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, you actually save money by ditching the old-school firewood. Our team of wood fuel experts have done the maths.
Wood briquettes vs logs: a quick cost comparison
Traditional logs:
- 0.8m³ bag = 250kg of wood
- Cost: £150 (including delivery)
- 1 pallet = 910kg of briquettes
- Cost: £472 (including delivery)
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 £472 compared to logs at £600 – that's already £128 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 logs when burned. 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: £472
So, all in, wood briquettes give you 46% better value than traditional logs (£690 vs £472).
Plus, briquettes burn cleaner and produce less pollution – so you'll save money while being 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 — meaning you won’t have to worry about falling foul of any air quality regulations.
- 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.
- 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-quality ‘Lava Logs’ wood briquettes are available to buy through our e-commerce store.
Competitively priced, air quality compliant and boasting 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 drop our team a message.
