Chestnut trees are part of the hardwood Fagaceae tree family. This is the same family that oak and beech trees derive from. There are a few varieties of chestnut trees that grow all over the world, but does it make good firewood?
Chestnut is generally slow-burning firewood that produces a BTU of 18.3 million per cord on average. It sparks a lot, so it is best to use it outdoors or in log burners with a closing door.
What Are The Varieties Of Chestnut Wood?
Chestnut comes in a whole range of varieties. Each type has its firewood uses and disadvantages.
It is worth noting contrary to popular belief, horse chestnut is not a variety of chestnut and so will not be discussed as firewood in this article, you can read more about this variety here.
American Chestnut: Even though it may not be assessable in some areas due to being an endangered species, American chestnut does make good firewood.
Dwarf Chestnut: Native to the stretch of forestry from Maryland to Kentucky, dwarf chestnut is not used as firewood. It only reaches around 7 feet tall and is not worth the processing effort to most people.
Chinese Chestnut – Not many people would choose Chinese chestnut as their firewood option. There are few lasting heat benefits from it and it is an unpleasant wood to work with.
Sweet Chestnut – This is the chestnut variety that is most used to burn in North America. It also goes by the name European chestnuts or Spanish chestnut but is widely available in North America.
What Are The Physical Characteristics Of Chestnut Wood?
| Name | Chestnut |
| Heat per cord (Million BTUs) | 18.3 |
| Weight dry (lbs per cord) | 2652 |
| Weight green (lbs per cord) | 4675 |
| Seasoning time | 2 years |
| Resin/ Sap Content | Low |
| Splitting Difficulty | Easy-Moderate |
| Smoke | Heavy Smoke |
| Smell | Mildly Sweet – Unpleasant |
| Coal Production | Very Poor |
| Cerocote Build-up | Very Low |
More info on firewood heating values and weights here.
Is Chestnut Easy To Split?
Sweet chestnut wood is very easy to split. Though tits wood is strong, a hydraulic splitter will make short work of it. American chestnut is also easy to split but can be difficult due to its tendency to develop an irregular grain pattern.
On the other hand, Chinese chestnut can be a little bit more difficult to split as its wood is very durable. Though other hardwoods like black locusts are significantly harder to split than Chinese chestnut.
What Does Chestnut Smell Like?
When their flowers are in bloom, chestnut pollen is known to be very sweet; perhaps overly sweet.
After sweet chestnut has been seasoned, it will burn with a neutral smell. But American chestnut maintains its sweetness, just considerably milder.
If you would prefer a stronger, more aromatic firewood, birch produces a similarly sweet but more intense smell than American chestnut.
Few people enjoy burning Chinese chestnut as it released a very unpleasant rotting meat smell.
How Much Sap Content Does Chestnut Have?
Chestnut trees are not known to produce a lot of sap.
This is certainly an advantage, woods with excess sap or resin, like Douglas fir or Cedar, can cause creosote to build up quickly and make the wood pop and spark more.
Moisture Levels Of Chestnut
Many hardwoods such as oak carry a low moisture content.
Though chestnut derives from the same family as oak, it does have significantly higher water content. Therefore, its seasoning time is more on par with woods like elm and has a less effective burning time.
Heat Output and Efficiency of Chestnut
Each variety of chestnut, while burning at a similar BTU, are not all efficient firewood.
Chinese chestnut can produce a moderate amount of heat but is not great at maintaining that heat for a long period of time.
As for the American chestnut, its flame will be small, but it will be strong. Burning an average heat of 18.3, American chestnut will light quickly making it a great wood to throw on at the start of your fire.
Both sweet chestnut and American chestnut are slow-burning woods. They do not produce as high a heat as oak or hackberry wood, but they can produce a moderate heat per cord that lasts a while.
Fire Characteristics Of Chestnut
Let’s look at what type of fire a chestnut produces to determine the best situation to burn it in.
Creosote build-up
With a generally low sap content, chestnut firewood will not result in a lot of creosote in your fireplace through the burning of sap.
However, lots of smoke can also cause a build-up of creosote. Not only does chestnut release a lot of smoke, but it is a slow burning wood meaning that the smoke stays in your chimney for longer.
To prevent a build-up of creosote in your fireplace, mix it with other premium quality firewood.
Amount Of Smoke
As a very moist wood, chestnut does produce a heavy amount of smoke.
Usually, seasoning a wet wood helps to reduce the moisture content and results in less smoking when burning. But that is not the case for chestnut. Even if seasoned chestnut produces a medium amount of smoke.
Does It Produce Coals?
Chestnut lasts as long as it does because it is a slow-burning wood.
Firewood that produces good quality coals can fuel a fire for longer. However, chestnut can burn for a decent amount of time by itself and doesn’t need coals. Similarly to hemlock firewood.
To keep your fire burning for longer than a few hours, mix some oak in with your chestnut. Oak is very good at producing high-quality coals and will keep your fire burning way longer.
Is It Okay To Burn Chestnut In A Fireplace?
Pretty much every type of chestnut has the same issue: it produces a significant amount of sparks when burning. This is especially true about sweet chestnut and American chestnut.
Though sparks can be mesmerizing to watch, you will need to use a screen to keep safe when burning chestnut wood in your fireplace.
Your best bet is to only burn chestnut wood in a log burner. This way you will be able to close the door to from the sparks and will be able to control the smoke better.
Avoid using Chinese chestnut in your fireplace. Between the sparks and the unpleasant odor, it is not the best choice of wood to burn in a fireplace.
To mimic its quick lighting abilities, use poplar or tulip poplar wood instead.
How Long To Season Chestnut Wood?
You will not be able to completely stop the smoke that chestnut produces when burning but allowing the wood to properly season will help.
Chestnut is a very moist wood and requires at least 2 years to season. Comparatively, oak takes 3-4 years to season but is more efficient firewood.
Remember to check your firewood with a moisture meter before burning it. Moisture content below 20% means that the wood is ready to burn.
Pros And Cond Of Using Chestnut as Firewood
The firewood community is split on how good of a firewood chestnut actually is. So let’s break it down into some pros and cons.
Pros:
- Low sap content
- Slow-burning wood
- Moderate heat output
- Easy to split (in most cases)
Cons:
- Heavy amount of smoke
- Poor coal production
- Long seasoning time
- Less heat output than other hardwoods
How Does Chestnut Compare To Other Firewood?
Chestnut is a hardwood but performs poorly when compared to hardwoods such as oak and hackberry.
The heavy amount of smoke is off-putting to most people, but its slow-burning qualities make it better firewood than poplar or cedar. On the other hand, because of the high smoke production, a box elder firewood, which has a similar BTU rating, would be a better option.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Which Chestnut Wood Burns Best?
American chestnut has the most benefits when used as firewood, including its sweet smell and moderate heat. However, it is hard to find as it is the most endangered of the chestnut varieties.
Your second-best bet is sweet chestnut.
Is Chestnut An Indoor Firewood?
Only burn chestnut indoors if you have a log burner.
It is a wood that released both a substantial amount of sparks and smoke. So, ensure that you have the safety measures in place before burning it indoors.
Can I Use Unseasoned Firewood For Burning?
Typically, unseasoned firewood will release more smoke and will not produce as much heat as it will have a higher moisture content than dry firewood.
Conclusion
There are a handful of chestnut woods to choose from, but American and sweet chestnut make the best firewood of all chestnut varieties. Though they produce a heavy amount of smoke, they produce an average BTU of 18.3 million per cord.
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