The Complete Fireplace Firewood Guide
A wood-burning fireplace offers more than warmth—it creates atmosphere, brings people together, and becomes a natural gathering place throughout the colder months. Choosing the right firewood plays an important role in how easily your fires start, how cleanly they burn, and how enjoyable the experience is.
Premium kiln-dried hardwood with a moisture content below 20% lights more easily, burns hotter, produces less smoke, and helps reduce creosote buildup compared with wet or improperly seasoned firewood. The right hardwood species also influences flame appearance, burn time, heat output, and the quality of the coal bed.
This guide explains how to choose the best firewood for your fireplace, recommended hardwood species, proper moisture content, storage tips, burning techniques, and how to enjoy cleaner, more dependable fires all season long.
What You'll Learn
Properly Kiln-dried
Recommended Species
Better Fireplace Performance
Learn why properly kiln-dried hardwood with a moisture content below 20% produces cleaner combustion, brighter flames, easier ignition, and more efficient fires while helping reduce smoke and creosote buildup.
Compare White Birch, Black Cherry, Sugar Maple, and White Ash to understand how each species performs, from beautiful flames and pleasant aroma to long burn times and dependable heat.
Learn how moisture content, split size, proper airflow, and hardwood selection work together to create cleaner burns, longer-lasting coals, easier fire management, and a more enjoyable fireplace experience.
The recommendations in this guide combine established fireplace best practices with our experience supplying premium kiln-dried hardwood to homeowners throughout Toronto, the GTA, and Cottage Country.
Fireplace Specifications
Recommended Hardwood Species
White Birch • Black Cherry • Sugar Maple • White Ash
Recommended Split Length
Approximately 12-inch splits
Recommended Moisture Content
Below 20% (kiln-dried)
Typical Burn Characteristics
Clean combustion • Bright flames • Long-lasting coals
Recommended Storage
Covered, dry location with good airflow
Why We Recommend These Hardwood Species
Not all hardwoods burn the same. Each species offers a different combination of flame appearance, burn time, heat output, coal production, and aroma. Choosing the right firewood depends on how you use your fireplace and the experience you're looking to create.
In our experience, White Birch, Black Cherry, Sugar Maple, and White Ash consistently deliver the clean-burning performance, dependable heat, and attractive flames that homeowners appreciate. Each species has its own strengths, allowing you to choose the firewood that best matches your preferences.
Regardless of which hardwood you select, properly kiln-dried firewood with a moisture content below 20% is the single most important factor in achieving easier ignition, cleaner combustion, reduced smoke, and dependable fireplace performance.
White Birch
White Birch is the classic choice for homeowners who enjoy bright, lively flames and an inviting fireplace atmosphere. It lights easily, burns cleanly, and produces an attractive flame that makes it a favourite for evenings spent relaxing or entertaining. While its burn time is somewhat shorter than denser hardwoods, its exceptional flame presentation makes it one of the most enjoyable species to burn.
Black Cherry
Black Cherry produces beautiful flames, a subtle natural aroma, and dependable, even-burning fires. It ignites easily, develops a consistent bed of coals, and offers an excellent balance between appearance and performance. For many homeowners, Black Cherry is an outstanding everyday fireplace wood.
Sugar Maple
Sugar Maple is one of the highest-density hardwoods available, producing long-lasting heat and an exceptional bed of glowing coals. It burns steadily and efficiently, making it an excellent choice for longer fireplace sessions or colder winter evenings when consistent heat is important.
White Ash
White Ash is exceptionally versatile and one of the easiest hardwoods to burn. It lights reliably, responds well to airflow adjustments, and produces steady heat with long-lasting coals. Its predictable performance makes it an excellent all-purpose choice for homeowners who regularly enjoy wood-burning fires.
Why the Right Firewood Matters
A wood-burning fireplace performs only as well as the firewood you burn. Choosing premium kiln-dried hardwood makes fires easier to light, produces cleaner combustion, creates brighter flames, and helps maintain consistent heat throughout the evening.
Premium kiln-dried hardwood with a moisture content below 20% burns hotter, produces less smoke, and responds more predictably to airflow adjustments. The result is a cleaner fireplace, less creosote buildup, and a more enjoyable fire from start to finish.
