Cordwood BTU Chart
How Much Heat Will Your Firewood Produce?
The heat value measurement used in the chart below is the British Thermal Unit, or BTU, defined as the amount of thermal energy it takes to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. One MBTU = one million BTU’s.
| Common Name | Species Name | Pounds / Cord | MBTU / Cord |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osage Orange (Hedge) | Maclura pomifera | 4845 | 30.0 |
| Hop Hornbeam (Ironwood) | Ostrya virginiana | 4250 | 26.4 |
| American Persimmon | Diospyros virginiana | 4165 | 25.8 |
| Shagbark Hickory | Carya ovata | 4080 | 25.3 |
| Pacific Dogwood | Cornus nuttallii | 3995 | 24.8 |
| American Holly | Ilex Opaca | 3995 | 24.8 |
| Black Birch | Betula lenta | 3910 | 24.2 |
| White Oak | Quercus alba | 3910 | 24.2 |
| Pacific Madrone (Arbutus) | Arbutus menziesii | 3825 | 23.7 |
| Post Oak | Quercus stellata | 3825 | 23.7 |
| Honey Locust | Gleditsia triacanthos | 3825 | 23.7 |
| Butternut Hickory | Carya cordiformis | 3825 | 23.7 |
| Blue Beech (Ironwood) | Carpinus caroliniana | 3825 | 23.7 |
| Mulberry | Morus rubra | 3740 | 23.2 |
| Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia | 3740 | 23.2 |
| Sugar Maple | Acer saccharum | 3740 | 23.2 |
| American Beech | Fagus grandifolia | 3655 | 22.7 |
| Oregon Oak (Garry) | Quercus garryana | 3655 | 22.7 |
| Burr Oak (Mossycup) | Quercus macrocarpa | 3655 | 22.7 |
| Red Oak | Quercus rubra | 3570 | 22.1 |
| Yellow Birch | Betula alleghaniensis | 3570 | 22.1 |
| White Ash | Fraxinus americana | 3485 | 21.6 |
| Oregon Myrtle (Pepperwood) | Umbellularia californica | 3485 | 21.6 |
| Apple | Malus domestica | 3485 | 21.6 |
| Green Ash | Fraxinus pennsylvanica | 3400 | 21.1 |
| Black Maple | Acer nigrum | 3400 | 21.1 |
| Black Walnut | Juglans nigra | 3230 | 20.0 |
| Red Maple | Acer rubrum | 3230 | 20.0 |
| Oregon Ash | Fraxinus latifolia | 3230 | 20.0 |
| White Birch (Paper) | Betula papyrifera | 3230 | 20.0 |
| Tamarack (Larch) | Larix laricina | 3145 | 19.5 |
| Gray Birch | Larix laricina | 3145 | 19.5 |
| Hackberry | Celtis occidentalis | 3145 | 19.5 |
| Rocky Mountain Juniper | Juniperus scopulorum | 3145 | 19.5 |
| Black Cherry | Prunus serotina | 3145 | 19.5 |
| Kentucky Coffeetree | Gymnocladus dioicus | 3060 | 19.0 |
| Sorrel (Sourwood) | Oxydendrum arboreum | 3060 | 19.0 |
| Red Elm | Ulmus rubra | 3060 | 19.0 |
| Eucalyptus (Red Gum) | Eucalyptus camaldulensis | 2975 | 18.4 |
| American Elm | Ulmus americana | 2975 | 18.4 |
| American Sycamore | Platanus occidentalis | 2890 | 17.9 |
| Big Leaf Maple | Acer macrophyllum | 2890 | 17.9 |
| White Elm (Russian) | Ulmus laevis | 2890 | 17.9 |
| Black Ash | Fraxinus nigra | 2890 | 17.9 |
| Boxelder (Maple Ash) | Acer negundo | 2890 | 17.9 |
| Norway Pine (Red) | Pinus resinosa | 2890 | 17.9 |
| Douglas Fir | Pseudotsuga menzies II | 2805 | 17.4 |
| Silver Maple | Acer saccharinum | 2805 | 17.4 |
| Pitch Pine | Pinus rigida | 2635 | 17.0 |
| † Compressed Sawdust Logs | Presto homofecit stipes | 2000 | 16.5 |
| Lodgepole Pine | Pinus contora latifolia | 2465 | 15.3 |
| Hemlock | Pinaceae tsuga | 2465 | 15.3 |
| Black Spruce | Picea mariana | 2465 | 15.3 |
| Catalpa (Catawba) | Catalpa speciosa | 2380 | 14.8 |
| Ponderosa Pine | Pinus ponderosa | 2380 | 14.8 |
| Red or White Alder | Alnus rubra or rhombifolia | 2380 | 14.8 |
| Canadian Jack Pine | Pinus banksiana | 2380 | 14.8 |
| Sitka Spruce | Picea sitchensis | 2380 | 14.8 |
| Idaho White Pine | Pinus monticola | 2236 | 14.3 |
| Willow | Salix | 2295 | 14.2 |
| White Concolor Fir | Abies concolor | 2295 | 14.2 |
| Basswood (Linden) | Tilia americana | 2210 | 13.7 |
| American Aspen (Poplar) | Populus tremuloides | 2125 | 13.2 |
| Butternut (White Walnut) | Juglans cinerea | 2125 | 13.2 |
| Eastern White Pine | Pinus strobus | 2125 | 13.2 |
| Balsam Fir | Abies balsamea | 2125 | 13.2 |
| Cottonwood (Poplar) | Populus trichocarpa | 2040 | 12.6 |
| Engelman Spruce | Picea engelmannii | 1955 | 12.1 |
| Eastern Cedar (Red Cedar) | Juniperus virginiana | 1955 | 12.1 |
| Ohio Buckeye | Aesculus glabra | 1955 | 12.1 |
| White Cedar | Thuja occidentalis | 1870 | 11.6 |
| Bamboo | Poaceae bambusoideae | 1615 | 10.0 |
| Balsa | Ochroma pyramidale | 935 | 5.8 |
Source: The Chimney Sweep, Bellingham, WA. Used with permission.
† Compressed sawdust logs are sold by weight, not by volume; BTU content is provided for one ton (2000 pounds).
Calculations are based on seasoned wood at 20% moisture content, and 85 cu ft of wood per cord. A cord of wood is defined as a stack 4 feet high, 4 feet deep and 8 feet long, which comes to 128 cubic feet. Allowances were made in the calculations for air space within the stack.