Best Hardwood Pellets for Pellet Stoves
Hardwood pellets have been around forever, and plenty of pellet stove owners still swear by them.
I’ve burned a lot of hardwood pellets over the years, and some of my all-time favorites fall into this category. But I wouldn’t buy a pellet just because the bag says 100% hardwood.
I’ve learned over the years that what matters much more is how the pellet actually burns.
Heat output, ash, fines, consistency and how clean your stove stays will tell you a lot more than the hardwood label alone.
My Top Hardwood Pellet Brands
These are some of the hardwood pellets I’ve personally burned, tested and followed over the years:
- Hamer’s Hot Ones – awesome!
- Turman Hardwood Pellets – also awesome!
- Cubex Wood Pellets
- Barefoot Pellets – wicked awesome!
- Somerset Wood Pellets – totally awesome!
- Pro Pellets
- Fiber Energy Products Wood Pellets
- Michigan Wood Pellets
I’ve burned these pellets in a variety of stoves over the years, including Harman, ComfortBilt and Quadra-Fire models.
Just remember that pellet quality can change from year to year and even from batch to batch, so I always recommend trying a few bags before committing to an entire ton.
What Are Hardwood Wood Pellets?
Hardwood pellets are generally made from hardwood sawdust and wood fiber from species such as:
- Oak
- Maple
- Hickory
- Birch
- Beech
- Ash
A lot of this material comes from sawmills, flooring mills and other wood-product manufacturing operations.
The sawdust is dried, ground and compressed under high pressure into the little pellets we dump into our stove hoppers every winter.
Are Hardwood Pellets Better?
Sometimes. But not simply because they’re hardwood.
That’s probably the biggest thing I want pellet stove owners to understand.
With regular firewood, hardwood is usually denser than softwood and can provide a longer-lasting fire.
Pellets are different.
Once that wood is ground down and compressed into pellets, the finished fuel becomes much more uniform. Some premium softwood pellets actually produce more BTUs per pound than many hardwood pellets. (high)
That doesn’t make hardwood pellets bad — far from it.
It just means you should judge the pellet, not the tree it came from.
Benefits of Hardwood Pellets
Plenty of Heat
A good hardwood pellet can throw some serious heat.
For example, Hamer’s Hot Ones are made from Appalachian oak and have been one of my favorite hardwood pellets over the years.
I’ve had plenty of hardwood pellets that kept the house nice and warm through some seriously cold New England weather.
Very Low Ash Is Possible
One misconception is that hardwood pellets automatically produce a lot of ash.
That’s not necessarily true.
A well-made hardwood pellet using clean wood fiber can produce extremely low ash.
Turman Hardwood Pellets, for example, have traditionally been known for very low ash and a clean burn.
What matters is the raw material, bark content and manufacturing quality.
Consistent Burning
Good hardwood pellets tend to be firm, consistent and easy for the auger to feed.
That’s important.
A bag full of broken pellets and sawdust can cause feeding problems and make your stove run differently than it should.
When I’m looking at a bag of pellets, I always pay attention to how much loose sawdust is sitting in the bottom.
Excellent Availability
Hardwood pellets are also widely available throughout much of the Northeast, Midwest and other pellet-burning regions.
Depending on where you live, you may find hardwood pellets at:
- Independent pellet dealers
- Stove shops
- Hardware stores
- Farm and feed stores
- Lumber yards
- Big-box stores
That availability can be a big advantage when you’re trying to stock up before heating season.
Hardwood Pellets vs Softwood Pellets
This is probably one of the most common questions pellet stove owners ask:
Are hardwood or softwood pellets better?
There isn’t one answer.
Some premium softwood pellets burn incredibly hot and leave very little ash.
Some hardwood pellets do exactly the same thing.
Softwoods can actually have a higher heating value because of their natural lignin and resin content, so the old idea that hardwood automatically means more heat doesn’t really apply to pellet fuel. (high)
My advice is simple:
Try the pellet.
Don’t get hung up on whether the bag says hardwood or softwood.
Hardwood Pellets vs Blended Pellets
A blended pellet contains a combination of hardwood and softwood fibers.
A good blend can provide excellent heat and low ash, and I certainly wouldn’t avoid one just because it isn’t 100% hardwood.
If you’re comparing the two, take a look at my guide to blended wood pellets.
I’ve burned excellent pellets in all three categories:
hardwood, softwood and blended.
What Should You Look for in a Good Hardwood Pellet?
When I’m testing pellets, these are the things I care about:
Heat
Does the stove put out good usable heat without having to crank the feed rate?
Ash
How much ash is sitting in the burn pot and ash pan after several bags?
Fines
Look at the bottom of the bag.
A little sawdust is normal. A bag full of fines isn’t.
Glass
If the stove glass gets filthy almost immediately, I start paying attention.
It doesn’t automatically mean the pellet is bad, but it can be a sign that something isn’t burning correctly.
Clinkers
Hard deposits building up in the burn pot can interfere with airflow and make the stove miserable to maintain.
Consistency
This one is huge.
I want bag number 40 to burn like bag number one.
Don’t Buy a Ton Before You Test Them
I’ve said this for years, and it may be the best pellet-buying advice I can give anyone:
Buy a few bags first.
If you’re considering a new hardwood pellet, grab three or four bags and run them through your stove.
Watch:
- Heat output
- Ash buildup
- Glass cleanliness
- Burn-pot buildup
- Flame consistency
- Pellet consumption
- Amount of sawdust in the bag
Then make your decision.
Finding out that your stove hates a pellet after you have 48 bags stacked in the basement is no fun.
Why Do Hardwood Pellets Burn Badly in Some Stoves?
Sometimes the pellets really do suck.
But sometimes they don’t.
Feed rate, combustion air, a dirty stove, dirty venting or a burn pot that needs scraping can completely change how a pellet performs.
If you’re getting a lazy flame, black glass, excessive ash or pellets piling up in the burn pot, check out My Pellets Suck — Now What? before writing off the whole ton.
A good pellet stove cleaning can make an enormous difference too.
So, What Are the Best Hardwood Pellets?
There isn’t one hardwood pellet that’s going to be the best choice for every stove or every part of the country.
Availability alone can make that impossible.
But brands like Hamer’s Hot Ones, Turman, Cubex, Barefoot and Somerset have built strong reputations with pellet stove owners over the years.
I’ve burned and reviewed a lot of them myself.
Use the individual reviews above, read what other pellet burners are experiencing and, whenever possible, test a few bags yourself.
You can also compare them with my overall picks for the best wood pellets.
At the end of the day, I’m looking for the same thing you are:
Lots of heat, very little ash and a pellet I don’t have to fight with all winter.