Where to Buy Firewood for Your Fire Pit

Got a fire pit but don’t know where to buy the firewood? Or maybe you’re just looking for a better deal on firewood than what you can find at your local store. Whatever the case, this article is for you! We will discuss what to look for in firewood and the best places to find it.

Before we get into where to buy your firewood, we should talk about what kind of logs you should be looking for.

The Best Wood Species for Fire Pits

The best type of wood for fire pits is hardwood like oak, ash, or maple. These woods are denser than softwoods and will burn for a longer period of time. They also produce less smoke and sparks than softwoods.

The wood should be seasoned or kiln dried. Seasoned and kiln-dried are two ways of removing the moisture from the wood, which creates a better burn and less smoke. Seasoned just means the wood has been air-dried for awhile, at least several months or seasons. Kiln-dried is just what is sounds like. the wood is dried in a kiln, which is like a large convection oven.

If you’re sick of being smoked out every time you light your fire pit, consider a smokeless fire pit. They really work.

The method used for drying doesn’t matter, as long as the wood is dried. The problem is, people have different definitions of ‘seasoned.’ If you’re buying season wood from person (as opposed to a store), you may end up with wood that hasn’t had enough time to air dry. You can use a moisture meter to gauge how dry your logs are.

Fir pit logs should be below 20% moisture to burn efficiently

With that in mind, lets talk about the best places to buy firewood for your fire pit.

Best Places to Buy Firewood for a Fire Pit

There are a few places you can expect to find split hardwood. We’ll list your options and give some advice on how to save money and still get quality logs.

Hardware stores, grocery stores, and gas stations

The most reliable place to buy bundles of hardwood is at a hardware store, such Home Depot, Lowes, or your local store. During the cooler seasons, you might also find bundles at your local grocery store or gas station.

These will be pre-packaged with a branded label that describes the type of wood and how it was dried. The bundles are usually a mix of hardwood species. More often than not, these logs will be kiln dried. You’ll usually get about 14 or so logs in the bundle.

You can count on these store bought logs to be high quality, well-dried wood. You can also count on it being pretty expensive. You’ll usually pay about $7 or $8 per bundle, and you may need several bundles per burn.

Private sellers

If you look around, you can usually find someone selling split logs from tress on their property. Check Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. Some of these sellers will even deliver the wood for free or a small fee. If you live in or near a rural area, you may also see signs offering firewood in the front of houses.

About a half a cord, which cost $100 from our local wood guy

The wood is usually seasoned, but there’s no guarantee the wood is thoroughly dried. You’ll also get a decent amount of bark and funky shaped pieces. Bark tends to smoke more and odd shaped pieces are harder to stack, but we can live with it.

Buying your logs from a private seller is usually much cheaper than buying bundles from a store.

Cost comparison

We typically pay a person $100 for a heaping pickup truck full of logs. It’s probably about 1/2 cord of wood. A full cord is about 700 logs, so a half cord would be 350 logs. So the cost per bulk purchased log is: $100 / 350 logs = $0.29

A bundle of wood from a local store might have 14 logs or so. They typically cost about $8 a bundle. So the cost per store bought log is: $8 / 14 logs = $0.57

Expect to pay almost twice as much for store bought bundles. That will add up if you you light a lot of fires in your fire pit.

Splitting your own logs

Another option is to cut and split your own logs. This is a great way to save money and get rid of fallen trees at the same time.

The right equipment will make the job much easier. You’ll need a chainsaw to cut the wood into the right lengths. From there you have a few options on how to split the tree into logs, but the easiest and fastest way is to rent or buy a power log splitter. Power log splitters vary in price, but there are some decent options for around $300.

Once you have your logs cut, you’ll want to stack them and let them dry for awhile (seasoned for several months) before burning in your fire pit.

About a half cord of stacked wood

Wrapping up

As you can see, there are several options for where to buy firewood for your fire pit. The best option depends on your budget and how much work you’re willing to do.

We hope this article was helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know. Happy burning!

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a cord of wood look like?

A cord of wood approximately 700 logs. To put that in perspective, a pickup truck with a big bed can hold a half of a cord.

What’s the best length log for fire pits?

There isn’t really a best length, but logs in the 14-18″ range will work well. Most logs you’ll buy at the store will be around 16″.

Can you use Duraflame type logs in an outdoor fire pit?

Yes, you can use Duraflame logs in a outdoor fire pit. They are designed to light easily and burn slower. Duraflame logs are convenient, but also more expensive. Duraflame type logs won’t damage your fire pit.

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