Looking for well-seasoned firewood for your open fire, stove or fire bowl? At Zeeuwse Houtpellets you’ll find various types of firewood, from kiln-dried oak to a mixed pallet, available in any desired size. Fast delivery from Zeeland, or buy firewood for collection in Zaamslag.
What is firewood?
Firewood is split wood intended for burning in an open fireplace, wood stove, fire bowl or outdoor fireplace. Good firewood has a low moisture content of a maximum of 20%, allowing the wood to burn more efficiently without excessive smoke or tar deposits in the chimney. To produce firewood, trees are felled, cut into pieces and split into logs of 25 to 33 centimetres. The wood is then air-dried or kiln-dried in special drying chambers to reach the correct low moisture level.
Not all firewood is the same. The wood species, moisture content and dimensions together determine how long and how clean your wood burns. A hardwood such as oak or beech provides a longer burn time than softwood such as pine or poplar. Kiln-dried wood also burns cleaner than air-dried wood, because the low moisture content ensures optimal combustion.
Different types of wood and their properties
Firewood is available in different wood species, each with its own burn time, flame pattern and aroma. Firewood can broadly be divided into two categories: hardwoods (deciduous wood with high density) and softwoods (conifers and lighter deciduous species). A hardwood such as oak, beech, ash or hornbeam burns slowly and has a longer burn time. Soft wood such as pine or poplar burns faster and gives less heat per log, suitable for lighting the fire or a quick heat boost.
- Oak: classic hardwood with a longer burn time. Oak burns calmly and evenly, suitable for burning throughout an entire evening.
- Beech: popular hardwood with a beautiful flame pattern, pleasant fragrance and high heat output. Suitable for both fireplace and stove.
- Ash: hardwood that burns cleanly with few sparks. After drying it has a low moisture content and is therefore suitable for open fireplaces.
- Birch: softer hardwood that lights quickly. Gives a wonderful aroma and high flames, ideal for ambience or for the novice fire starter.
- Hornbeam: very hard wood species with the highest heat value of all European hardwoods. Premium firewood for those who want to get the maximum out of every load.
- Mixed firewood: mixed firewood with different wood types in one delivery. Combines quick lighting with longer burn time.
What is the best firewood to burn? For a long burn time and beautiful flames, choose a hardwood, with hornbeam and oak leading the way. Beech is an excellent choice for ambience and aroma. For cleaner combustion and fewer sparks in an open fireplace, ash is the safe option. The best firewood for you therefore depends on your appliance and what you find important.
Our range: hornbeam firewood, kindling and briquettes
At Zeeuwse Houtpellets we focus on quality over choice overload. We offer one top-quality firewood type plus the right accessories to ensure clean, efficient combustion:
- Pallet of kiln-dried hornbeam firewood: 1 m³ tightly stacked firewood (equivalent to 1.75 m³ loose-filled), moisture content ≤ 18%, ready to burn. Hornbeam is the hardest hardwood species in Europe and offers the longest burn time, the highest efficiency and a calm flame, for €275.
- Combo deal pallet hornbeam + 9 bags of kindling: the complete set for anyone who wants to start burning right away, for €299.
- Kindling: dry spruce wood in handy 2.5 kg net bags, for fast and even lighting of fireplace or stove. View our kindling range for single bags or larger quantities.
- Oak briquettes (Nestro): 100% pure oak, 9 cm in diameter and 25 cm long, 5.2 kWh/kg and only 0.84% ash content. Briquettes burn longer and more evenly than loose logs, a good addition if you want to keep the fire going through the night.
Kiln-dried or air-dried firewood
Well-dried firewood is essential for clean and efficient combustion. Wood with a high moisture content produces a lot of smoke, little heat and causes harmful deposits in the chimney. Kiln-dried firewood is dried in special drying chambers to a moisture content below 18% and is ready to burn immediately. Kiln-dried firewood burns cleaner, gives more heat per log and has a longer burn time than air-dried firewood. Air-dried firewood is dried outdoors for 18 to 24 months and has a moisture content of 20 to 25%; it is cheaper but requires a longer drying period beforehand.
Never burn wet or damp wood. Incomplete combustion at too high a moisture content causes heavy smoke, poor burning and tar deposits in your chimney. If in doubt, measure the moisture content with a moisture meter. A low moisture content below 20% is the standard.
Firewood by pallet, cubic metre or in bags
Firewood is available on the market in different sizes, each suited to a different burning pattern:
- Per bag or net: firewood in nets or bags of 10 to 25 litres is a popular choice for occasional use in a fire bowl or outdoor fireplace.
- Per cubic metre loose-filled: loose-filled firewood per cubic metre is a widely used format for those who burn regularly. One cubic metre is enough for several weeks of continuous burning in an average stove.
- Per cubic metre neatly stacked: neatly stacked firewood takes up less space than loose bulk, comparable to 1.75 m³ loose per stacked m³.
