Hophornbeam Firewood

Eastern hophornbeam, usually called ironwood, is a small understory tree with very dense, hard wood. It rarely grows large, so it usually comes as small-diameter rounds that are easy to handle.

Hophornbeam firewood at a glance

Heat per cord: 27.3 million BTU
Weight per cord: 4,200 lb (air-dried)
Ease of splitting: ●●○○○ 2 of 5
Seasoning time: 12 months
Smoke: Low
Sparks: Few
Coals: Excellent
Scent: Faint
Type: Hardwood
Common in (US): Northeast, Great Lakes, Midwest, Appalachia

Also called: Ironwood, Eastern hophornbeamHeat and weight are typical published figures for air-dried wood at about 20% moisture. Real loads vary with moisture, growing conditions and how the cord is stacked. Compare all species.

Splitting hophornbeam

Ironwood lives up to its name: it is hard to split, but its small diameter means much of it can be burned in rounds or split once.

Seasoning hophornbeam

Give ironwood about a year to dry, splitting larger pieces so they dry evenly.

Burning hophornbeam

Seasoned ironwood burns very hot and long with little smoke and excellent coals.

Gear for hophornbeam

Ironwood is a good use for small trees thinned from a woodlot. A saw for small-diameter work handles it well.

Splitters and splitting tools

Chainsaws

Stoves, storage and moisture

Size the splitter for your hophornbeam with the log splitter tonnage calculator, and see how many cords a winter takes with the firewood cord calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ironwood good firewood?

Yes. It is one of the densest common woods and burns hot and long.

Is ironwood hard to split?

Yes, but because the trees are small it often needs little splitting.

What tree is ironwood?

In most of the eastern US, firewood sellers mean eastern hophornbeam. Musclewood (American hornbeam) is also sometimes called ironwood.

Compare with similar woods

Hickory (27.7 million BTU per cord), Mesquite (27.0 million BTU per cord). Or see all 23 species side by side.