Best Fuel for a Wood Burner NZ
Modern wood burners need dry, dense fuel to perform the way they were designed to. This page covers the best fuel options for NZ wood burners — from kiln-dried firewood to wood briquettes — and which works best for which kind of burner.
The short answer
For most modern enclosed wood burners (Metros, Masports, Kents, and similar), the best fuel is dry, dense, low-moisture wood. That means either kiln-dried hardwood firewood or wood briquettes — both of which perform far better than air-seasoned firewood.
The options ranked
1. Wood briquettes (best overall)
Pressed pine briquettes are the highest-performance fuel for a modern wood burner. Bone-dry, dense, consistent in size, and burn 3x hotter per kilo than seasoned firewood. They produce less ash and less creosote in the chimney.
2. Kiln-dried firewood (excellent)
Kiln-dried firewood drops the moisture content to under 20%, which is what modern wood burners are tuned for. Lights first try, burns hot, traditional look.
3. Air-seasoned firewood (okay if dry, bad if not)
Air-seasoned firewood varies wildly. Properly dry seasoned firewood works fine; underseasoned firewood produces smoke, creosote, and lukewarm fires. You need a moisture meter to be sure.
4. Coal (don't)
Most modern wood burners are not rated for coal, which burns hotter and contains sulphur that damages the firebox. Stick to wood.
Why fuel choice matters for modern wood burners
Modern NZ wood burners have to meet emission and efficiency standards. They're designed around dry wood at around 15–20% moisture. Burning wet wood:
- Drops the burner below its efficient operating temperature
- Produces smoke and incomplete combustion
- Coats the chimney in creosote (a fire hazard)
- Voids some warranties
Dry, dense fuel — briquettes or kiln-dried firewood — lets the burner operate the way it was designed.
Our wood burner fuel options
Wood Fire Pucks subscription — our briquettes, delivered weekly. Plans start at $36/week. Try the subscription →
Bulk kiln-dried firewood — 5m³ or 8m³ loads delivered across the Waikato. Order bulk firewood →
Bunnings retail — 10L boxes of pucks at Bunnings nationwide. Find at Bunnings →
For more on how briquettes are made, see our guide to wood fire pucks.
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