When it comes to firewood, the major differences between hardwood and softwood is density. Hardwoods are usually more dense than softwood. More density means more actual wood mass in any given size of wood. More wood means the wood will burn longer and produce more total heat.

But not all hardwoods are more dense than all softwoods. The terms hardwood and softwood are not determined by the hardness or softness of the wood. Hardwood is any wood that comes form broadleaf trees, like oak, hickory, ash, maple, walnut, madrone, aspen and cottonwood.

Softwoods come from conifers, which have needles or scale leaves, like pine, fir, spruce, cedar, hemlock and redwood. The differences between hardwood and softwood come from the difference in cellular structure between the two. Hardwoods do tend to be harder than softwoods but not always. Cottonwood, aspen, and alder come from trees with broad leaves, so they are hardwoods, but these woods are as soft as many softwoods.

The density of the wood will give you a general idea of how it will burn. You can tell if dry wood is more dense because it will be heavier than a similar size of less dense wood.

More dense wood will burn longer and produce more heat over a longer period. Lower density wood will ignite easier, burn faster, often with more intense flames. But it will burn faster and with less total heat.

Dense hardwoods are great for wood stoves to maintain the heat in your home. But for quick heat or for starting fires softwood can be a better choice. It ignites easily and puts off hot flames more quickly. It can also be good for campfires or fireplaces if you want more flames than coals. If you want good long lasting coals you will be better with dense hardwood.

What will be best for you will depend on what you are wanting out of the wood. Both types of firewood have their advantages and disadvantages. I like to have a mixture of both. Hardwood is usually more expensive  but that is because you get more heat out of it. Softwood will burn up faster but that is fine since it usually costs less.

Unlike with many other products and services that we buy that are well advertised, firewood often comes from small, often one person businesses who don’t have much of a budget for advertising. Firewood dealers do advertise but typically not on TV commercials, radio and in many areas you won’t find them in the Yellow Pages of the phone book.

If you only want a few pieces sometimes grocery or convenience stores will sell bundles of firewood but it can be expensive. Below you will learn where to buy firewood in larger amounts.

Where Firewood Dealers Advertise

A very common place for firewood dealers to advertise is in local newspaper classified ads. Also the weekly papers that you can pick up free that are all ads. There are some dealers who have websites or are listed on the internet so you can find them with an internet search but most do not. If you want to find firewood on the internet look on Craigslist. A lot of dealers are advertising on Craigslist.

If you drive through some rural areas it common to see firewood for sale signs in front of people’s homes or in industrial parts of the city where a commercial firewood yard may be. You may not want to drive around specifically looking for signs but when you are driving keep a look out for them.

How to Find Firewood Dealers Who Don’t Advertise

Word of mouth in a good way to find where to buy firewood. Ask people you know who burn firewood where they get their wood and what kind of experience they had with the dealer and whether they would recommend them. Sometimes this way you can find dealers who don’t advertise at all, they may just sell a little on the side to make some extra money. These people may be more willing to bargain.

Ask a local tree service or forestry related business. In most areas of the world where there are trees you can almost always find tree services advertising, often in the yellow pages. If you call them a lot of times they will be able to tell you where to buy firewood. And a lot of times tree services will sell firewood on the side. Other businesses who may be good referrals are loggers, sawmill operators, lumber yards. Anyone who deals with forest products may be able to tell you where to buy firewood or will know someone who can.