🪵 Firewood BTU Calculator
Heating value of different wood types
About this calculator
Not all firewood heats equally. Enter the wood species and the amount you are buying — full cord, face cord, or truckload — and the calculator estimates total BTUs, how it compares to heating oil or propane, and roughly how long it will heat your space.
A full cord is 128 cubic feet of stacked wood, and heat content ranges from about 15 million BTU for softwoods like pine to 25+ million for dense hardwoods like oak or hickory. Seasoned wood under 20 percent moisture delivers far more usable heat because energy is not wasted boiling off water.
Tip: Buy by the full cord from a reputable seller and check it is seasoned — green wood hisses, smokes, and deposits creosote, while a moisture meter reading under 20 percent means it is ready to burn.