# Economic limit to wood pellet fuel **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 11, 2016, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541 "2016-05-11T13:29:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/1 "2016-05-11T13:29:14Z")
Wood pellets are becoming a more popular fuel to heat with. Their main selling point is that they are cheap. They are cheap because they are made from waste products. If all sawmill waste was converted to fuel pellets, how many homes could be heated with them? ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/2 "2016-05-11T14:51:15Z")
You occasionally hear about cars converted to using old cooking oil as fuel. I wonder the same thing: How much waste oil is really out there? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/3 "2016-05-11T14:57:23Z")
Is sawmill waste used to make blandex board? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/4 "2016-05-11T15:16:09Z")
According to the [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellet_fuel)wood pellets are made from sawdust which is surprising since it can be used to make composite materials and burned to heat kilns at the mill. So there must be some excess of supply or dearth of demand for wood products if wood pellets are economical compared to pellets made from other agricultural waste products. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/5 "2016-05-11T16:26:27Z")
If my calculations are correct a little over 39 million homes could be heated if all sawmill waste from all the lumber produced in the US was converted to pellets. That might be off since lumber production is measured in board feet and pellets are measured in tons. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/6 "2016-05-11T17:33:02Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > If my calculations are correct a little over 39 million homes could be heated if all sawmill waste from all the lumber produced in the US was converted to pellets. That might be off since lumber production is measured in board feet and pellets are measured in tons. How did you come up with this number? I’m not questioning it but I’m really surprised. I thought the U.S was producing less lumber due to rising imports. I would’ve guessed that lumber mills found good uses or markets for sawdust since they’ve had to deal with it for a long time and I would’ve thought that they would try to minimize sawdust because the wood products are worth more than the dust. All together, I would never have guessed that sawdust wood pellets could cover a massive portion of the home heating needs in the U.S. This is astonishing. A former co-worker of mine left our employer to become a wood pellet furnace and fuel dealer. It seemed weird at the time but maybe I was off base. I don’t know how he is doing now but I heard that he went back to regular work. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/7 "2016-05-11T18:26:05Z")
A lot depends upon your location and the type of wood waste you are going to turn into pellets. Here in the Pacific NW most of the wood going through the sawmills is Douglas Fir or Sitka Spruce, both of which are completely unsuitable for wood pellet fuel. Well, it could be used as hog fuel for industrial power production, but not for home heating needs. All of the chipped wood scraps from these lumber mills goes toward paper production, not pellets. Truck, after truck, after truck, of wood chips rollin’ down the highway toward your future butt wipe needs. I have a pellet stove and enjoy it. I think had a half ton left from last year and paid $240 for one ton of pellets for this last winter and didn’t even use it all. Of course we work odd shifts and are not always home. I think it frosted the lawn only twice this year. “Thank you, global warming!” And these pellets that I buy are hardwood pellets. Low in ash and pitch. Fir pellets would probably create enough build up in the chimney to cause a fire. Cites: two sons working in lumber mills and the wife working in a paper mill. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/8 "2016-05-12T01:27:31Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > A lot depends upon your location and the type of wood waste you are going to turn into pellets. > > Here in the Pacific NW most of the wood going through the sawmills is Douglas Fir or Sitka Spruce, both of which are completely unsuitable for wood pellet fuel. Well, it could be used as hog fuel for industrial power production, but not for home heating needs. > > All of the chipped wood scraps from these lumber mills goes toward paper production, not pellets. Truck, after truck, after truck, of wood chips rollin’ down the highway toward your future butt wipe needs. > > I have a pellet stove and enjoy it. I think had a half ton left from last year and paid $240 for one ton of pellets for this last winter and didn’t even use it all. Of course we work odd shifts and are not always home. I think it frosted the lawn only twice this year. “Thank you, global warming!” > > And these pellets that I buy are hardwood pellets. Low in ash and pitch. Fir pellets would probably create enough build up in the chimney to cause a fire. > > Cites: two sons working in lumber mills and the wife working in a paper mill. Softwood pellets from pines and firs are the most desirable. Hardwood crates much more ash. More BTU’s in a 40# bag of fir than maple. That would be why the prices are structured the way they are. Pellets are my primary heating source until the subzero weather hits. I go through 4-5 tons per year. > [@](#): > > A softwood pellet will produce 10-20% more BTU’s per pound than hardwood depending on the species and create a lighter ash. > Many retailers call their hardwood pellets “Premium” - and charge accordingly. At the Pellet King we consider “Premium” pellets to be those made from all wood only with no bark. Hardwood pellets do cost more to produce because the raw materials cost more, this is a simple fact. At the PelletKing we sell each, but we will not try to push you into hardwood pellets because they cost more or are perceived to be premium. Simply put, they put out less heat and produce denser ash. [from here - third Qestion.](http://www.pelletking.com/wood-pellet-information.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/9 "2016-05-12T01:46:54Z")
