There's no money in selling firewood

[Dalmatian90]

We get around $240 a full cord here in upstate NY .Talked to a guy in New Hampshire that is selling it for $350 and can't keep up. Doesn't make sense, 100 gallons of fuel is equivalent in BTUS to 1 full cord of wood and fuel is selling for $1.80 a gallon.

Oil burners don't run when an ice storm takes out the power lines.

I'd suspect there's a lot of folks who will be burning more oil this year, and instead of buying of several cords just want one either for backup, or crank up the heat in the evening since they've gotten used to 75° living rooms and don't want to burn THAT much oil.

That type of market also affects price sensitivity -- if a few years ago you were spending $220 x 3 cords so your mind has $660 in it as your "wood budget," then $350 doesn't seem so bad for a year.

(And if it's just backup, they're probably figuring it'll last a couple years so they won't have to buy any next year.)

 

[muddstopper]

. Giving a row of firewood logs for a holiday gift to a friend would be an interesting idea. WDYT?

Well, today, I was given some junk wood for firewood. Popular and some sort of hybrid whitepine. Already sawn into log lengths and they even loaded them on my dump trailer for me. Took first load home and dumped next to the wood pile. went back to get the second load and while heading home I remembered this thread. Called my buddy up and said "what ya doing". Told me it "Aint none of my business.", Which is how our conversations usually go. Told him I had him something if he behaved. "What Ya got". Load of wood if you want it. "bout time, I'm down to burning boards". Junk wood I says but its wood. "It'll burn, how much you got". Bout a cord, give or take. "Big Stuff", Na, most just saw to length and throw in the stove. "I got a saw, bring it on over". Got to his house and he starts complaining, "Mostly pine", bout half and half, I said it was junk wood. "took all the good to your house didnt ya" If you dont want it, I'll just take it on home. "Backup here and dump if off" Well I did and said I got to go. "Bring your splitter over and lets split this blackgum I got over there, tried to split it and the maul just bout hit me between the eyes" Be back over in a day or two. Before I left he threw a 10ft piece of 3x5x1/4 angle iron on the trailer, "You might need this building that processor", I thanked him and drove off knowing I had given him that same piece of angle iron a year or two ago to build one of his projects that he never got around to. He'll probably ask me if I got any angle in the next month or two and he needs a piece.

The folks that gave me the wood are going to be removing about 20-30 whiteoaks next week. They are going to let me have all of it to. I'll probably drop off a load of it at my buddies house before i take my splitter over. I know I will have to split it for him. The first wood was all junk wood, but taking it gets me the good stuff. Never turn down wood just because its not the best firewood, it all burns.

 

[Wood Doctor]

20 to 30 oak white oak trees? You are kidding, of course. If not, you are in firewood heaven. I have an empty building lot in NC. Time to build a house on it.

 

[muddstopper]

All this wood is coming from a seed orchard. When the trees get a certain size they do a thinning taking out every other tree. The whitepine where dieing, heart rot, most are grafted trees to start with. The whiteoaks are all large butt, but had been trimmed for limb/acorn production. Makes good firewood, but not fit for much of anything else. Last time they did a thinning it was all wild cherry. I hauled about 4 cords out and there wasnt a decent saw log in the bunch. My private honey hole will probably dry up next year since my BIL is the care taker and he is thinking of retiring after the first of the year.

 

[Wood Doctor]

All this wood is coming from a seed orchard. When the trees get a certain size they do a thinning taking out every other tree. The whitepine where dieing, heart rot, most are grafted trees to start with. The whiteoaks are all large butt, but had been trimmed for limb/acorn production. Makes good firewood, but not fit for much of anything else. Last time they did a thinning it was all wild cherry. I hauled about 4 cords out and there wasnt a decent saw log in the bunch. My private honey hole will probably dry up next year since my BIL is the care taker and he is thinking of retiring after the first of the year.

Enjoy it while you can. White oak is about the best firewood that there is. I used to cut and split lots of it in CT after the gypsy moth wiped out acres upon acres of oak. Not much is worse than the gypsy moth.

 

[merc_man]

I needed a wood splitter so i started selling wood till i had enough to pay cash for new one. Now i just sell to one person. I bring in about 600 and it covers my cost of getting wood for me and maintaining equipment and a bit to spare.

