Hardwood log prices

[kes]

Advice please chaps - I am coming to the end of my winter log pile and whilst I shall cut some more, I havent yet found a small piece of woodland to buy in South Wales, near Monmouth,
To use sustainably for my winter logs - I might have to buy some for next years supply the meanwhile.
Anyone know cut log prices delivered ? I assume its per ton at a certain moisture content but never bought any before. I imagine I'll need about 7/8 tons or tonnes if you prefer.
Ball park figures ?
Thanks.

 

[Island]

I have little experience purchasing logs for burning but have noticed around us that most sellers tend to imply that they are selling by the tonne when in reality are selling by the "tonne bag" (i.e. a bulk-bag), which when filled with properly seasoned wood weighs significantly LESS than a tonne.

I've seen advertised around Central Scotland anything from £75 to £140 a bag!

I should think it will be very much a case of "caveat emptor".

 

[arron]

Tipper loads should also work out cheaper as you dont need the bag !! I stock pile mine in IBC cages (minus the plastic ) they season very well , also provides best sites for blackbirds and Robin's!!

 

[Spix]

Asking for a price per cubic metre usually sorts out the chancers, best to ask what they have at the minute and avoid 'mixed'.

 

[SimpleSimon]

If you're looking to buy seasoned or kiln dried split logs most people will be selling them by volume, in cubic meters. This will be the volume of the container or vehicle they're delivered in. You'll usually get better value buying from somebody who is delivering loose rather than bagged.
If you don't need it to burn immediately you could get recently felled hardwood in 2-3m lengths for £65ish a tonne, but you'll need to buy a fair bit and sort out your own transport from roadside.

 

[McKenzie]

I pay £60 for a standard bulk bag. Trying another supplier at £75 for a noticeably bigger bag

 

[User00035]

Very few log merchants round here will sell you cord wood. Their profit is in the processing.

My work keeps me in wood now but at one time I used to keep my eyes peeled for fallen trees after stormy whether, especially trees that were hung up or lying on crops and make an offer to the landowner to cut up the tree and burn the brash if I could keep the firewood.

When there's a lot of fallen wood about farmers often haven't time to sort it out themselves, their woodsheds are already full and all the arborists are flat out and their prices at a premium. There's a whole winter's worth of firewood for one household in one big ash tree and you can often blag yourself one when there's plenty of them on the ground.

 

[Sonicdmb73]

Tipper loads should also work out cheaper as you dont need the bag !! I stock pile mine in IBC cages (minus the plastic ) they season very well , also provides best sites for blackbirds and Robin's!!

I have noticed a local log supplier uses IBC’s too. The novel bit is the use of half a plastic tank cut diagonally as a roof for a stack of three cages.

 

[trucraft]

Advice please chaps - I am coming to the end of my winter log pile and whilst I shall cut some more, I havent yet found a small piece of woodland to buy in South Wales, near Monmouth,
To use sustainably for my winter logs - I might have to buy some for next years supply the meanwhile.
Anyone know cut log prices delivered ? I assume its per ton at a certain moisture content but never bought any before. I imagine I'll need about 7/8 tons or tonnes if you prefer.
Ball park figures ?
Thanks.

Local prices vary a lot. £65 - £95m³
Not many guys have dry wood at this time of year so buy with caution.

As mentioned always buy split logs by volume (m³)
Cordwood by weight.
If your after cord you will need lorry access an buy 16 -18T min as most guys won't sell less. unless you're lucky to find someone local that has a tractor & timber trailer thats willing to sell you some.

 

[Bramble]

I sell my dry logs for £75 for 0.8 cube pickup. Which is on the cheap side for down here, if you buy it in bulk its mainly by the cubic metre which thanks to the huge woodchip electricity producing plant in kent is now £50-£55 per metre plus VAT and haulage!! People think we make a fortune!!

 

[B.T.243.]

I know a couple people doing firewood, both near Monmouth. One is £75 per ton bag, the other is £95 per ton bag(kiln dried)

 

[countrryboy]

Plenty good advice above.

U obviously are well organised and have plenty of storage to dry the logs ( unlike many) so u cold buy green/wet logs cheaper. ( Which there trying to ban in future)
U might be able to phone about local suppliers they might be willing to sell u some unseasoned unprocessed timber.
But prices could vary widely.
Nothing wrong with mixed loads or even soft wood as long as property dried.

Otherwise speak to some arb companies some might be happy to sell u logs for a decent price as really a by product for them.
At 8t ur looking at an average Botex timber trailer load

 

[Johnnywood]

If you’re looking for unseasoned timber to process yourself drop me a pm and I’ll put you in contact with someone.

 

[Tom D]

i sell a fair bit of wood, I’m fairly cheap compared to some. I sell for £70 per cubic meter. Don’t buy by weight unless you have a weighbridge ticket. If you’re prepared to process your own then see If you can get a load of lengths dropped off. I often sell whole sale but only in 25 ton waggon loads.

You could set yourself up as a tree surgeons tip site if you have the space try here...https://arbtalk.co.uk/recycling/submit/?_new=1 then you might be able to get some cheap or even free.

 

[kes]

i sell a fair bit of wood, I’m fairly cheap compared to some. I sell for £70 per cubic meter. Don’t buy by weight unless you have a weighbridge ticket. If you’re prepared to process your own then see If you can get a load of lengths dropped off. I often sell whole sale but only in 25 ton waggon loads.

You could set yourself up as a tree surgeons tip site if you have the space try here...https://arbtalk.co.uk/recycling/submit/?_new=1 then you might be able to get some cheap or even free.

Tom that URL doesnt work can you check it and get back to me ?

 

[kes]

Many thanks to all those who replied - very helpful. I'm following up a couple of posts and will let you know. Fortunately I have 2 large barns I can season timber in.
Thanks again.

 

[Waz77]

If you've got the room I'd buy a 25t wagon load of cord wood and hire a processor in for a couple of days, you'd probably end up with around 60-70 bags of logs, not sure on price of a wagon load at minute but was about £1000 2 or 3 years ago

 

[Cyres]

£75 a 1 m3 dumpy bag full around here. Luckly we had some ash trees cut down there me and we could have as much as we wanted so I now have 4m3 split and stacked. Happy days.

D

 

[FWAW]

This is probably something I can help with, or at least point you in the right direction if looking for cord wood.

Average prices for hardwood cordwood at the moment is approx £65/£70 per tonne delivered (based on approx 25t load), depending on species and location. Though you would need to have access for a 44 tonne artic or 6 wheel and drag. This would be plus vat, but if for your own use it would be 5%.

Or, if looking for ready split logs, let me know. We have wet logs, semi seasoned and kiln dried, and our bulk deliveries are either in 34m3 (8 wheeler) or 60m3 (arctic).

If I can help at all let me know.

 

[Freeforester]

U obviously are well organised and have plenty of storage to dry the logs ( unlike many) so u cold buy green/wet logs cheaper. ( Which there trying to ban in future)

Isn't it just the burning of wet wood they're trying to ban (a fool's errand if ever there was)? Otherwise there's going to be a lot of kiln drying (sustainable?) going on, or acres of drying firewood laying at the processors yard (what difference does the seasoning venue make)?

I process a lorry load a year for our own use, but try to stay at least a year and more ahead, I have a drying barn though, and facility to accept, process, handle and store (in our case softwood, for a log boiler) by the lorry load; time, wind and some sunshine do the seasoning, 16% moisture content or so being the target. Processing today for burning in a year's time.