Oak Firewood Cost Calculator
The national estimate is adjusted by your state's overall price level (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2022, U.S.=100). This is a cost-of-living proxy applied to the national oak firewood price — not a per-state oak firewood quote. Always get local quotes before buying.
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Oak earns its premium on heat, not on the sticker. White oak at 26.3 MMBTU per cord outperforms mixed hardwood at 20.0 MMBTU, so a cord of oak does roughly a quarter more work than a mixed load.
That means oak can cost noticeably more per cord and still come out cheaper per MMBTU. At $300 per cord, white oak works out to $11.41 per MMBTU.
Mixed hardwood has to fall below $228 per cord (76 percent of the oak quote) before it wins on delivered heat. The calculator converts...
Oak buyers ask one question: is the higher price worth it? The honest answer is that oak costs more per cord but also carries more heat per cord, so the fair comparison is dollars per MMBTU, not dollars per cord. This page runs that comparison for you.
Ways to save on this project
White oak’s tighter grain produces less smoke and fewer chimney deposits.
For an airtight stove you load at night, the $20–$40/cord premium pays back in fewer chimney cleanings.
Suppliers discount heavily from January through March when demand collapses.
Two-cord orders at off-season pricing regularly save $60–$120 against peak fall buying.
| Type | BTU/Cord (M) | Burn Quality | Smoke Level | Price vs Red Oak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White oak | 29.1 | Excellent — dense coals, long burn | Low | +$20–$40 per cord |
| Red oak | 27.9 | Very good — good coals | Low-medium | Baseline |
| Mixed hardwood (oak-heavy) | 24–28 | Good — variable | Medium | –$30–$60 per cord |
| Green oak (unseasoned) | ~14 effective | Poor — hissing, creosote | High | –$60–$100 per cord (discount) |
The Bottom Line
- White oak delivers $26.3 against $18–$22 for mixed hardwood, so oak wins on cost per MMBTU until mixed drops below 76 percent of the oak price.
- White oak beats red oak by 1.7 MMBTU per cord, which is 6.8 MMBTU over a four cord season, worth about $78 at a $300 per cord example rate.
- Green oak delivers 25 to 35 percent less heat, so a $350 green cord is really a $467 to $538 seasoned cord.
- Buying April through June instead of October through December saves 20 to 30 percent, more than the entire oak premium.
- A full cord is 128 cubic feet. A face cord is roughly 42.7 cubic feet, one third of the wood. Measure the stack before paying.
Oak vs Other Species: Heat, Cords, and Cost Per MMBTU
Dollar figures below are a worked example using a flat $300 per cord across every species, so the only thing changing is heat output. A 100 MMBTU season is the baseline, which is a typical primary-heat load in a cold climate.
| Species | MMBTU per cord | Cords for 100 MMBTU | $/MMBTU at $300 per cord |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory | 27.7 | 3.6 | $10.83 |
| White oak | 26.3 | 3.8 | $11.41 |
| Red oak | 24.6 | 4.1 | $12.20 |
| Mixed hardwood | 20.0 | 5.0 | $15.00 |
| Pine | 15.9 | 6.3 | $18.87 |
Read the last column, not the first. Pine at half the price of oak is still the expensive fuel once you count the cords it takes to finish a winter. Species BTU values come from EIA wood energy data.
The break-even is simple. Oak stops making sense when mixed hardwood is priced below about 76 percent of the oak quote, because 20.0 divided by 26.3 is 0.76.
See BTU output across all common hardwoods with the firewood BTU calculator.
White Oak vs Red Oak: What the Gap Is Worth
White oak runs $26.3 and red oak $24.6. The gap is 1.7 MMBTU per cord, about 7 percent. Over a four cord season that is 6.8 MMBTU, roughly a quarter cord of free heat.
At the worked example rate of $11.41 per MMBTU, that 6.8 MMBTU is worth about $78 a season. Real money, but not enough to chase across town.
My rule after three different sellers: take white oak when the price is the same or within a few percent, and stop caring past that. Red oak splits easier and seasons a little faster anyway.
Green vs Seasoned: The Real Cost of Wet Oak
Green wood spends its own heat boiling off water before it warms your house. Expect 25 to 35 percent less delivered heat from a load that has not dried below 20 percent moisture.
Worked example. A $350 cord of green oak at a 25 percent loss delivers what a $467 seasoned cord would deliver. At a 35 percent loss it is the equivalent of paying $538.
Oak is the slowest common firewood to dry, needing 12 to 24 months split and stacked. Wet wood also smokes hard, which is the fuel condition EPA Burn Wise flags for both efficiency and health.
When to Buy: Seasonal Price Swings
Firewood pricing follows demand, not cost. Prices peak October through December when everyone panics at the first cold night, and bottom out April through June when sellers want the yard cleared.
Spring buyers typically pay 20 to 30 percent under peak. That discount alone can exceed the entire white oak premium.
