Kiln Dried Firewood

Frequently asked questions:

What is the difference between kiln dried and seasoned firewood?

There are 2 big differences between kiln dried firewood and seasoned firewood. Seasoned firewood is dried outside allowing animals, insects, molds, and fungus to find a home in the pile, or stack. Kiln dried firewood is heated to an internal temperature greater than 160 degrees Fahrenheit that will kill any insect larvae, molds, or fungus so the end result is not only a dry product but one that is free of pests to be safely stored indoors and kept dry.

What types of wood are in Grade A Firewood?

Our Grade A firewood is a mix of premium hardwoods such as oak, maple, cherry, birch, hickory, etc. The characteristics of these species produce the best burning experience.

What are the measurements of the firewood?

The wood is cut to 16 inches (plus or minus approximately 1 inch) and the face of the wood we try to keep under 20 square inches.

Are there different grades of Kiln Dried Firewood?

Yes, Grade A, Grade B 

What is Grade B Firewood?

Our Grade B firewood is a mix of lesser desired species such as elm, locust, sassafras, tulip, sycamore, etc. because of smell, ash production, or sparks. They burn well because they are kiln dried but may be best served for burning in a wood burning stove or furnace as opposed to a fireplace. Grade B wood can have a wider variance in cut length and face size. 

What is Conifer wood? WHEN AVAILABLE

Conifer… yes conifer.  You’ve probably been told never burn pine.  Though that may be true of pine containing sap or moisture.  Kiln dried pine burns beautifully, produces little smoke, and actually produces nice heat.  The sap is dehydrated leaving only a hard resin behind.  Any damp wood is going to produce creosote.   Conifers have a bad reputation because they have a high moisture content.  When it is air dried it tends to begin to decompose faster than hardwood so there is a small window of burnability.  Since conifer is lighter once dried and tends to burn at a faster rate we split conifer to a larger size for maximum burn time.  Because we kiln dry conifer, it’s basically the same as burning lumber.  We do however recommend limiting conifer to wood burning furnaces due to its large amount of spark production. 

Is there price difference between the different grades of Kiln Dried Firewood?

Yes

                 Price List for all grades of Kiln Dried Firewood:

Grade A:

Skid loader bucket        $50 shop pick up only

¼ Cord                            $150

1/3 Cord (face cord)      $195

½ Cord                            $280

Full Cord                          $500

Grade B:

Skid loader bucket         $40 shop pick up only

¼ Cord                             $120

1/3 Cord (face cord)       $155

½ Cord                            $225

Full Cord                          $425

Conifer: WHEN AVAILABLE

Skid loader bucket         $25 shop pick up only

¼ Cord                            $75

1/3 Cord (face cord)      $100

½ Cord                             $150

Full Cord                             $250

End Cuts and Odd Shapes:

Skid loader bucket         $20 shop pick up only

¼ Cord Bag                   $75 includes the bag

Full Cord                         $200

Do we offer delivery?

We can deliver anywhere in the Pittsburgh area. We do have to charge for deliveries outside of 10 miles from our Tarentum shop.

Do you have self serve options?

Yes, Self-serve shop pick up is open M-F from 7am to 5pm and Saturdays from 7am- Noon. Hours are subject to change. Visit our Facebook page for up-to-date information on closures, discounts, or other special offers. 

            More detailed information about Kiln Dried Firewood and Seasoned:

Kiln Dried Firewood

What is Kiln Dried Firewood?

Kiln dried firewood is cut, split, and placed into large bins to be dried inside a large, insulated container and heated to 260 degrees for 30-40 hours to remove large amounts of moisture to create a ready to burn product.

So why kiln dry firewood? 

Doesn’t firewood dry on its own?  Isn’t naturally dried firewood cheaper than kiln dried firewood?

Is there really that big a difference between “seasoned” firewood and kiln dried firewood?

The answer to all three is yes!

1. Firewood does dry naturally on its own if the right conditions are met and enough time is given for the wood to dry.  Air dried firewood or “seasoned” firewood if properly dried will burn very well.  After all, man has used wood for burning for thousands of years.  The difference is that in today’s society many of us are not going out into the woods to harvest our own firewood, so we depend on reputable companies to supply our needs.  Seasoned firewood, as mentioned before, takes months and sometimes up to a year or more to properly dry.  Kiln dried firewood can be cut, split, dried, and ready to burn in as little as 2 days.
2. “Seasoned” firewood is cheaper than kiln dried firewood. By how much depends on the seller’s interpretation of the word “seasoned”.  The word seasoned is thrown around the firewood industry and has been for a long time.  However, there is really not an exact definition that is adhered to by all firewood producers of what constitutes “seasoned” firewood.  The proper definition is wood that has been cut, split, stacked, and left to dry for all 4 seasons.  Some will tell you that seasoned firewood begins when the tree is felled.  Still others do not really concern themselves with any sort of definition, they just sell you what is in their pile.  After all, the less they have to handle the firewood, the less their cost.

Kiln DRIED firewood is just that… DRY.  The process of drying firewood in a kiln requires extra steps in the process which in turn requires more labor thus the higher price.

3. There are 2 big differences between kiln dried firewood and seasoned firewood. Seasoned firewood is dried outside allowing animals, insects, molds, and fungus to find a home in the pile, or stack.  Kiln dried firewood is heated to an internal temperature greater than 160 degrees Fahrenheit that will kill any insect larvae, molds, or fungus so the end result is not only a dry product but one that is free of pests to be safely stored indoors and kept dry.

