Beech Firewood: Great Heat and a Steady Burn

Beech is a dense hardwood that burns hot with a lovely steady flame — a top pick if heat output is what you're after. The same goes for hornbeam, its close companion, which is one of the hottest-burning woods around. The key with both is drying: they hold a lot of water when fresh, so they need to be properly dry to shine.

Here's how beech and hornbeam perform, and how to get the most from them.

Why burn beech and hornbeam?

• Excellent heat. Both are dense, so they release plenty of warmth and burn with a strong, steady flame.
• Good burn time. That density also means a longer burn than lighter woods like birch.
• Hornbeam runs especially hot. If maximum heat is the goal, hornbeam is hard to beat.

The drying point

Fresh beech and hornbeam carry a lot of moisture, so home-seasoning takes time and patience. Burn them damp and you lose much of that lovely heat to boiling off water. Our kiln dried beech and hornbeam logs are dried below 20% for you, so you get the full heat straight away.

Getting the best from beech

1. Add it once the fire's going. Like most dense woods, beech is happiest on an established fire rather than from cold.
2. Give it air. Keep the vents open until it's properly alight, then ease back for a controlled, hot burn.
3. Great for the coldest evenings. When you want serious warmth, beech and hornbeam deliver.

Try our kiln dried beech & hornbeam

For serious, steady heat, our kiln dried beech and hornbeam logs are ready to burn today. Prefer something that lights a touch easier? Our ash logs are a great match, or browse all our kiln dried logs.