There is no federal price series for firewood, so quotes are market estimates. State surveys like the Maine heating fuel price survey are the closest thing to a public benchmark in the northeast.
Worked Example: Four Cords of Oak, Start to Finish
Cold climate house, 100 MMBTU season. White oak at $26.3 means 100 divided by 26.3, or 3.8 cords. Round to 4 cords for the shoulder months.
At a $300 quote plus a $100 delivery fee, that is $1,300, or $12.35 per MMBTU across 105.2 MMBTU delivered.
Same house on mixed hardwood at 20.0 MMBTU per cord needs 5 cords. Even at $240 per cord plus the same $100, that is $1,300 for 100 MMBTU, or $13.00 per MMBTU. Oak wins.
Measure the Stack Before You Pay
A full cord is 128 cubic feet stacked tight: 4 feet high by 4 feet deep by 8 feet long. Anything else is not a cord no matter what the invoice says.
A face cord or rick is one row deep, usually 16 inches, so about 42.7 cubic feet. That is one third of a cord at a price people often mistake for full cord pricing.
Stack it, tape it, then pay. Multiply height by depth by length in feet and divide by 128 to get your actual cord count.
When Mixed Hardwood Is the Better Buy
Mixed hardwood wins whenever its per cord price falls below 76 percent of the oak quote, since it delivers about 76 percent of white oak's heat.
It also wins on time. If you need wood burning this winter and the only oak available is green, seasoned mixed hardwood is the cheaper delivered heat by a wide margin.
Supplemental burners running 1 to 2 cords a year rarely recover the oak premium. Buy oak when you burn 4 or more cords.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is oak firewood more expensive?
Density drives everything. Oak packs more wood fiber into the same 128 cubic feet, which is why it delivers $26.3 versus $18–$22 for a mixed load.
That density also means slow drying. A seller who stacks oak for two seasons before selling it has real carrying cost baked into the price.
Per unit of heat, oak is usually the cheaper fuel despite the higher cord price.
Is white oak or red oak better for firewood?
White oak carries $26.3 against red oak's $24.6, a difference of 1.7 MMBTU per cord.
Over four cords that is 6.8 MMBTU, worth roughly $78 at a $300 per cord example rate. Worth taking if the price matches, not worth a premium.
Red oak has more open pores and dries somewhat faster, which matters more than the BTU gap if your stack is young.
How many cords of oak do I need to heat my house?
Start from your season's heat load, not from cord counts. A 100 MMBTU season on white oak at $26.3 needs 3.8 cords.
The same season on mixed hardwood at $18–$22 needs about 5 cords. That one cord difference is oak's whole argument.
Stove efficiency changes the answer as much as species does. The wood heating cost calculator handles climate and efficiency together.
How long does it take to season oak firewood?
Oak is the slowest common firewood to dry. Twelve months is the floor for split wood in a sunny, windy stack, and two years is safer.
Buy green oak in spring at the low point of the price cycle and burn it the following fall or the fall after. That is the single move that saves the most money.
Test a fresh split face with a moisture meter before burning. Under 20 percent is the target EPA Burn Wise uses for clean combustion.
Oak Firewood Cost per Million BTU: How It Compares to Gas and Propane
The formula is delivered price per cord divided by MMBTU per cord. Include delivery in the price or the comparison is dishonest.
Worked example: $300 per cord divided by 26.3 gives $11.41 per MMBTU for white oak. Red oak at the same price gives $12.20.
Use the same math for propane or pellets to compare across fuel types. The firewood vs propane calculator runs live fuel prices, which matters where propane is highest and swings well above the national average.
Is oak firewood worth the premium over mixed hardwood?
The break-even is 20.0 divided by 26.3, or 76 percent. If oak is quoted at $300, mixed hardwood has to come in under $228 to beat it on delivered heat.
Volume matters too. Fewer cords means fewer deliveries, less stacking, and less handling, which is real value if you are moving five cords by wheelbarrow.
For a 1 to 2 cord supplemental burner, the premium rarely pays back. Buy the cheaper seasoned wood.
How much does a cord of oak firewood cost?
There is no federal price series for firewood, so any quote is a local market rate. Oak tends toward the higher end of the hardwood range because of its weight, handling cost, and long seasoning time.
Spring quotes (April to June) typically run 20 to 30 percent under fall peak. A $300 fall cord may be $210 to $240 in spring, which is often below the break-even threshold versus mixed hardwood.
The only number worth comparing is cost per MMBTU. Enter your cord price and it will tell you whether oak or mixed hardwood is the cheaper delivered heat at your quote.
Content Sources
- EIA -- Annual Energy Review Table 10.3: Wood Energy by Type (as of June 2026)
- EPA Burn Wise -- Wood Smoke and Your Health (as of June 2026)
- Maine DOER Heating Fuel Price Survey (as of June 2026)