Yes, we all know that wood briquettes are a superior quality wood fuel, but surely this improved performance comes at a cost? The answer: no!
In fact, because of briquettes' greater fuel volume and superior calorific performance, you actually save money by ditching the old-school firewood. Our wood fuel experts have done the maths.
Updated with new prices in October 2025
Wood briquettes vs logs: a quick cost comparison
Traditional logs:
- Standard 0.8m³ bag = 250kg of wood
- Cost: £150
- 1 pallet = 910kg of briquettes
- Cost: £425
So, to match the 910kg you get in one pallet of briquettes, you'd need to buy four bags of logs:
- 4 × 250kg bags of logs = 1,000kg
- 4 × £150 = £600
For similar weight of 910kg, briquettes cost £425 compared to logs at £600 – that's already £175 in savings.
But there's also heat output to consider. Briquettes are a higher performance wood fuel – they produce approximately 15% more heat energy than standard logs when burned.
We've done the tests to prove it – after 2 hours 30 minutes of being burned, briquettes still kicked out 92°C of heat, compared to only 30°C after the same time for regular firewood.
This means to get the same warmth from your fire, you'd need even more logs.
Factoring in this lower efficiency:
- Logs: £600 + 15% extra = £690
- Briquettes: £425 (as we already established)
So, all in, wood briquettes give you 62% better value than traditional logs (£690 vs £425).
If we consider that the average UK house might go through one pallet of briquettes each year, that's a handy saving of £265.
(one pallet of Lava Logs contains 105 packs of 6, so 630 briquettes in total – enough to account for heavy use in winter, lighter use through autumn and spring and far less use through summer)
Plus, briquettes burn cleaner and produce less pollution – so you'll save money, have less ash to clean up and be kinder to the environment.
Why are wood briquettes superior?
As well as being more convenient to use, wood briquettes offer a longer, hotter and cleaner burn compared to traditional firewood. Using Ready to Burn certified wood fuels also meaning you won’t have to worry about falling foul of fines.
- Higher performance: Because of their compacted, low-moisture structure, briquettes burn hotter, cleaner and for longer.
- Compliant: Quality wood briquettes will carry the Ready To Burn mark, a certification created by DEFRA. This means that they meet Air Quality Regulations and are legal to burn at home in line with wood burner regulations.
- Less polluting: Briquettes’ dryness produces less ash and smoke. As part of the government’s 2023 Environmental Improvement Plan, most towns and cities have been designated ‘Smoke Control Areas’. This means log burners will only be allowed to emit 3 grams of smoke per hour (down from 5g). Here, wood briquettes succeed, helping you to avoid a £300 fine.
- More energy: As mentioned, briquettes are highly compacted, giving greater return on your burn. The calorific value is 15% more than firewood (burn time) at 4.8Kwh/kg.
- More convenient: Compared to firewood, whose shape is unpredictable and inconsistent, briquettes are easy and compact to store – ideally under shelter (indoors). We’ve actually written a quick guide on how to store and use wood briquettes correctly!
- Cleaner: As well as giving a cleaner burn, briquettes are also physically cleaner, being free of wood worm and dirt — unlike firewood.
Looking to stock up on premium wood fuels?
At Duffield Timber, our premium Lava Logs wood briquettes are available to buy through our e-commerce store.
Competitively priced, air quality compliant and carrying the Ready To Burn mark, they’re available in three pack sizes: full pallet, half ballet and box of three. We offer fast UK-wide delivery or click and collect from our HQ in North Yorkshire.
If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to contact our team.
