How Long to Season Firewood: A Drying Time Chart by Species

Burning firewood before it is dry is the most common reason a stove smokes, a fire sulks and a chimney builds creosote. Fresh-cut wood is mostly water, and a fire has to boil that water off before it can give heat. Seasoning is just drying: time, air and sun pull the moisture out until the wood reads about 20 percent or less. How long that takes depends on the species, how small you split it, where you stack it and your climate.

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The quick answer

Most firewood needs 6 to 12 months once it is split and stacked well. Dense hardwoods like oak can take 12 to 24 months, and softwoods like pine and spruce often dry in 6 to 9 months. The ranges below come from our firewood species data and assume wood that is split, stacked off the ground and covered on top in a sunny, breezy spot. Treat them as planning figures, because climate and split size move them by months.

Drying time chart by species

Wood	Typical seasoning time	Notes
Spruce, cedar	About 6 months	Light softwoods dry fastest
Pine, Douglas fir	6 to 9 months	Resinous, so keep it dry once seasoned
Ash, birch, cherry	6 to 12 months	Ash dries quickly for a hardwood
Maple	9 to 12 months	Split small to speed it up
Beech, black locust	About 12 months	Dense and slow, but burns hot once dry
Hickory, elm, cottonwood	12 to 18 months	Elm and cottonwood hold water; allow the full time
Oak	12 to 24 months	White oak is slower than red oak

Use the chart to plan ahead, not to decide when wood is ready. Only a moisture reading tells you that.

What makes firewood dry faster

Split it, and split it small

Bark slows drying, and water leaves wood mostly through the cut ends and split faces. Rounds that are not split can take twice as long or more. Splitting into pieces 4 to 6 in across exposes more wood and dries it much faster than big halves. A splitting maul or splitting axe does the job by hand, and the best log splitter for home use saves your back on larger piles.

Stack it off the ground

Wood on bare soil soaks up moisture and rots at the bottom. Put the stack on pallets, poles or a firewood rack so air moves underneath. Leave a few inches between rows and between the stack and any wall.

Pick a sunny, windy spot

Sun warms the wood and wind carries moisture away. An open south or west side of the property beats a shaded corner. Stack the rows in the direction of the prevailing wind if you can.

Cover the top, leave the sides open

A roof, a sheet of metal or a cover keeps rain and snow off the top layer. Do not wrap the whole stack in a tarp. A sealed stack traps moisture and the wood can stay wet or mold. Leave the sides open to the air.

Start early

Cut and split in late winter or spring and the wood has the whole summer to dry, which is the best drying weather. Wood cut in autumn will not be ready for that winter. Cutting in the spring for the winter after next is a common habit for heavy hardwoods.

How to tell when firewood is seasoned

Time is a guide, not proof. Check these signs, and confirm with a meter:

• Moisture reading: split a piece, then read the fresh face with a meter. Under 20 percent is the target. See the best firewood moisture meters.
• Weight: seasoned wood feels light for its size compared with a fresh split piece.
• Cracks: checks (splits) run out from the center on the ends.
• Color: the ends turn gray or yellow instead of bright and fresh.
• Sound: two seasoned pieces knocked together make a hollow clack. Wet pieces sound dull.
• Bark: it loosens and peels away easily.

The U.S. EPA’s Burn Wise program advises burning seasoned wood at 20 percent moisture or less for a cleaner, hotter fire and less smoke.

What happens if you burn it too soon

Wet wood is hard to light, burns cool and smoky, and puts out little heat. The smoke carries unburned vapor that condenses in the flue as creosote, which is a chimney fire risk, and it clouds the stove glass. Wet wood also wastes your work, because much of the heat goes into boiling off water. If a stove does not climb into its normal range, a stove thermometer shows it, and damp wood is the usual cause. To plan how many cords a winter takes, use our firewood cord calculator, and see the best wood stove for heating a house if you are choosing a stove.

Kiln-dried and store-bought wood

Kiln-dried wood has been dried in a kiln to a set moisture level and burns cleanly out of the bag, but it costs far more per cord than seasoned wood you stack yourself. Wood sold as seasoned is not always dry, so read a split piece with a meter before you buy a cord.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I season firewood in 3 months?

Rarely. Split small pieces of a light softwood or a fast hardwood like ash, stack them in a sunny, windy spot over a hot, dry summer, and they can get close. Check with a moisture meter before you burn them. Most wood needs 6 months or more.

How long does oak take to season?

Typically 12 to 24 months after splitting and stacking. White oak is slower than red oak. See our oak firewood guide.

Does firewood season faster if it is split?

Yes. Water leaves mainly through the cut ends and split faces, so split wood dries much faster than whole rounds. Smaller pieces dry faster than larger ones.

Should I cover my firewood with a tarp?

Cover only the top of the stack. A tarp wrapped all the way down traps moisture and slows drying. Leave the sides open to the wind.

Does firewood need to be seasoned if it comes from a dead tree?

Standing dead wood is often drier than fresh-cut green wood, but not always. Rain and rot can leave it wet, so read it with a meter. If it is above 20 percent, split it and stack it to dry.

How do I know if firewood is seasoned without a meter?

Look for cracks in the ends, gray or yellow end grain and loose bark, and listen for a hollow sound when two pieces are knocked together. A meter is more reliable.

Related guides

See the firewood storage hub, the best firewood racks with covers and the best firewood moisture meters. Compare drying times and heat for each wood in the firewood species table, from oak to pine. Cutting your own? Start with the best chainsaw for firewood and keep the chain sharp with the best chainsaw sharpener.

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