Log Nets & Which Size Is Actually Best Value?

Here's why you shouldn’t judge a net of logs by the size of the bag. 

I regularly get comments from my customers about the high quality of the logs & the great volume of logs packed into the net bags when compared to others, so i thought I'd take a look at others available on the market.

I bought a selection of nets and compared them side by side, primarily to confirm what you're telling me - that you are getting the best possible deal on island.

What I compared

Three nets: a 22L, a 30L (that’s mine) and a 40L. I moisture tested logs from every net, and they all came in at around 15%. That’s well under the 20% limit for Ready to Burn logs, so they’re all properly dry and ready to burn, which is great news.

A quick word on net sizes first. When you see 22L, 30L or 40L on a net, that’s the size of the bag, not a promise of how much wood is inside it. Two nets of the same size can hold quite different amounts of firewood, depending on how the logs are cut and how tightly they’re packed in. So the litres on the label only tell you so much.

Why weight is a fair way to compare

Comparing logs by weight only works if you’re comparing like with like. Here, every net was kiln dried ash, and every net was at around 15% moisture. Because the wood and the dryness are so similar, a kilo of logs in one net is pretty much the same as a kilo in another. That means weight is a fair measure of how much actual firewood you’re getting.

It wouldn’t work if the nets were different. A net of wetter logs weighs more because of the water, and you’d be paying for water that just hisses in the stove. Different species change things too, because dense hardwoods like ash and oak weigh much more than softwoods or hardwoods like Beech or Birch. A kilo of one isn’t the same as a kilo of the other. So when you’re comparing nets from different suppliers, check the species and the moisture level first. If those don’t match, comparing the weights tells you very little.

Not surprising that the 22L is the most expensive way to buy logs

It’s the smallest net and it still costs the most per kg and per litre. You get 8kg for £9.25, which works out at £1.16 a kilo. You’re paying extra for the convenience of a smaller bag.

The 40L looks good value, however keep reading,

By volume, the 40L does look cheaper. It’s the biggest bag, so the price per litre is the lowest of the three. But when I weighed them, the 40L net came in at exactly the same weight as my 30L, at 12kg. Since it’s the same species at the same dryness, that’s 12kg of wood in each.

The same weight of wood costs £1 more. The extra litres are mostly air. When I looked inside, the logs in the 40L net were all much smaller. Smaller logs mean more gaps in the net, so the bag looks fuller than it actually is. Smaller logs also burn through much quicker, so you’ll be reaching for the next net sooner.

Why my 30L net wins

You’re buying wood, not air. For the same 12kg you pay less for the 30L, and you get chunkier logs that burn longer, packed tight into a smaller net. That makes it the best value of the three.

A quick tip when you’re buying logs

• Check the weight, not just the litres. Litres tell you how big the bag is, not how much wood is in it.
• Check the species and the moisture first. Weight is only a fair comparison when both match.
• Look at the log size. Bigger logs give you a longer, steadier burn.
• Look for a moisture level under 20%. Look for the Woodsure Ready to Burn mark too, as that’s your proof the logs are properly dry.

Order your logs in Jersey

If you’d like to try the 30L net for yourself, I deliver kiln dried, Woodsure Ready to Burn logs to all 12 parishes. You can also collect from my warehouse at Le Verte Vue Farm, St Mary.

And check out our try and buy deal, if you want a large order but initially want to try them out, purchase the number you want, minimum order for free delivery is £50 or 5 nets (otherwise it's £5 delivery fee) and when you come back within 7 days for a larger order we'll give you the price for the larger package.

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