Order too little and you’re buying again at peak-season prices in the coldest week of the year. Order too much and you’ve capital that’s sitting in the backyard. Sizing your winter firewood order is genuinely simple once you know three things: your heater, your habits and your climate.
The Rule of Thumb
A regularly used wood heater burns roughly one tonne of hardwood every 4–8 weeks in peak winter. That range is wide because habits vary enormously — so place yourself on it honestly:
- Evening-only fires, 3–4 nights a week: budget a tonne for the season
- Most evenings, plus weekends: 1.5–2 tonnes
- Primary heat source, all day in cold snaps: 2–3+ tonnes
- Decorative fireplace, occasional use: a 20kg bag habit or a 1/2 ton keeps you going
What Shifts the Number
Climate: a mild winter in a temperate zone might halve your burn; a proper cold climate doubles it. Heater efficiency: modern slow-combustion heaters extract far more heat per log than open fireplaces, which send most warmth up the chimney. Wood quality: dense, dry hardwood like our seasoned ironbark delivers more usable heat per tonne than lighter or wetter loads — one reason cheap wood often isn’t.
Tonnes vs Cords vs “Loads”
We sell by weight because weight can’t hide: a tonne is 1,000kg of actual wood, verified on calibrated scales. Volume measures — cords, cubic metres, trailer loads — vary with piece size and stacking tightness, and “a load” means nothing at all. The full comparison lives in our measurement guide.
The Smart Strategy
Buy early, buy once. Late-spring and summer orders carry the lowest prices, and extra seasoning time only improves the wood. If you’re unsure between two sizes, take the larger — properly stacked hardwood keeps for years (see storage basics), and you’ll never regret warm January evenings. First winter? Start with our starter pack to calibrate your habit, then order bulk for the season. More answers in the FAQs.