Dokers

Wood is one of the oldest sources of energy used by people. Especially the firewood comes with a nice additional benefit: it increases our quality of life: the blazing fire that burns in the fireplace creates a comforting warmth and a cosy atmosphere. But what kind of wood is best for fireplaces? We have prepared a short summary:

Beech wood is very hard and fine-grained. It is considered the ultimate firewood as it guarantees a beautiful flame pattern and good embers. Beech wood has an excellent calorific value of approx. 2,100 kWh / rm and is often used as a benchmark in comparison with other types of wood. Many people like the smell of burnt beech wood. It can be used for a multitude of purposes, but sadly, it is also quite expensive.

Birch wood, a lightweight yet weather-resistant type of wood, is often used for open fireplaces. When dry, it hardly produces any sparks. Also, it has a beautiful flame pattern and smells good. The calorific value of birch wood is approx. 1900 kWh / rm. Due to its whitish bark, birch is voluntarily used as a decorative wood and placed, for example, next to an open fireplace.

Oak wood is one of the hardest and most weather resistant types of wood. By the way, around the world there are about 600 subspecies of oak. Oak is the first choice for all stoves (tile stoves, wood stoves, workshop stoves) that are actually used for heat production. The calorific value of oak is about 2,100 kWh / rm and, therefore, similar to that of beech wood. However, oak wood burns longer. Still, oak wood is not the preferred choice for open fireplaces, as it produces fewer embers and doesn’t have as nice a flame pattern.

The calorific value of ash wood is almost as high as that of beech wood. However, it develops an even more beautiful flame pattern and generates virtually no spark. High-quality ash wood is really expensive. In addition, it is difficult to divide and therefore hardly available. Ashwood has a very peculiar smell that many people like.

Compared to other coniferous woods, pine wood is a fairly hard but light type of wood. The pine is more widespread in the northern hemisphere. When used as firewood, pine wood only provides an average calorific value of approx. 1700 kWh / rm. However, it is appreciated for the pleasant resin aroma that develops when burned.

Fire wood is preferably used to preheat stoves and fireplaces, as it can be easily ignited and burns quickly. The calorific value of fir wood is quite low at about 1500 kWh / rm. Note the following: Firewood is not suitable for open fireplaces, as the resin bubbles trapped in the wood will burst and likely spray embers.

Of course, there are many other types of wood that can be used perfectly as firewood. But keep one last tip in mind: types of wood like poplar and willow are absolutely unsuitable for use as firewood.