Price of logs

thrope

The price for softwood kiln dried logs from our local well regarded firewood supplier has gone from £70 (0.85m3 bulk bag) in April to £90 now, an increase of 28.5%.

Was wondering if these sorts of increases were common around the country, or if we should try shopping around a bit?

Tyna

In July I purchased a pallet - 960kg of eco logs for £325 by the time they were delivered the price had gone to £470 and they are now £520.  

dunstonh

I just paid £175 for 1.3 cub/m of loose seasoned hardwood.  Local kiln dried is about £210 for the similar amount or £250 if bagged.  I don't buy soft wood as it is false economy.

Price is up on last year, as to be expected.

thrope

Thanks for the responses. Could anyone help me figure out very rough cost per kWh for say kiln dried hardwood (10% water) at £200/m3? I can find kWh/kg figures but not sure how many kg of 10% hardwood would be in a loosely package 1m3 bulk bag.

Mister_G

thrope said:

Thanks for the responses. Could anyone help me figure out very rough cost per kWh for say kiln dried hardwood (10% water) at £200/m3? I can find kWh/kg figures but not sure how many kg of 10% hardwood would be in a loosely package 1m3 bulk bag.

Try here:

https://nottenergy.com/resources/energy-cost-comparison/

mmmmikey

thrope said:

Thanks for the responses. Could anyone help me figure out very rough cost per kWh for say kiln dried hardwood (10% water) at £200/m3? I can find kWh/kg figures but not sure how many kg of 10% hardwood would be in a loosely package 1m3 bulk bag.

It's going to vary according to the species, but taking oak as an example....

1. 1m3 of solid wood = 0.55m3 of loose stacked logs (according to Forestry Comission estimates)

2. Density of dired oak is about 650kg/m3

3. So 1m3 of oak logs = 0.55*650 = 357.5kg

4. At 4.2kwh/kg that eqautes to 357.5*4.2 = 1501.5kWh

5. At £200 per 1m3 bag that equates to 200/1501.5 = 13.3p/kWh

Obviosuly lots of ifs, buts and possible maybes in these sums but should give you a rough idea.

EDIT - as an afterthought, keep in mind that not all bulk bags are 1m3, some are 0.8m*0.8m*0.8m = 0.512m3 which obviously makes a big difference.....

thrope

Thanks very much, the link to the comparison is great.

For the working the only thing I am not sure about is the denisty 650kg/m3 - is that for solid wood, or for 12" cut logs not stacked (ie just in a bulk bag).

The bulk bag I get is sold as 0.8m3 and is a bit less than that (£120 I think). So I make that around 10p/kWh assuming the 650 figure, which is a bit more than oil, but quite close.

mmmmikey

A solid m3 of oak is about 650kg and a 1m3 bag is about 55% of that, i.e. 357.5kg

As far as the bulk bag is concerned, note the difference between a bag that measures 0.8m * 0.8m * 0.8m and a bag that is 0.8m3 - just need to be clear which it is, they do come in different sizes.

At least we've moved on from the days when logs were sold by the "load" which could mean anything

EDIT and another afterthought, don't forget to factor in the efficiency of the woodstove which is likely to be 80% at best, even for a modern efficient one

Qyburn

Just checked back on our purchases from current supplier. This is for naturally seasoned split softwood, 250mm, in one cu.m bags so around 250kg.

Spring 2018 £40

Spring 2020 £50

Summer 2021 £60

Summer 2022 £60 (current price)

I think the 2018 price was a bit of an anomaly as they were just starting up and the price quite quickly went up to £45 and then £48.

We mostly buy softwood as all of our own production is hardwood, so it makes a nice mix. Their hardwood prices were £70 in 2018, £90 in 2021 and currently £99.

These seem fair to me.

victor2

The price for a cubic meter of logs from my local supplier was £110 in October, and is now £130. They are currently taking orders for delivery next February!

Qyburn

thrope said:

Thanks for the responses. Could anyone help me figure out very rough cost per kWh for say kiln dried hardwood (10% water) at £200/m3? I can find kWh/kg figures but not sure how many kg of 10% hardwood would be in a loosely package 1m3 bulk bag.

Just out of interest where are you getting K/D wood that is guaranteed to be 10% M/C? Almost every supplier that I've seen only promises 20%, they are using kiln drying to (a) speed up their processing and reduce inventory costs (b) cash in on RHI that actually pays them to run the kiln and (c) a bit of marketing.

I say "almost" because I do recall one specifying either 15 or 16%, I can't remember the exact figure and I can't remember the supplier either.

For example locally, K/D hardwood is £152/cu.m and specified as 20% m/c

https://aberdeenshirelogs.co.uk/product/kiln-dried-birch-logs-extra-large-2-metre-high-crate-2/