- Per big bag: firewood in a big bag (1 to 2 cubic metres) is practical for those who want to stack it themselves.
- Per pallet: firewood per full pallet offers the best price per kilo and is suitable if you want to burn throughout an entire winter.
At Zeeuwse Houtpellets you can choose a full pallet of neatly stacked hornbeam firewood (1 m³, comparable to 1.75 m³ loose). That’s enough for an average winter, and the tight stacking takes up minimal storage space.
How much does firewood cost? Price per cubic metre or pallet
The price of firewood depends on the wood type, drying method and size. A cubic metre of air-dried mixed firewood costs on average €130 to €180. A cubic metre of kiln-dried oak or beech ranges between €220 and €280. Premium firewood such as hornbeam or ash is at the upper end of that range. With us, a pallet of kiln-dried hornbeam firewood costs €275 for 1 m³ tightly stacked, comparable to 1.75 m³ loose-filled.
How do you get cheap firewood? The most economical choice is air-dried firewood per cubic metre or per pallet. The larger the quantity, the lower the price per kilo. For those just starting to buy firewood, half a pallet is a fine starting quantity. Cheap firewood from Germany is theoretically attractive, but transport costs usually cancel out the price difference completely, especially for deliveries in the Benelux.
Heating with wood: cheaper than gas?
Heating with wood is generally cheaper than heating with natural gas, provided your home is well insulated and the stove is used to heat the main living area. An average household burns 2 to 3 cubic metres of firewood per winter and saves significantly on the gas bill. The exact savings vary with the gas price and usage pattern, but for many households a good stove with firewood pays for itself within a few years.
Which firewood suits your stove or fireplace?
Not every wood type works equally well in every fireplace or stove. The right choice depends on the type of appliance:
- Open fireplace: open fireplaces require low-spark firewood such as ash or beech. Good open-firewood avoids softwoods that spark quickly and is preferably kiln-dried, for a calm, clean flame. Kiln-dried firewood for open fireplaces also burns with less smoke.
- Wood stove: in a closed stove you can burn almost all hardwood species. Kiln-dried firewood provides the cleanest combustion and the highest heat output.
- Small wood stove: in a small stove you use wood of 25 cm or shorter, split into finer logs for sufficient air circulation.
- Larger stoves: larger stoves accept longer logs up to 33 cm and heavy hardwood species such as oak and hornbeam for maximum burn time.
- Fire bowl or outdoor stove: in a fire bowl or outdoor stove you use split firewood of medium thickness. For low-smoke outdoor burning, wood pellets are often a cleaner alternative; in that case, take a look at our pellet outdoor stoves without chimney connection.
Safe and efficient burning with firewood
Good firing technique ensures cleaner combustion, beautiful flames and fewer harmful substances in the air. Follow five rules to keep your fire burning well:
- Sufficient air circulation: open the air vents of your stove wide when lighting so the fire gets enough oxygen for optimal combustion.
- Top-down lighting: stack the logs at the bottom and the kindling on top. By lighting from the top you prevent a lot of smoke at the start.
- Burning dry wood: only burn dry firewood with a low moisture content. Wet wood leads to poor combustion and deposits in the chimney.
- Good ventilation: ensure good ventilation in the living room so the stove can draw enough oxygen and no negative pressure develops in the house.
- Sweeping the chimney: have your chimney swept annually by a certified chimney sweep to prevent fire hazards due to tar build-up.
Storing firewood for longer burn time
Properly stored firewood burns more efficiently and causes less hassle while burning. Follow four storage rules:
- Dry place: store your firewood in a dry place protected from rain and snow. Moisture from the weather means longer drying before you can burn it.
- Not on the ground: stack firewood on a wooden pallet or stone base so moisture from the ground does not seep into the wood.
- Sufficient air circulation: stack with gaps between the logs for good air circulation. A closed stack dries poorly and may start to mould.
- Protected from rain: cover the top with a roof or tarpaulin, but leave the sides open for ventilation.
With proper storage, firewood remains burnable for years and you maintain the low moisture content needed for clean combustion.
Buying firewood at Zeeuwse Houtpellets
We are a family business from Vogelwaarde in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. All our products come directly from our own warehouse, without intermediaries and with personal contact. Do you have questions about which types of firewood suit your fireplace or stove, or what size you need? Send a message via WhatsApp or call +31 (0)85 800 2017. Buying firewood is easy online and you pay via iDEAL, Klarna, Bancontact, Mastercard or another method at checkout.
We deliver our dried firewood throughout the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and the rest of the EU, usually within a few working days. Prefer burning pellets instead of firewood? Our wood pellets are an efficient alternative, and a fire bowl for ambience in the garden also works perfectly on split firewood. Do you live near Zaamslag? Collection is possible by arrangement at Drie Gezustersdijk 13. Call or WhatsApp us in advance for a pickup time and we’ll have your order ready.