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[Wood Doctor]

I needed a wood splitter so i started selling wood till i had enough to pay cash for new one. Now i just sell to one person. I bring in about 600 and it covers my cost of getting wood for me and maintaining equipment and a bit to spare.

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If you bring in $600 in firewood from one customer, that's remarkable. I would have to make five deliveries to that person to equal it. I guess I am way underpriced at $120 per load, and that measures about 85 cu ft, racked up, split, delivered, and stacked. If nothing else, this thread has convinced me to go to $140 per load in 2016 and then see how many people object to the price hike.

 

[merc_man]

If you bring in $600 in firewood from one customer, that's remarkable. I would have to make five deliveries to that person to equal it. I guess I am way underpriced at $120 per load, and that measures about 85 cu ft, racked up, split, delivered, and stacked. If nothing else, this thread has convinced me to go to $140 per load in 2016 and then see how many people object to the price hike.

A load for me is trailer and truck two face cord on trailer and one face cord on truck. cut my blocks about 14-16" long. It works out to about a full bush cord all to geather. I deliver it help stack it and she gives me 200 bucks. Thats $60 per face cord $10 delivery which is cheap and $10 for helping pile qhich is cheap.

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[Marine5068]

A load for me is trailer and truck two face cord on trailer and one face cord on truck. cut my blocks about 14-16" long. It works out to about a full bush cord all to geather. I deliver it help stack it and she gives me 200 bucks. Thats $60 per face cord $10 delivery which is cheap and $10 for helping pile qhich is cheap.

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WOW, that's cheap, considering most hardwood is selling for $300-$350 per cord in Ontario now.
A tandem log length load goes for about $1200-$1300 now (6-7 cords worth)

 

[merc_man]

WOW, that's cheap, considering most hardwood is selling for $300-$350 per cord in Ontario now.
A tandem log length load goes for about $1200-$1300 now (6-7 cords worth)

It is but not looking to get rich.lol just a hobby and if i can make bit of money doing a hobby that ausome. I mostly sell ash. If i was to sell oak or hickory i would have to rais price and cant load as much cauae of the weight differance. Im already way over weight for my 2000lbs trailer but its home made so i know what it will do and just go easy when its loaded. My biggeat wory is the axle. I may upgrade it this summer for peace of mind to get me by till i can save enough to build a bigger tandom axle trailer.

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[Wood Doctor]

It is but not looking to get rich.lol just a hobby and if i can make bit of money doing a hobby that ausome. I mostly sell ash. If i was to sell oak or hickory i would have to rais price and cant load as much cauae of the weight differance. Im already way over weight for my 2000lbs trailer but its home made so i know what it will do and just go easy when its loaded. My biggeat wory is the axle. I may upgrade it this summer for peace of mind to get me by till i can save enough to build a bigger tandom axle trailer.

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Around here, people prefer ash over oak because it has almost the same heat content and seasons faster. Discounting the ash for selling would thus be pointless. We once ran a survey on this website and ash outdistanced oak as the #1 firewood that anyone could collect. It's also easier to get going in the stove and keep going. But, that's another topic.

 

[merc_man]

Around here, people prefer ash over oak because it has almost the same heat content and seasons faster. Discounting the ash for selling would thus be pointless. We once ran a survey on this website and ash outdistanced oak as the #1 firewood that anyone could collect. It's also easier to get going in the stove and keep going. But, that's another topic.

Red oak is about same as ash but white oak is up about same as hichory and weighs alot more to.

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[TRTermite]

If you bring in $600 in firewood from one customer, that's remarkable. I would have to make five deliveries to that person to equal it. I guess I am way underpriced at $120 per load, and that measures about 85 cu ft, racked up, split, delivered, and stacked. If nothing else, this thread has convinced me to go to $140 per load in 2016 and then see how many people object to the price hike.

You might keep the price of fuel in the back of your pricing structure. Your pricing in Omaha is basicly 180.00$ a cord in southeast NE many are paying 200 to 270 for a cord pending on size/specie/seasoned/Stacked etc..

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

If you bring in $600 in firewood from one customer, that's remarkable. I would have to make five deliveries to that person to equal it. I guess I am way underpriced at $120 per load, and that measures about 85 cu ft, racked up, split, delivered, and stacked. If nothing else, this thread has convinced me to go to $140 per load in 2016 and then see how many people object to the price hike.

You just need to get a normal sized truck with dump bed. At least a 1 ton, but a 1.5 ton even better. Then you can easily haul 2+ cords in a trip.