Once your firewood is properly dried, the hardwood species you choose further shapes the experience. White Birch produces lively, attractive flames, Black Cherry burns cleanly with a pleasant natural aroma, while Sugar Maple and White Ash provide longer-lasting heat and dependable beds of glowing coals for extended fires.
Why Premium Kiln-Dried Hardwood Performs Better
✓ Lights more easily and reaches an efficient burn faster
✓ Produces brighter, cleaner-burning flames
✓ Creates less smoke and fewer emissions
✓ Helps reduce creosote buildup in the chimney
✓ Produces longer-lasting beds of glowing coals
✓ Delivers more consistent heat throughout the burn
✓ Keeps fireplace glass cleaner
✓ Makes every fire easier to manage and enjoy
Choosing premium kiln-dried hardwood is one of the simplest ways to improve every aspect of your fireplace experience—from easier ignition and cleaner combustion to more dependable heat and beautiful, relaxing fires throughout the season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Firewood
What is the best firewood for a fireplace?
Premium kiln-dried White Birch, Black Cherry, Sugar Maple, and White Ash are all excellent choices. White Birch is ideal for bright, lively flames, Black Cherry offers beautiful fires with a subtle natural aroma, while Sugar Maple and White Ash provide longer burn times, dependable heat, and long-lasting beds of glowing coals.
How dry should fireplace firewood be?
Firewood should have a moisture content below 20%. Properly kiln-dried hardwood lights more easily, burns hotter, produces less smoke, and helps reduce creosote buildup while creating cleaner, more enjoyable fires.
What size firewood works best?
Most residential fireplaces perform well with approximately 12-inch hardwood splits. This length provides good airflow, fits most fireplaces comfortably, and is easy to stack and handle.
Can I mix different hardwood species?
Yes.
Many homeowners enjoy combining species to create the fire they want. For example, White Birch can be used to establish bright, attractive flames before adding Sugar Maple or White Ash for longer-lasting heat and a dependable bed of coals.
Can I burn softwood?
Softwood ignites quickly and is commonly used as kindling, but premium hardwood is generally the better choice for regular fireplace fires because it burns longer, produces more consistent heat, and creates longer-lasting coals.
Fireplace Performance
Why is my fireplace producing a lot of smoke?
Excessive smoke is often caused by wet firewood, restricted airflow, or a chimney that has not established a proper draft. Burning properly kiln-dried hardwood and ensuring adequate airflow usually produces a much cleaner fire.
Why does my fireplace glass turn black?
Blackened fireplace glass is commonly caused by incomplete combustion from wet firewood or insufficient airflow. Premium kiln-dried hardwood burns more completely, helping keep fireplace glass cleaner.
How much firewood will I need?
The amount depends on how often you burn.
Occasional fires throughout the winter may require only a half face cord, while homeowners who enjoy several fires each week often purchase a full face cord. Homes using a fireplace regularly as supplemental heat may require additional firewood throughout the season.
Should I store firewood indoors?
Store most firewood in a dry, well-ventilated location outdoors or in a garage. Bringing a small amount indoors one or two days before burning allows it to warm to room temperature while keeping insects and excess moisture outside.
How often should my chimney be cleaned?
Wood-burning fireplaces should be inspected annually and cleaned whenever creosote buildup becomes significant. Regular chimney maintenance helps ensure safe operation and efficient performance throughout the burning season.
Do you recommend a particular hardwood for my fireplace?
Absolutely.
Every fireplace and every homeowner is different. If you're unsure which hardwood is the best fit, tell us about your fireplace and how you enjoy using it. We'll happily recommend the species and split size that best suits your needs.
Ready to Enjoy Better Fireplace Fires?
Whether you enjoy the occasional evening by the fire or burn throughout the winter, choosing the right firewood makes all the difference. Premium kiln-dried hardwood lights more easily, burns cleaner, produces beautiful flames, and creates the dependable heat that makes every fire more enjoyable.
White Birch, Black Cherry, Sugar Maple, and White Ash each offer unique characteristics, allowing you to choose the fireplace experience that best suits your home and the way you burn.
Looking for guidance on another appliance?
Explore our Firewood Guides.
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