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Kiln Dried vs Air Dried Firewood

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:20:00 +0100

What is the difference?

Moisture content is what separates good firewood from frustrating firewood. It directly affects how easily your fire lights, how much heat you get, and how quickly your stove glass turns pitch black.

While suppliers widely sell both kiln dried and air dried logs across Ireland, the two types perform very differently. Before you place your next order, it is well worth knowing exactly what you are buying.

What is air dried firewood?

Air dried firewood is cut, split, and left to dry outdoors, under cover or in warehouses for several months. In good conditions, hardwood can season down to around 20% - 30% moisture in 12 to 18 months. The challenge is that results vary a lot depending on how and where it was dried.

The outside of a log might feel dry while the core still holds moisture, and you often won't know until you're trying to get a fire going. Seasoned firewood is another term for the same thing. It's not necessarily bad, just harder to guarantee consistent quality without a controlled drying process.

What is kiln dried firewood?

As the name suggests, kiln-dried firewood goes through a heated chamber that controls temperature and airflow throughout the process. The temperature is usually maintained at about 170 F; applying heat speeds up the process while removing more moisture compared to air drying. As a result, the moisture content is usually below 20% and closer to 15%.

Because conditions are controlled, every load comes out the same regardless of season. There's no variability depending on how the wood was stacked, how wet the summer was, or how long it sat. Kiln-dried hardwood (birch, oak, and ash) gives you reliable heat and a clean burn.

Why moisture content matters

Wood with high moisture content just doesn't burn efficiently. Most of the energy goes into removal of moisture before the wood produces any real heat. Wood with 30% moisture delivers roughly 30% less usable heat than wood with 15%, which adds up quickly over a winter.

Burning damp wood also produces more smoke, builds tar and creosote in the flue faster, and blackens stove glass more quickly. The Solid Fuel Trade Group recommends keeping your firewood below 20% moisture, noting that levels below 15% yield the absolute cleanest results. Kiln-dried firewood consistently hits that. Air-dried wood often doesn't.

Kiln dried vs air dried at a glance

	Kiln dried	Air dried
Moisture content	Below 20% typically	Varies, often 20 - 30%
Lighting	Quick and reliable	Can be slow, especially if damp
Heat output	High, consistent	Lower, less predictable
Smoke	Minimal	More, particularly at first
Stove glass	Stays cleaner longer	Blackens faster
Chimney build-up	Less tar, fewer sweeps	More build-up over time

Is kiln dried worth the extra cost?

Admittedly, kiln dried firewood costs more upfront. However, because it burns with such high efficiency, each log yields significantly more usable heat, meaning you burn through your winter supply more slowly. When you factor in fewer chimney sweeps and fewer stove maintenance costs, the price gap narrows quickly!

While it makes a noticeable difference for open fires, kiln dried wood is arguably the best choice for wood-burning stoves. Plus! It’s also carbon-neutral when sourced sustainably, making it a smarter choice for both your home and the environment.

Kiln dried firewood from Monahan's

We at Monahan's have been supplying fuel and firewood across Ireland for over 50 years now. We stock kiln dried birch, oak, and ash, that are dried to below 20% moisture (as certified by Ready to Burn and recommended by EPA Ireland) and deliver nationwide in crates, bags and bundles.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my firewood is dry enough?

A moisture meter is the most reliable check. You're looking for a reading below 20%. Without one, dry wood feels light for its size, sounds hollow when two logs are knocked together, and has visible cracks at the ends. Wet wood is heavier, often darker at the cut ends, and steams or hisses in the fire.

Can I burn air dried wood in a stove?

Yes, if it's genuinely dry. Wet wood accelerates tar build-up and can void a stove warranty. If you're not certain of the moisture level, kiln dried is the safer option.

Is seasoned firewood the same as air dried?

Yes, the terms mean the same thing: wood left to dry over time, typically 12 months or more. How dry it gets depends on how it was stored and the weather it dried in.

Birch vs Oak vs Ash Firewood: Which Is Right for You?

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:38:00 +0100

Birch, oak, and ash are the three hardwoods you'll find at most fuel merchants across Ireland. They're all good firewood, but they burn quite differently, and the right one depends on how you use your fire.

Here's a plain guide to help you choose.

Key Takeaways

• Ash is the best all-rounder: easy to light, burns well in stoves and open fires, and low on smoke.

• Oak burns slowly and keeps your home warm for longer. It's the pick for cold nights.

• Birch lights quickly, looks great, and smells lovely. Ideal for open fires and lighter use.

• All three perform best when kiln-dried to below 20% moisture.

