 1.7 to get the genuine stacked equivalent before comparing prices.

What to ask:

• Is that a stacked or loose measurement?
• Are the logs split or round? (Split logs stack tighter and contain less air)
• What are the individual log dimensions? (Larger logs take up more room & leave larger air gaps in between so you get less wood)

How we measure:
All our logs are are sold in 30L nets, densly packed, giving you a consistent, reliable volume of properly split hardwood logs every time. No loose crates, no inflated measurements, no guesswork. What we say you're getting is what arrives.

Here's an example of how to calculate volume from our nets:

Stacked 30L nets x20 = 600L or 0.6m3

The loose (tipped/ bagged) equivalent 600L or 0.6m3 x 1.7 (industry standard multiplier) = 1m3

Loose tipped vs properly delivered and stacked

Price comparisons rarely account for how the wood actually arrives. Some suppliers offer bulk bags or lorry loads tipped onto your driveway — a pile of logs that then needs moving, stacking and storing yourself. For many households, particularly those with log stores at the back of the property, a driveway tip means significant physical effort just to get the wood where it needs to be.

Every delivery from Kiln Dried Logs Jersey includes carrying your logs to wherever you need them — your log store, garage, shed, or outhouse — and stacking them properly. Not tipped at the gate and left for you to deal with. That service has a real value, particularly for customers who find heavy lifting difficult, don't have a wheelbarrow, or simply don't want to spend an afternoon restacking logs after a delivery.

When you're comparing prices, factor in whether that service is included or whether you're effectively pricing your own time and effort separately.

Woodsure Ready to Burn certification — verified vs claimed

Any supplier can claim their logs are dry. Not every supplier can prove it.

Woodsure Ready to Burn certification means the logs have been tested and verified to contain less than 20% moisture — by an accredited third party, not just the supplier's word. Since May 2021 it has also been a legal requirement in the UK to sell wood fuel meeting this standard.

Kiln Dried Logs Jersey only supplies Woodsure Ready to Burn certified firewood. Every net we deliver is genuinely guaranteed under 20% moisture content. When you buy from us you don't need a moisture meter or a leap of faith.

And remember to split the log first if you're measuring it, as it's the inside that needs to be less than 20%, not the outside!

So what does a genuine like-for-like comparison look like?

Before comparing prices, ask these questions of every supplier:

• Is this kiln dried or naturally seasoned?
• What species of wood is it — ash, birch, oak, or mixed?
• What is the moisture content — and is it certified Ready to Burn?
• Is Delivery & GST included, and does that include stacking where I need it?
• What is the actual volume I'm getting — genuine cubic metres or an estimated lorry load?

Only once you have the same answers across suppliers are you genuinely comparing the same thing.

Are we the cheapest in Jersey?

We're confident that when you compare on a genuine like-for-like basis — independently certified kiln dried hardwood of a specific species, delivered and stacked where you need it — Kiln Dried Logs Jersey offers exceptional value. Don't just take our word for it. Search Google or ask any AI assistant to compare firewood suppliers in Jersey — we consistently come up as the top recommended local supplier, and our pricing is transparent and listed clearly on our website for anyone to compare.

We're not the cheapest if you're comparing against unspecified mixed partly seasoned wood tipped on a driveway by a lorry. But we don't think that's a fair comparison — and neither should you.

Ready to order? Browse our full range of Woodsure certified Ready to Burn ash, birch and oak logs, delivered and stacked free across all 12 Jersey parishes. logsjersey.com