Chilly Days, Warm Nights: The Ultimate Guide to Your Winter Firewood Supply

September 10, 2026

There's a particular kind of smugness that comes from having your winter wood sorted early. While half the street is frantically ringing round in mid-November — after the first hard frost, when everyone's had the same idea at once and the good stuff has quietly gone on back-order — you're sat in front of a proper fire without a second thought. That's the whole game with a winter firewood supply: it isn't complicated, it just rewards the people who think a month ahead. And right now, with the evenings starting to bite and the first genuinely chilly nights creeping in, is exactly that month. Here's how to get it right, from how much to buy to how to keep it burning-perfect all the way through to spring.

How much firewood will you actually need?

This is the question everyone gets wrong, almost always by under-buying. It comes down to one thing: how often you light the fire. An occasional weekend blaze barely touches a stack, whereas a stove lit every evening from October through March gets through a genuinely surprising amount — which is exactly why so many people find themselves back online, wallets out, in the miserable depths of February. As a rough steer:

An occasional fire (weekends, the odd cold night): a few Maxi bags will comfortably see you through.
A few evenings a week: a bulk bundle, or a decent stack of bags you top up now and then.
Lit most nights, all season: a full crate — and it's worth being honest with yourself, because regular burners almost always need more than they think.

If you want to size it up properly before you commit, we've done the maths in how much firewood do you need for winter.

Bags, bundles or a crate?

This is the decision that quietly saves you the most money. Buying a couple of bags at a time is easy and flexible, and it's the right call if you only burn occasionally — grab a few Maxi bags and top up when you're running low. But if you already know you'll be burning through most of the season, buying in dribs and drabs is the expensive way to do it. A crate is around twenty-five bags' worth of hardwood delivered in one drop on a pallet, at comfortably the best price per bag we offer. One delivery, the bulk of your winter handled, and no standing over the doormat waiting for another order every fortnight when it's blowing a gale outside. For most regular burners, it's a no-brainer.

When Should You Buy?

Now, if you possibly can. Ordering in early autumn means you get the full pick of the wood, quick delivery while the vans aren't rammed, and none of the mid-winter scramble when demand spikes and everyone in the country wants theirs delivered yesterday. It's the same logic as booking anything before the rush — calmer, cheaper, and you're not left taking whatever's still on the shelf. There's more on the timing in our piece on when to buy firewood for winter, but the short version is: the earlier, the easier.

How to store it so it stays perfect

Here's the bit people forget: buying dry wood is only half the job — keeping it dry is the other half. Even kiln dried logs will slowly draw moisture back out of the air if you leave them sitting in the wet, and damp wood is miserable to burn no matter how good it started out. Storing it well is genuinely easy:

Keep it off the ground — a pallet, some slats, anything to stop it wicking damp up from below.
Cover the top, leave the sides open — a lean-to, a log store or a tarp over the top all work; the wood needs air moving through it, not sealing in.
Never wrap it airtight in plastic — it'll sweat and go damp from the inside.
Keep a basket indoors by the fire, so there's always a bone-dry armful to hand on a cold night.

Do that and a good supply will hold its condition happily right through the season.

The bits everyone forgets

It's never the logs people run out of first — it's the small stuff. Time and again someone ends up with a full log store on a freezing night and nothing to actually get it going. When you're placing your order, throw in kindling and firelighters while you're at it. They cost next to nothing, they keep forever, and they turn "fighting with the fire for twenty minutes" into "lit and roaring in five."

Getting it sorted

Sorting your winter firewood really shouldn't be a chore. Everything at Mortimers is kiln dried to under 20%, Ready to Burn certified, and delivered free the next working day across mainland UK — so the whole season's supply can be handled from the sofa in about five minutes. Have a look through our best sellers, get it in while it's still calm out there, and settle in for a winter of easy fires and warm nights.

Frequently asked questions

When should I buy firewood for winter?

Ideally in early autumn, before the first real cold snap. You get the full choice of wood, faster delivery, and you dodge the winter rush when everyone orders at once and lead times stretch.

Is it cheaper to buy a crate than bags?

Yes. A crate works out at the best price per bag we offer, because you're buying around twenty-five bags' worth in a single pallet delivery. For regular burners it's the most economical way to stock up by a distance.

How much firewood do I need for winter?

It depends how often you burn — a daily stove gets through far more than the odd weekend fire. Most people underestimate, which is the classic reason for running short in February.

How should I store firewood over winter?

Keep it off the ground, cover the top but leave the sides open for airflow, and never seal it in plastic. Even kiln dried logs reabsorb moisture if they're left exposed to the rain.

THE LOG BLOG.