At a glance

Feature	Birch	Oak	Ash
How long it burns	Shorter	Longest	Long
Gets Going	Quickest	Needs time	Easily
Smoke produced	Low	Low	Lowest
Warmth	Good	Best	Very good
Splitting logs	Easy	Harder	Easiest
Scent	Sweet, pleasant	Mild	Mild
Best for	Open fires, occassional use	Cold nights, overnight	Everyday heating

All three are available from Monahan's as kiln-dried logs with moisture content below 20%, ready to burn straight from delivery.

Ash: the all-rounder

Ash is Ireland's most popular firewood. It lights easily, burns cleanly with very little smoke, and works well in stoves and open fires. It's also the easiest of the three to split.

If you're not sure which wood to go with, ash is the safest choice. It's forgiving and reliable, the kind of firewood that just works on a cold winter evening.

Best for: Everyday use, wood-burning stoves, open fires, anyone new to firewood.

Oak: the long burner

Oak is the densest of the three, which means it burns slowly and keeps going for longer. Once you have a good fire going, adding oak means you won't need to keep loading it up. It keeps your room warm well into the night.

The trade-off is that oak takes a little longer to get started than birch or ash. Add it to an already burning fire rather than using it to start one from scratch. But for cold nights when you want steady warmth, oak is hard to beat.

Best for: Long winter evenings, overnight warmth, large open fireplaces.

Birch: the easy lighter

Birch is the quickest of the three to get going. The wood ignites easily, produces a bright attractive flame, and gives off a pleasant sweet scent. It looks lovely burning in an open fireplace with its distinctive white bark visible in the log basket.

The downside is that birch burns faster than ash or oak, so you'll find yourself adding logs more often. Many people use birch to get the fire started and then switch to ash or oak once it's going. It's a combination that works well.

Best for: Getting fires started quickly, open fires, lighter or occasional use.

Which firewood is right for you?

If you want an everyday wood that works in any fire, go with ash firewood. It's the most versatile and the least demanding, great for anyone heating their home through an Irish winter.

If you want the longest, warmest burn and you're happy to let the fire build before adding your main logs, go with oak firewood. Oak is at its best on the coldest nights of the year.

If you love the look and smell of a fire and use it a few evenings a week, birch firewood is the one you'll enjoy most. The flame is bright, the scent is lovely, and it lights easily.

You can also mix them. Start with birch to get things going, then switch to ash or oak to keep it burning through the evening.

Don't forget your kindling and firelighters

No matter which hardwood you choose, how you light it matters just as much. Always use kiln-dried kindling and a reliable natural firelighter to get started. All three woods perform best when you light them cleanly and give them the right airflow from the start.

Shop kindling & firelighters

Our Final verdict

Category	Winner
Easiest to light	Birch
Everyday use	Ash
Burns longest	Oak
Low smoke	Ash
Open fire looks	Birch
Best for most Irish homes	Ash

Ash is the one we'd suggest for most people. Oak is the right call if warmth and longevity are your priorities. Birch is a genuine pleasure to burn and well worth adding to your order alongside one of the others.

At Monahan's, we stock all three in crates, bulk bags, and barrow bags, with delivery across Ireland and free 1-hour click & collect in Maynooth. Over 50 years supplying Irish homes with quality firewood, and a 4.7-star rating from 280+ customers. Ring us on +353 1 627 6540 if you're not sure which wood or size suits you best.

Shop kiln-dried firewood

Frequently asked questions

Is ash or oak better for a wood-burning stove?

Both are great for stoves, but ash is the easier option for everyday use. It lights reliably and keeps stove glass cleaner. Oak is the better pick if you want the fire to keep going for a long time without adding more logs. For most households, ash is easiest to get on with.

Is birch firewood good to burn?

Yes. Birch is a quality hardwood that lights quickly and produces a bright, attractive flame. It burns faster than ash or oak, which makes it great for open fires or for getting a fire going before switching to a slower-burning wood. The scent is also one of the nicest of any firewood.

What is the best firewood to buy in Ireland?

For most Irish homes, ash or oak kiln-dried firewood works best. Ash is the more versatile option and the easiest to use day to day. Oak burns longer and is the better choice for cold nights. For open fires or lighter use, birch is well worth considering. All three are available from Monahan's with nationwide delivery.

How to Light a Fire That Stays Lit

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 14:41:00 +0100

There's a particular kind of frustration in kneeling in front of a dead fire at half nine on a Tuesday, matches running low, patience running lower. The good news: it's almost never bad luck. A fire needs three things to keep going, heat, oxygen, and dry fuel, when one of those is missing, the whole thing gives up on you.

