🔥Seasoned vs Kiln dried explained…

If you’ve been shopping around for firewood in Shrewsbury, Telford, Bridgnorth, or anywhere else across Shropshire, you’ll have noticed that “kiln dried” is everywhere. It’s on nearly every supplier’s homepage — usually bold, usually premium-priced — and the message is always the same:

Kiln dried = the best. Everything else = second best.

But here’s the part most suppliers don’t explain — and it’s worth knowing before you pay extra for it.

🔍 What Actually Makes Firewood “Ready to Burn”

Whether logs are kiln dried or naturally seasoned, they’re judged against one standard:

Moisture content below 20%.

That’s the threshold set by Woodsure’s Ready to Burn certification — and it’s the number that actually determines how your wood performs.

Below 20% moisture:

• Wood burns efficiently
• Produces strong heat
• Doesn’t clog your flue with tar and creosote

Above 20% moisture:

• You get smoke
• Poor heat
• Dirty glass
• Higher chimney maintenance

The certification doesn’t care how the wood got under 20%. It only checks that it is.

At Pro‑Log Shropshire, our logs are UK‑sourced, naturally seasoned, and Ready to Burn certified before they ever leave for delivery across Shrewsbury, Telford, Bridgnorth, Much Wenlock, Church Stretton, and surrounding villages.

💨 So Why Does Kiln Drying Cost More?

Kiln drying is fast. A kiln can force moisture out in days, not months.

That’s a real advantage — but it’s an advantage for the supplier, not the customer.

Kiln drying allows a business to:

• Turn freshly felled timber into sellable stock quickly
• Avoid storing and seasoning logs for a year or more
• Meet winter demand spikes without holding large stockpiles

None of this changes how the wood burns in your stove.

A kiln-dried log at 18% moisture and a seasoned log at 18% moisture burn exactly the same. Wood doesn’t “remember” how it got dry.

💷 Where the Premium Comes From

The higher price of kiln-dried logs reflects:

• The energy used to run the kiln
• The speed of turnaround
• The convenience for the supplier

You’re essentially paying for the production method, not a better burn.

Our naturally seasoned logs take longer to produce — air‑dried over an extended period — but once certified Ready to Burn, they meet the same moisture standard.

Your fire won’t know the difference.

🔥 What Actually Matters When Choosing Firewood

Instead of asking “Is it kiln dried?”, ask:

✔️ Is it Ready to Burn certified (below 20% moisture)?

✔️ Is it sustainably and responsibly sourced?

✔️ Is it hardwood or softwood?

✔️ How is it stored, and will it stay dry until delivery?

These are the factors that affect:

• Heat output
• Burn quality
• Chimney cleanliness
• Value for money

Not whether the log spent time in a kiln or a barn.

🌲 Our Approach

At Pro‑Log Shropshire, we supply:

• Seasoned hardwood logs
• Ready to Burn certified
• Moisture content below 20%

The same standard required of any supplier — kiln dried or not. We simply don’t charge you for a drying method that benefits the producer more than the customer.

Good firewood is good firewood. The label shouldn’t change the price of the heat you get.

follow us on facebook & Instagram and see our other blog Posts Below

🔥 Barn Dried Logs Shropshire: How to Reduce Your Energy Bills

🔥 Why Barn‑Stored Logs Are Better — And More Eco‑Friendly (Shropshire Guide)

All Pro‑Log Shropshire firewood is Woodsure Ready to Burn certified.