A pizza oven is a high-performance tool, and fuel choice decides whether yours behaves like a pizzeria’s or a struggle-buggy. The oven wants to reach 350–450°C fast, then hold steady — and that takes the right wood, cut the right way, dried to the right number.
Species: Dense Hardwood Wins
Ovens need wood that releases energy quickly and forms long-lived coals. Dense hardwoods — ironbark above all — do both: hot flame to charge the dome, superior coals to hold temperature through bake after bake. Lighter woods burn off fast and leave you chasing temperature. See our ironbark deep-dive for why density is the whole story.
Size: Double Split, Always
Oven chambers are compact and fires are managed in short, hot bursts. Double split wood — cut twice for smaller pieces — catches fast, flames clean, and gives you fine control over temperature. Full-size logs belong in heaters, not ovens. Same story in bags: the 20kg double split bag is the pizza-oven owner’s staple.
Moisture: Below 20%, Non-Negotiable
At 400°C you’d think a little water wouldn’t matter — it matters more. Damp wood in a pizza oven means a slow, smoky, sooty heat-up and bitter-tasting crust. Meter-tested, below-20% wood is the pizzeria standard; ours carries a written moisture guarantee.
The Lighting Sequence
- Natural firelighters — never chemical ones near food
- Small kindling teepee, then progressively larger double split pieces
- Build the fire toward the dome’s centre-rear; let flame roll across the ceiling
- Feed steadily toward temperature — full guide at how to light a pizza oven
What About Charcoal?
Charcoal works well in many ovens — steadier, lower-flame heat. Our lump charcoal guide covers it. But for classic wood-fired flavour and leoparded crusts, seasoned double split hardwood remains the fuel of record. Everything pizza-related lives in our guides and the FAQs.