Nine times out of ten, it's the fuel. You can have perfect kindling and a strong draw up the chimney and still end up with a smoking, sulking heap if the logs underneath are wet or moist. Get the fuel and the airflow right, though, and the rest tends to sort itself out. Here's how.

Is Your Wood Actually Dry Enough to Burn?

Wet or unseasoned wood is the single biggest reason fires die out. Instead of burning, the heat gets spent boiling off the moisture trapped inside the log which is why damp wood hisses and spits rather than crackles.

“Seasoned” just means wood that's been left to dry out over time, usually six months to two years depending on the species and how it's stored. “Kiln-dried” skips the wait: the wood is dried in a kiln down to a low, consistent moisture content, so it lights faster and burns hotter from the first log.

You want moisture under about 20%. No meter handy? Listen for the hiss, check whether the cut ends look dark and damp, and look for cracking or splitting in the bar. Dry wood tends to split as it shrinks, wet wood doesn't. If a log fails all three, it's not ready, no matter how long it's been sitting in the shed.

How to Store Firewood So It Stays Dry

Even good, kiln-dried logs will pick up moisture again if they're left sitting on wet ground or under a leaky tarp. Stack them off the ground, keep them covered on top while leaving the sides open, and don't cram them in. Wood needs to breathe in storage, not just in the grate.

What's the Best Way to Lay a Fire?

A fire lights faster and stays lit longer when it's built to let air move through it, not piled into a heap and hoped for.

There are two common approaches. The traditional method puts kindling and firelighters at the bottom with logs stacked on top. The top-down method flips it, logs at the bottom, kindling and firelighters on top, so the fire burns downward. It sounds backwards, but it catches well and needs far less tending once it's going, which makes it the better choice for stoves or any evening you'd rather not spend kneeling in front of the fire every twenty minutes.

Kindling: Small, Dry, and Plenty of It

The most common mistake here isn't the method, it's not using enough kindling, or using pieces too thick to catch quickly. You want a proper handful of small, dry kindling, not three sticks and a wish.

How Much Air Does a Fire Actually Need?

Starve a fire of air and it smoulders rather than burns. Smother it too soon and you'll burn through your kindling before the logs ever catch.

On an open fire, that means not blocking the fireplace with logs stacked too tightly, and making sure the chimney has a decent draw. On a stove, it comes down to the air vent: open it fully to get the fire established, then throttle it back once you've got a solid bed of embers. Struggling with lots of smoke, a weak orange flame, or a fire that keeps dying back after a few minutes? then airflow is usually the culprit.

Should You Use Firelighters, or Just Kindling?

Firelighters aren't cheating. A decent one takes the guesswork out of building a strong base of heat before the bigger logs go on, especially useful on a night when the wood's slightly damper than you'd like, or the chimney draw isn't at its best.

Natural firelighters are worth the extra few cent over the paraffin kind. No petrol smell and no black smoke while they catch. Two or three tucked under the kindling is usually plenty; you don't need to build a bonfire just to get started. Lovely Logs Eco Firelighter 50 Pieces is an excellent choice for a natural firelighter.

What Fuel Should You Add Once the Fire Is Established?

Once you've got a solid bed of embers, what you add next decides whether the fire holds steady all evening or burns out in an hour.

For an open fire, smokeless coal gives a longer, steadier burn than wood alone. For a stove, add logs gradually rather than loading the firebox all at once; overloading it just chokes the airflow you've been working to get right.

A lot of households mix kiln-dried logs with a smokeless fuel or wood briquettes for an overnight burn. Logs for the quick heat and something denser to hold the fire through the night.

Common Fire-Lighting Mistakes to Avoid

Most fires that won't stay lit come down to a handful of repeat offenders:

Damp or unseasoned wood
Not enough kindling, or kindling that's too thick
Piling on big logs before the fire's properly established
Blocked airflow. Ash buildup, closed vents, or logs packed too tightly
Walking away before a proper bed of embers has formed

Fix the first one and most of the rest tend to fall away on their own.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my fire go out after 20 minutes?

Usually it's damp fuel, or logs added too early before a strong base of embers has had time to form. Give the kindling and firelighters longer to build heat before piling on.

What's the best wood to keep a fire going all evening?

Dense and dry hardwood either oak, ash or birch and ideally kiln-dried.

Do you need firelighters if you have good kindling?

Not strictly, but they give a more consistent start, especially on an open fire where the draw can vary from one night to the next.

How do I know if my firewood is too wet to burn?

It'll hiss, spit, or smoke heavily instead of catching properly. If you've a moisture meter to hand, anything over about 20% means it needs more time.