Some of my deliveries are close to $2000 between the wood and delivery fee. I haul 5.5 cords in my 10 wheeler.

 

[muddstopper]

For some reason, I figure if I ever do get in the firewood business, my prices would have to be around $225 cord. I havent actually tried to set a price because I havent sold a stick of firewood since highschool. I do know a little about determining price and profits. It would seem to me that anybody selling wood would have to treat it as a business, not part time work or a hobby. Its either a business or its a charity. It the intent is to make money, then its a business. If your not making money then its a charity. Just trying to break even is just an exercise in futility, wont make money, be more aggravating than necessary, and a general waste of time. I can sit on the couch and go broke, why would anybody want to do firewood just to break even.

 

[Wood Doctor]

For some reason, I figure if I ever do get in the firewood business, my prices would have to be around $225 cord. I havent actually tried to set a price because I havent sold a stick of firewood since highschool. I do know a little about determining price and profits. It would seem to me that anybody selling wood would have to treat it as a business, not part time work or a hobby. Its either a business or its a charity. It the intent is to make money, then its a business. If your not making money then its a charity. Just trying to break even is just an exercise in futility, wont make money, be more aggravating than necessary, and a general waste of time. I can sit on the couch and go broke, why would anybody want to do firewood just to break even.

Make it $230 or better yet, $240 a cord. Lots of people pay cash for firewood. Round it to the nearest $20 bill. That makes it a dozen twenties, but make sure that you deliver a full cord (128 cu ft), not some crazy face cord.

 

[Deleted member 116684]

If I paid the prices people on here charge for wood I wouldn't be able to afford it. I scrounge or have it dumped in my yard by a tree service. I then have the awesome privilege of cutting and splitting it. Sometimes I sell a little, sometimes I give a little.Maybe I'm just incredibly lucky, but I come across trees all the time that are free. I talked to a builder this week who will let me have all the wood they cut down on the lots he is clearing, even call me to tell me when its available. Or today, a tree service guy I know dumped 1.5 cords of oak in my yard, said it was a Christmas gift. He dumped it next to the 2 cords of white oak and hickory another guy gave me earlier this year for free.
300 dollars a cord??? People actually pay that?
Maybe I can get in the firewood business.

 

[Cody]

If you bring in $600 in firewood from one customer, that's remarkable. I would have to make five deliveries to that person to equal it. I guess I am way underpriced at $120 per load, and that measures about 85 cu ft, racked up, split, delivered, and stacked. If nothing else, this thread has convinced me to go to $140 per load in 2016 and then see how many people object to the price hike.

I'm around 3 hours northeast of you and we started selling seasoned split ash at $60 full size truck load, oak was $75. We've since increased our prices to $100 for ash, $120 for oak. I think you can get more near the bigger cities, not a whole lot of people burn wood around here.

 

[muddstopper]

Biggest thing about getting free wood is being able to take it when its available. If you have another job and just doing firewood on the side, it hard to get to a work site where they are removing trees and actually get them removed on their time schedule. If you can get the tree service to dump on your site, thats all fine and dandy. Around here, the tree companies just want to get rid of the wood as fast as possible and they dont want the expense of having to haul it several miles to dump it. If you can show up on their work site while they are actually doing the job, often they will load your truck or trailer for you, just so they dont have to haul the wood away to be disposed of. Customers want the site cleaned up before the tree service leaves the site, they dont want to wait around for someone else to get roundtoit removing the wood. I have a 6x10 dump trailer. I can haul a full cord of hardwood behind my 1/2ton pickup pretty easily. Anymore than that and I start getting uncomfortable. being the trailer is a dump, I can haul 10ft logs, which means the tree company doesnt have to make as may cuts to get rid of the wood. If they have a loader of some sort on site, they can load the logs on my trailer pretty quickly and have that wood out of the way and only worry about chipping and removing the brush. Real world is I have a job that keeps me out of town during the week, seldom do I get to show up at the job site when the tree company is actually taking down trees. Around here, a homeowner that takes down their own trees usually has a wood stove too. My best wood comes from developers clearing house sites and loggers with cutoffs and rejects on their logging site. If I show up with a dump trailer, they will usually take their loader, and do their best to overload the trailer if I let them. Four or five loads a year will usually do me and it doesnt consume all my time to do other things.

 

[Raganr]

Just need to sell the right kind of firewood.