Remember hearing about what was usually left in the forest, basically smaller branches of the cut down trees are now, thanks to wood pellet stoves, taken also and not left behind to decay on the forest floor. This seemed to be causing something of a soil depletion issue as too much was being removed. It also went into how what was just a reuse of a waste product was now a raw material consuming industry of its own. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/10 "2016-05-12T01:50:46Z")
> [@PoppaSan](#): > > Softwood pellets from pines and firs are the most desirable. You amaze me. Pine cannot be burned in a fireplace, lest the chimney catch on fire. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/11 "2016-05-12T02:04:02Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > You amaze me. Pine cannot be burned in a fireplace, lest the chimney catch on fire. I believe that by the time the wood has been converted to pellets the pitch has been removed and doesn’t tend to build up creosote. Also the pellets are compressed so that the lower density of softwood isn’t a factor. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/12 "2016-05-12T02:16:58Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > I believe that by the time the wood has been converted to pellets the pitch has been removed and doesn’t tend to build up creosote. Also the pellets are compressed so that the lower density of softwood isn’t a factor. Ah. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/13 "2016-05-12T04:14:31Z")
Just a note that the saw dust doesn’t only come from the lumber mills. Producers of pellets also provide trailers to production shops like cabinet makers. The dust collection dumps into those trailers. I don’t know what the actual economics of the exchange are. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/14 "2016-05-12T04:48:38Z")
> [@PoppaSan](#): > > Softwood pellets from pines and firs are the most desirable. Hardwood crates much more ash. More BTU’s in a 40# bag of fir than maple. That would be why the prices are structured the way they are. Pellets are my primary heating source until the subzero weather hits. I go through 4-5 tons per year. > > [from here - third Qestion.](http://www.pelletking.com/wood-pellet-information.aspx) You are quoting from a web site for crappy pellets. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/15 "2016-05-12T06:43:59Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Wood pellets are becoming a more popular fuel to heat with. Their main selling point is that they are cheap. They are cheap because they are made from waste products. If all sawmill waste was converted to fuel pellets, how many homes could be heated with them? The more popular they become, the less it becomes true that the source material is still a ‘waste’ product - and then they start being ‘not-cheap’. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/16 "2016-05-12T10:10:00Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > You are quoting from a web site for crappy pellets. It was late, I was tired. I grabbed the first one to support my POV. I can go to almost any pellet stove site and find the same thing just said differently. Softwood pellets are a better product for heating than hardwood. I’ve burned them for over 10 years. My parents did 5 years before that. My neighbors have a larger stove and have also burned pellets for almost 10 years. We all agree with the basics in the cited post. Soft has much less ash and an apparent higher heat output. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/17 "2016-05-12T11:28:09Z")
I heat with a similar, but different fuel source. Not the pellets but the bio bricks. Made from the same source material just a different size and shape. They come in different sizes and BTU capacities. Love em, and i will never go back to burning cord wood. I don’t think the bio blocks are available from softwood, and if they were would not use. You do have to be sure to not overload the wood stove as they burn hotter than cord wood. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/18 "2016-05-12T12:08:46Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > I heat with a similar, but different fuel source. Not the pellets but the bio bricks. Made from the same source material just a different size and shape. They come in different sizes and BTU capacities. > > Love em, and i will never go back to burning cord wood. I don’t think the bio blocks are available from softwood, and if they were would not use. You do have to be sure to not overload the wood stove as they burn hotter than cord wood. I don’t believe bio-bricks are in general the same source as wood pellets but a mix of wood scraps/dust and recycled cardboard. Perhaps OK for wood stoves but look disgusting in a fireplace where the ambiance is also the factor, biobricks looks like a big growing turd also I do question the higher heat output as they seem to be lower to me, mainly because they don’t burn as fast as they tend to self limit much like if you burn stacked paper, once that ash coating is established it limits the rest. Again a wood stove may not have this issue, or a longer smoldering burn may be desirable. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/19 "2016-05-12T14:02:12Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I don’t believe bio-bricks are in general the same source as wood pellets but a mix of wood scraps/dust and recycled cardboard. Perhaps OK for wood stoves but look disgusting in a fireplace where the ambiance is also the factor, biobricks looks like a big growing turd also I do question the higher heat output as they seem to be lower to me, mainly because they don’t burn as fast as they tend to self limit much like if you burn stacked paper, once that ash coating is established it limits the rest. Again a wood stove may not have this issue, or a longer smoldering burn may be desirable. Look good to me, and once you get the fire going can’t tell the difference. Also there are different types. Some are easy to start and burn fast, others you can only get going putting on a bed of coals and they last long time. As said, I am never going back to cord wood. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541/20 "2016-05-12T14:05:11Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > Look good to me, and once you get the fire going can’t tell the difference. Also there are different types. Some are easy to start and burn fast, others you can only get going putting on a bed of coals and they last long time. As said, I am never going back to cord wood. Does it have to do with chopping it yourself? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economic-limit-to-wood-pellet-fuel/754541.md?page=2)