Kiln drying also allows the production of a consistent product being dried and stored under the same conditions time after time whereas seasoned firewood is subject to weather conditions.

Advantages of Kiln Dried Firewood in General

1. Lights easier
2. Burns hotter
3. Produces significantly less smoke that can produce creosote and other harmful emissions
4. More flame production due to a more efficient burn
5. Pests, molds, and fungi are killed during the drying process so storage indoors is much less risky.
6. Safer to cook with due to mold spores being killed during the kiln drying process
7. Creates a consistent heat for cooking

Advantages of our Kiln Dried Firewood

1. Because we dry our wood in a kiln, there is no need to have a large stockpile waiting to dry. Even if we have a low supply of wood from our tree service, we have several vendors to supply us with logs or even split green wood.  The end result is that we never really run out of wood.   
2. Our wood is dried in a commercially built kiln that dries our wood utilizing natural gas and the process can be monitored by custom built computer software to ensure the process is running smoothly which produces a consistent product.
3. We can produce custom orders to meet whatever your firewood needs such as custom length cuts to fit larger or smaller stoves. We can produce size and species-specific wood for restaurants or residential customers with allergies to certain species.
4. Once our wood comes out of the kiln, it is stored under a large canopy on concrete to ensure that the wood stays dry until the time of purchase.
5. When Delivering firewood, we run our wood through a cleaning process to remove as much dust, loose bark, or chaff as possible so that all you get is clean, dry, ready to burn firewood.

Cooking wood.  Whether you are a well-established restaurant or a home chef, we can supply your need for cooking over a wood fire or pizza oven.  Since we can make custom cuts and segregate by species, we can produce a variety of cooking woods.  Some of the more popular cooking woods are oak, hickory, cherry, apple (chunks) and pear.  Pricing varies depending on species, cut size and in some cases, like apple wood, availability.

Please note that cooking over a wood fire at home you will rarely use a large amount of wood.  We keep most cooking wood species in stock and in a storage container.  We sell this in 1.5 cubic foot bags or by the 1/12 cord tray.

***ALL QUANTITIES FOR ALL WOOD PRODUCTS ARE ESTIMATED***

No matter what type of wood you are burning it’s always a good idea to have your chimney inspected by a professional after each burning season. 

Delivery or self-serve shop pick up.

We can deliver anywhere in the Pittsburgh area.  We do have to charge for deliveries outside of 10 miles from our Tarentum shop.

Stacking can be provided at an additional cost.  Minimum charges for stacking is $45 per ¼ cord but can increase with proximity to truck access.

Self-serve shop pick up is open M-F from 7am to 5pm and Saturdays from 7am- Noon.  Hours are subject to change.  Visit our Facebook page for up-to-date information on closures, discounts, or other special offers.

Wholesale Supply

Our firewood can be bundled and bagged for resale at convenience stores, garden centers, beer distributors, hardware stores, campgrounds, etc.

We offer 2 different sized bags.  Our yellow bags hold approximately 0.75 cubic feet, and our larger green bags are approximately 1.5 cubic feet.   Pricing varies based on volume of sales, number of deliveries, and routing travel.

We also offer bulk deliveries of kiln dried firewood.  A bulk wholesale delivery would be considered 2 or mor cords.  Again, pricing would be set by the anticipated volume.

Contact us for a no-obligation quote.

Restaurant Supply

In the restaurant business, a reliable supplier is a must.  Because of its consistency in temperature and our fast turnaround time, our kiln dried firewood is a favorite with our restaurant customers.  We make it our mission to make sure deliveries are made on time so as not to interrupt service.

As with other customers, we can offer custom splits to provide the best possible product.  Since we can make custom cuts and segregate by species, we can produce a variety of cooking woods.   Triple split oak is a favorite with our wood fired pizza restaurant clients.  Oak and cherry mix plays well with the barbeque restaurants.   Basically, if it’s a native species to western PA, we can provide it.

Maybe you have no intention of cooking with the wood.  Maybe you have a fireplace and are simply looking to add ambiance to your customers’ dining experience.  Grade A mixed hardwoods or a maple/cherry mix would work well.  We will work with you to provide whatever your firewood needs may be.

Pricing varies depending on species, cut size and in some cases, like apple wood, availability.  Please contact us for a no obligation quote.

           What customers are saying about our kiln dried firewood:

3/2023

Ordered firewood delivery from Vaughan’s this past week. I’ve been a firewood hound for years. Cutting my own, finding different folks selling it. You never know what you’re going to get, and sometimes its overpriced junk wood. Including an adventure to get it. Anyone looking for quality firewood should give Vaughan’s a call. Vaughan’s delivered Kiln-dried quality, clean wood at a competitive price, no hassle. Highly recommend if you’re in the market for firewood. I’ll be calling Vaughan’s again when my stores run low and will look into their tree services too.

Steve D. Verona 

2/2021

Bryan,

Wanted to let you know this wood burns great.  I’m super happy with it.  I will definitely be getting more coming up.  It’s nice to meet a straight up honest good person.  AAAAA++++++

Thanks, Michael N. Penn PA

7/2021

Thank you for supplying Hot Ash Wood Fired Pizza with a fresh lad of kiln dried oak firewood!  Its perfect in our brick oven.

Nadine P. Vandergrift