Kiln Dried Firewood Vs Briquettes - Which Is Best For Your Home?

If you’re not sure whether to use firewood vs briquettes to heat your home, the following guide should help you decide. Both Lekto’s kiln dried firewood and wood briquettes are cost-effective, convenient and sustainable solutions for heating your home. However, deciding on the best fuel to use for your home, ultimately depends on your individual requirements. For example, do you prefer the traditional look of a roaring fire? Or, are you more interested in a low maintenance option? Let’s take a look at the main qualities of firewood vs briquettes to help you decide.

Properties of kiln dried firewood

Lekto offers kiln dried firewood made from birch and oak, both of which have been heated in a kiln to remove any dampness from the wood. This means that the wood has a moisture content below 20% that allows it to burn more cleanly, producing more heat and less smoke than wet wood. When deciding between firewood vs briquettes it helps to think about the following factors:

Authentic look & aroma: If you can’t resist the authentic glow of a roaring fire built with chunky logs then traditional kiln dried firewood has to be the option for you. Our chunky split logs have a beautifully rustic look and emit a pleasant aroma that fills the room.

Perfect for pizza ovens...: If you’re the proud owner of a pizza oven then firewood is a great match. Kiln dried oak is used as the most common primary fuel in Italian pizzerias, due to the authentic leopard-spotted finish it creates. So, where there’s a pizza oven involved, when deciding between firewood vs briquettes, firewood is the best option in this case.

...And other cooking: This type of wood fuel is also very well suited to cooking over fire pits and chimineas. Kiln dried birch burns with a sweet, natural aroma that’s great for infusing the flavour of food with a mild, smokey flavour.

Ideal for use with other Lekto products: Get the fire started with our natural firelighters and kiln dried fire kindling, and add a few of our hardwood heat logs alongside your firewood to increase heat output and burn time. You can also use them alongside sawdust briquettes. So, deciding between firewood vs briquettes doesn’t necessarily have to be a case of choosing one over the other. You can in fact use both alongside each other.

Properties of wood briquettes

Lekto’s sawdust briquettes are made of 100% natural, compressed sawdust that has been shaped into a convenient brick shape. They are extra dry, with a moisture content below 9%, meaning they burn cleanly and sustainably, with a high heat output. Our night briquettes are made from softwood bark and are designed for a long, slow burn that lasts up to 8 hours. Let’s take a look at the main distinguishing properties of our wood briquettes in order to help you choose between firewood vs briquettes.

Easy to store: As each briquette has a consistent shape and size, they can be easily stacked on top of each other and require less storage space than traditional firewood.

Very cost-effective: Due to their low moisture content and high density, wood briquettes contain a lot more energy than an equivalent volume of regular firewood. As a result, one briquette is the equivalent to using three or four traditional logs.

Longer burn time & less maintenance: Once lit, briquettes require little tending to and can burn for up to 3 hours, whilst our night briquettes can burn for up to 8 hours. So, when deciding between firewood vs briquettes, if you’re hoping to keep the fire burning overnight, night briquettes are the best option for you.

Versatile use: Just like our kiln dried firewood, our briquettes can also be used alongside other Lekto wood fuels. They can be used in wood burning stoves, log burners, fire pits, chimineas etc. and are highly effective when used alongside hardwood heat logs and firewood.

Firewood vs briquettes - Which is best for me?

As you can see, there are many benefits to both these types of wood fuel. Ultimately, deciding on which is best for your home depends on your individual requirements. For a wood fuel that creates a traditional and aromatic ambience, and will be used for cooking a lot, kiln dried firewood is the best option. However, if you’re looking for a practical fuel that is easy to store, highly cost-effective and burns for longer without little maintenance, briquettes are a top choice. It’s important to emphasise however, that you don’t always have to choose between firewood vs briquettes. The two create a highly efficient and cost-effective heat output when used alongside each other, meaning that the best option may simply be to stock up on both!

If you would like further guidance on choosing the best fuel for your home, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our expert team today.