How Much Firewood Do You Need for Winter?

August 10, 2026

It's the question every wood burner owner asks at some point: how much firewood will actually get me through the winter? Buy too little and you're reordering in the cold months when prices rise and demand peaks. Buy too much and you're wondering where to store it. This guide will help you work out roughly how much you need, so you can stock up once and be sorted for the season.

The Short Answer

Most households that use a wood burner as a regular heat source get through two to four cubic metres of firewood over a typical winter. But that's a broad range, because how much you need depends on a few things:

How often you light the fire — every evening, or just weekends?
How long each fire burns — a couple of hours, or all evening?
Your stove and home — a large open-plan room needs more than a small snug.
The wood you burn — dense, dry hardwood like oak lasts longer than lighter or damp wood.

A Simple Way to Estimate

Rather than get lost in cubic metres, it's easier to think in terms of how you actually burn:

Occasional use (weekends, the odd evening): You'll likely use around one to two cubic metres across the winter. A few boxes topped up through the season, or a single crate, will usually cover it.

Regular use (most evenings): This is the most common pattern. Expect to use two to three cubic metres over winter. A crate, plus a top-up or two, tends to be about right.

Heavy use (daily, your main heat source): If the burner is doing a lot of the heating, you could use three to four cubic metres or more. Buying in bulk by the crate is by far the most sensible and cost-effective approach here.

Why Buying in Bulk Makes Sense

If you know you'll burn a fair amount over winter, buying your firewood in larger quantities has real advantages:

Better value per log — buying by the crate works out significantly cheaper than buying box by box through the season.
You're never caught short — no scrambling for wood on a cold evening, no reordering during the winter rush when everyone else is doing the same.
One delivery, sorted — get the bulk of your winter supply in a single drop rather than repeat orders.
Locking in the price — firewood prices typically rise as winter demand climbs, so buying ahead means paying less.

For most regular users, a crate is the smart choice. Each of our crates holds around half a tonne of kiln-dried logs — roughly the equivalent of three builder's bags, or enough to keep a wood burner going through the evening for well over a month of regular fires. For many households, a single crate handles the bulk of the season.

Don't Forget the Kindling and Firelighters

However much firewood you buy, you'll get through kindling and firelighters too. It's worth adding these to your order so you're not caught without the means to actually get a fire going. A box of kindling and a pack of firelighters alongside your logs means you're genuinely sorted, not just stocked.

The Golden Rule: Buy Dry

Whatever quantity you land on, the single most important factor is that the wood is properly dry — below 20% moisture. Damp wood burns through far faster (much of its energy is wasted boiling off water), so you'd need more of it to get the same heat. Kiln-dried logs give you more usable heat per log, which means you actually need less wood overall than you would with cheaper, wetter alternatives. Dry wood isn't just better to burn — it's better value.

Stock Up Once, Stay Warm All Winter

The best approach for most people is simple: work out roughly how much you'll burn, buy the bulk of it in one go before the cold sets in, and top up only if needed. You'll pay less, you'll never run out at the worst possible moment, and your winter will be genuinely sorted.

There's a reason people stock up with our crates. Each one holds around half a tonne of kiln-dried logs — properly dry, Ready to Burn, and delivered by courier to your door. Take a look at our kiln-dried log crates, or browse the full range of logs, kindling and firelighters, all delivered free the next day.

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