What wood to burn in a fire pit (and what to never burn)

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Fuel matters more in a smokeless fire pit than in an open fire, because the whole design depends on reaching and holding a high temperature. Wet wood never gets there, and a smokeless pit burning damp logs is just an expensive smoky fire.

The short answer

Dry, seasoned hardwood at under 20% moisture content. Kiln-dried if you are buying, because it is reliably dry and you are not guessing.

Seasoned, kiln-dried, and green

Green wood is freshly cut and can be 50% water or more. It hisses, smokes heavily, and produces very little heat because most of the energy goes into boiling off the moisture. It should not go in a fire pit.

Seasoned wood has been split and air-dried, usually six to twelve months for hardwood. Well-seasoned wood is grey at the ends, cracked in a radial pattern, and light for its size. It clacks rather than thuds when two pieces knock together.

Kiln-dried wood has been heat-dried to a guaranteed moisture level, typically under 20%. It costs more per log and it removes the guesswork entirely. For a smokeless pit, this is the easiest way to actually see the design work.

A moisture meter costs very little and settles the question in seconds. If you burn regularly, buy one.

Hardwood or softwood

Hardwoods like oak, ash, beech, hickory and maple are denser, burn longer, and produce more heat per log. Ash is often considered the best all-rounder because it burns well even at slightly higher moisture. Oak burns longest but needs the most seasoning time.

Softwoods like pine and spruce light easily and burn fast and hot, which makes them useful for getting a fire started. They also spit more and deposit more resin. Use them for kindling and the first ten minutes, then switch to hardwood.

Never burn these

• Treated, painted, or stained wood. Releases genuinely toxic fumes. This includes old decking, pallets of unknown origin, and offcuts from building work.
• Plywood, MDF, and chipboard. The adhesives release formaldehyde and other compounds when burned.
• Driftwood. Sea salt in the wood produces chlorine compounds when burned.
• Anything with plastic on it, including laminated or coated boards.
• Large amounts of paper or cardboard. It produces floating embers that travel, which is a genuine fire risk in dry conditions.

Getting a smokeless pit up to temperature

The secondary burn does not engage until the pit is hot. Start with a decent amount of dry kindling and softwood rather than a token handful, get real flame established, and then add hardwood. Rushing straight to large logs is the most common reason people conclude their smokeless pit does not work.

For picks across the range, see our best smokeless fire pits guide, or how to choose a smokeless fire pit if you have not bought one yet.