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Compressed Sawdust Logs

Q: Great FAQs. Thanks. Here's a new one: Does burning densified logs (hardwoods, no-wax type, basically a giant pellet) have any benefit? Supposedly they burn hotter lb-for-lb than cord wood. But, can they get too hot for a typical stove? Or is that a matter of air control? Do the hotter exhaust gases mean that the creosote which is in the lignin, and which is forced into the outer surface of the log during compression, will burn more readily and completely? The logs are clean and easy to store; probably more expensive per BTU than hardwood. But maybe the benefits are worth it. I've seen these logs for the first time this year here in New England, so I'm also thinking that they might be a good item to carry and sell in my business (I'm in the paint supplies business). What do you guys think of them?

Jim Stratton
Merrimack, NH

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the inquiry! Actually, the compressed sawdust logs don't burn hotter, pound for pound, than seasoned cordwood. Each LOAD might produce more heat, however, because each compressed log is heavier (contains more wood fiber) than an equivalent-sized piece of most species of cordwood. This advantage is counteracted somewhat by the fact that some of the resin content (and its heat value) is baked out of compressed logs during the kilning process.

When comparing compressed logs to cordwood, the best measure to use is btu content: most compressed logs contain about 17 million btu/ton. This is the same btu content as a cord of Alder or Pine, as shown on the fuelwood chart in our Sweep's Library. Thus, if your price for a cord of Alder or Pine is about the same as your price for a ton of compressed logs, your fuel cost would be equal. If you can get a cord of Alder or Pine for less than the price of a ton of compressed sawdust logs, you'd be money ahead to buy the cordwood. Similarly, if you can get any of the higher-btu content species shown on our chart for the same price as a ton of compressed logs, you'd be money ahead burning the cordwood.

What sells the compressed logs is the no-bugs, no-dirt factor, and the fact that compressed logs are ready to burn when you buy them (they don't require seasoning, like cordwood does). We've burned them, and found them to be a viable, if expensive, alternative to cordwood. We have observed no difference in creosote formation between compressed logs and properly seasoned fuelwood.

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