How much firewood for winter? Firewood calculator
A 150 m² house insulated after 2000, with hot water from a gasification boiler, burns about 12.3 mp of seasoned beech or about 15.3 mp of pine per season. Beech at e.g. 500 PLN/mp comes to about 6,167 PLN for the winter. Pick the species, water content and appliance to see the metres for your house.
Example: 150 m² house, insulated
For the season you need about 12.3 mp of firewood
- 8.8 m³ of solid wood (forest district measure)
- 18.5 loose cubic metres (logs tipped from a trailer)
- about 6,023 kg
- a stack of about 12.3 m³
Cost about 6,167 PLN a season
about 810 PLN in a heating season monthabout 514 PLN a month on averageheat demand about 18,600 kWh/yr
Prices from 8 September 2026, estimate
| Fuel | Per season | 1 kWh of heat | Season cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pellets | 4.5 t | 0.56 PLN/kWh | 10,405 PLN |
| Eco-pea coal | 3.1 t | 0.27 PLN/kWh | 4,960 PLN |
| Firewood | 12.3 mp | 0.33 PLN/kWh | 6,167 PLN |
| Natural gas | 1,784 m³ | 0.33 PLN/kWh | 6,069 PLN |
| LPG | 2,937 l | 0.51 PLN/kWh | 9,398 PLN |
Assumptions and formulaPrices from 8 September 2026
Heat demand
Q = 150 m² × 100 kWh/m² + 4 people × 900 kWh = 18,600 kWh
Amount of fuel
V = 18,600 kWh ÷ (1,885 kWh/mp × 0.8) = 12.33 mp
Season cost
12.334 mp × 500 PLN/mp = 6,167 PLN
Heating season month
4,973 PLN ÷ 7 + 1,194 PLN ÷ 12 = 810 PLN
- Hot water per person
- 900 kWh
- Energy in wood: beech, 20% water
- 1,885 kWh/mp, 3.86 kWh/kgLWF Merkblatt 20: Scheitholz (Bavarian State Institute of Forestry, Jul 2025)
- 1 m³ of solid wood
- 1.4 mp stacked, 2.1 loose m³LWF Merkblatt 20: Scheitholz (Bavarian State Institute of Forestry, Jul 2025)
- Appliance efficiency
- 80 %
- Price
- 500 PLN/mpExample from the 450-550 PLN/mp range for seasoned wood at depots, Murator, Sep 2026
- Heating season length
- 7 moexample, hot water counted over 12 months
An estimate for a typical heating season. Delivery, fixed gas charges and the appliance with its servicing are not included.
How electricity, gas, pellet and coal prices have changed, month by month. Price history
Ready-made calculations
How to use the calculator
- Enter the floor area, insulation standard and household size, or type the heat demand in kWh.
- Pick the wood species and water content. Wood seasoned for about a year under a roof has about 20%.
- Enter the appliance efficiency (boiler e.g. 80%, fireplace insert e.g. 70%) and the price per stacked metre.
- Click Calculate usage and read the stacked metres, m³, loose metres and kilograms.
Metres of firewood by species
For a 150 m² house insulated after 2000, with hot water for four people and an 80% boiler, the calculator gives about 12.3 mp of beech, about 13.1 mp of birch, about 15.3 mp of pine and about 17.4 mp of spruce. Pine at e.g. 380 PLN/mp costs about 5,828 PLN per season, beech at e.g. 500 PLN/mp about 6,167 PLN.
In a fireplace insert with e.g. 70% efficiency the same house would need about 14.1 mp of beech, about 7,048 PLN. A fireplace usually heats one room, though, so it will not work as the only heat source in such a house.
Stacked metres, m³ and water content
According to the LWF tables, 1 m³ of solid wood is about 1.4 mp stacked and about 2.1 loose metres. The 12.3 mp of beech in the example is about 8.8 m³ in a forest district price list or about 18.5 loose metres from a trailer. The stack takes about 12.3 m³ of covered space.
Water content changes the weight more than the number of metres. The same beech with about 50% water is about 13.8 mp instead of 12.3 mp, but about 10,764 kg instead of about 6,023 kg, because you carry and burn water. Wood bought fresh in autumn is ready to burn only next season.
Frequently asked questions
How many metres of firewood does a 150 m² house need for winter?
With an 80% boiler and hot water for four people, about 12.3 mp of seasoned beech, about 13.1 mp of birch or about 15.3 mp of pine. For space heating alone about 9.9 mp of beech is enough.
How much does firewood for a whole winter cost?
Beech from a depot at e.g. 500 PLN/mp comes to about 6,167 PLN per season for a 150 m² house, pine at e.g. 380 PLN/mp about 5,828 PLN. Wood from a forest district is cheaper but fresh: you need to cut, split and dry it for about a year.
What is the difference between a stacked metre and a cubic metre?
A cubic metre (m³) is solid wood with no gaps. A stacked metre (mp) is 1 m³ of logs stacked with gaps: according to LWF 1 m³ of solid wood gives about 1.4 mp. Forest districts quote prices per m³, depots per mp.