The Cornish Firewood Guide to Wood Briquettes

Wood briquettes (also known as heat logs) are an efficient form of wood fuel that are also clean and easy to store, making them an excellent alternative to typical logs.

In this guide, we give you the low down on this fantastic form of heating and the benefits they bring.

What are wood briquettes made from?

Wood briquettes are manufactured using wood by-products, consisting of hardwood, softwood or a combination. They are highly compressed to make a solid log. Whilst briquettes can be made with other materials, we recommend choosing briquettes that are made from 100% wood and free from chemicals or other ingredients (Such as glue) for the best burn.

The benefits of Briquettes

Briquettes are increasingly popular as a main burning fuel due to a number of benefits, such as;

Cost: good quality Briquettes can produce around 50% more heat compared to traditional logs, saving you money
Environmentally friendly: briquettes are made from wood waste which would otherwise end up in landfill and also negate the need for trees to be cut down for firewood.
Storage: Briquettes are small and easily storable, taking up less room than logs.
Can be used indoors and outdoors
Lower risk of your chimney or flue getting clogged thanks to low moisture content
Briquettes produce minimal smoke and are odourless
Can be used as a complement to traditional logs, either to help get your fire started, sustain your burn or provide a short heat boost

Choosing the right briquette

Briquettes can come in many forms and the ‘best’ briquette will be dependent on your preference and log burner. Higher quality briquettes will be denser and burn longer. Cheaper briquettes may end up being more expensive as due to low compression, they often have very short burn times.

Briquettes which have holes through the centre are also beneficial as they ensure good air flow, resulting in a more consistent burn.

Below are some examples of how different types of briquettes can help you.

For help starting your fire:

Try some small cob type briquettes, such as our 10kg mini briquettes.

As a replacement / compliment to logs:

Try an all-rounder briquette, such as our hardwood briquettes made from recycled sawdust.

For extending burn time:

Try a heavily compressed premium briquette, such as our RUF briquettes, made of kiln dried woodchip for a long burn time and high heat output.

How to use Briquettes

Using Briquettes is very similar to burning logs. You can break off pieces or use small briquettes to act as kindling to help get your fire going, then once you have a good burn going you can add larger briquettes as and when needed.

Storing briquettes

Similar to logs it’s best to store briquettes indoors if possible or in a closed log store, away from rain and moisture. Unlike some logs which require airflow to keep them dry, briquettes are already dry so a closed and non-vented log store would be the best option.

Also ensure they are lifted off the ground where possible.