Buying firewood: How to get a hot deal

Plus, our firewood calculator lets you compare different quotes to find the best value for your money.

Prices vary, so check multiple suppliers

Every year, we survey firewood suppliers across the country to find the average cost of the most common woods. Our research shows wildly differing prices, even for the same species in the same region. For example, a cubic metre of pine in Wellington can cost anywhere from $75 to $220.

Note: the prices quoted here are per cubic metre (m³) of thrown (rather than stacked) firewood, from a survey conducted in March 2024. They may not include delivery fees.

When you gather your own quotes, don’t forget to check whether they include GST, and how much delivery costs.

Pine (softwood)

Softwoods like pine are the quickest to dry, so require the least forethought. Because they burn rapidly, you’ll need to regularly add wood to maintain a cosy blaze. “Old man pine” is from trees aged 30 years or more. It’s denser than ordinary pine and contains more resin, so it burns longer and expels more heat.

The median price of pine is $120/m³. It was the most common firewood in our survey, with 79 suppliers.

Gum (hardwood)

Hardwoods such as gum (eucalyptus) and mānuka make for great fires, as they release more heat and burn slowly. However, they don’t work as kindling, and they can take up to 18 months to dry.

Because gum is dense, you should expect to pay more – the national average is $160/m³, from 74 suppliers.

Macrocarpa (medium-density wood)

Macrocarpa burns a bit slower than softwoods and contains more energy. Its density makes it suitable for both starting a fire (when cut small) and maintaining an established one. Its national average of $152/m³ is expensive, but in Auckland it’s a comparatively good option. We found 52 suppliers that provide macrocarpa.

Hot mix

Many suppliers also offer a blend of soft and hard woods called hot mix. The idea is to use softwood (pine) to get the fire started, then to add slow-burning hardwood to keep the room warm. There’s no standard ratio to hot mix, so ask your supplier about proportions to make sure you get a good deal. The more hardwood in the mixture, the better.

Hot mix prices vary depending on varieties and ratios, but cost $140/m³ on average. South Islanders might have to search for a supplier – we found 53 companies supplying hot mix, but only 11 of these were on the Mainland.

Burning and storing wood

Only burn dry wood

Wet wood cools the fire, creates polluting smoke and will clog up your flue. Suppliers use a few euphemisms for wet wood, including “green” and “unseasoned”.

However, wood is cheapest when it’s still wet. If you buy in spring or early summer, it’ll be ready to use by the time cold weather arrives (unless it’s a dense hardwood). If you leave it until later, you’ll have to pay more for pre-dried firewood.

If you tell the supplier you’re buying wood to burn straight away and it turns out to be wet, the wood is not “fit for purpose” under the Consumer Guarantees Act and you have a right to a refund or replacement.

A cheap moisture meter lets you check the moisture content of wood before you buy or burn it. Firewood should have less than 25% moisture when burned. At home, you can also test wood by throwing a small piece onto glowing hot coals. If it catches fire on the top and sides within 1 minute, it’s dry enough to burn well.

Firewood storage

Stack firewood under cover or against a sheltering wall, and leave plenty of gaps for drying air to flow through. If you store it somewhere that gets sunlight, it will season even quicker.

Measuring the amount of wood

Comparing firewood prices from different suppliers can be a problem. While it’s legal to sell wood by description, how can you know the volume of one person’s trailer or another person’s ute?

Buy a measured volume

We recommend buying firewood by a known volume – usually the cubic metre. You may also come across a "cord” of firewood, which is equivalent to 3.6 cubic metres. It’s not a legal measure, but some suppliers still use it.

It’s illegal for a supplier to say a scoop equals a specified volume unless the scoop has been certified. We recommend you buy firewood from a trader with a vehicle or container that’s been certified by Trading Standards, the government regulator for trade measurements, so you know it holds exactly the right volume.

If you believe you’ve been sold short, complain. If you get nowhere, contact Trading Standards. It has powers to prosecute.

What does “thrown” mean?

Firewood is sold as a “thrown measure” unless specifically stated otherwise. This means the quantity of wood is measured as if it were thrown into a container, rather than neatly stacked. Stacking wood reduces its volume by about a third, so 3m³ of thrown wood is roughly equivalent to 2m³ of stacked.