Seasoned hardwood firewood
Split and seasoned local hardwood, delivered around the Illawarra. Dry enough to burn clean instead of hissing and smoking for an hour.
Seasoned actually means something
Freshly cut hardwood can be 50 percent water by weight. Burning it wastes most of the heat boiling that water off, which is why green wood hisses, smokes, blackens the glass and coats the flue in creosote. Properly seasoned firewood sits around 15 to 20 percent moisture and burns hot and clean.
Getting there takes time, not a promise. Our wood is split first, because splitting exposes the end grain and roughly halves the drying time, then stacked off the ground under cover with air moving through it for at least eight to twelve months depending on species.
What you get
Mixed local hardwood from our own tree work. Around the Illawarra that is mostly blackbutt, Sydney blue gum, turpentine, ironbark and whatever else has come through. It is not a single-species product and it does vary load to load.
Cut to around 350mm as standard, which fits most domestic fireplaces and slow combustion heaters. If your firebox needs a different length, say so when you order and we will cut to suit.
How much do you need?
- Occasional weekend fires: half a cubic metre will usually see out a winter.
- Regular evening fires: two to three cubic metres for an Illawarra winter.
- A slow combustion heater as primary heating: four to six cubic metres, and order in summer rather than June.
The best time to buy firewood is summer. Buy in January, stack it somewhere with airflow, and by June it is drier than anything you will buy in the middle of a cold snap. Winter demand is exactly when properly seasoned wood is hardest to find.
Stacking it properly
Off the ground on pallets or bearers, under cover but with the sides open, and split faces exposed to moving air. Wood stacked in a sealed shed or under a tarp right to the ground does not dry, it sweats. Keep it away from the house wall as well, because a woodpile against the building is both a termite highway and, on a bushland block, a fuel load sitting against your asset protection zone.
Seasoned hardwood firewood, answered.
How is it sold and delivered?
By the cubic metre, tipped or stacked. Tipped is cheaper and faster; stacked costs more because it takes someone time. We deliver across Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama, further on request. Ring with your address and volume for a price.
How do I know it is actually seasoned?
Ask to see it. Dry hardwood is lighter than it looks, has checking cracks across the end grain, and two pieces knocked together ring rather than thud. If a supplier will not let you look at it before it goes on the truck, buy elsewhere.
Do you deliver small loads?
Yes, though a minimum applies because the truck costs the same to send either way. Half and one cubic metre loads are common for people with an occasional fireplace.
Can I collect it myself?
Yes, by arrangement. Ring first so we know you are coming and can have it ready. Bring a trailer with a cover, because loose firewood on the Princes Highway is nobody's idea of a good time.
Want a price?
Ring or send your address and how much you need. Delivery across the Illawarra.