Selling paper wood vs selling firewood.

[4570Man]

$22/ton is nothing. A 10 ton truckload for $220? You couldn't buy fuel for the truck for that. That's truck length logs, right?

I don't have any idea what I use as far as measured units. I cut and pile it, then cut and split as needed. I couldn't imagine cutting and splitting enough to sell at any type of profit when I added in costs of oil and gas to run the tools.

The other option is pushing it up in a pile and burning it or cutting in 8-10’ lengths and hauling it somewhere else to cut for firewood later.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I have 3 options here similar to yours. Hard wood pulp, your paper wood, at $34 a ton, log length fire wood at $100 a cord, or hardwood pallet logs at $200 per thousand (about 2 cord depending on diameter). The difference in value is very small. None are money makers in small volumes. You either have to want something to do and break even maybe or you have to want to get rid of it and it is worth the work. To me the pulp and pallet logs are better because like Jstpssng says it is a 7 mile each way trip to the log yard and you get your money w/o an argument or big discussion. Also you don't have to dump it out behind the house w/o making ruts in the lawn.

gg

 

[CMV]

Around here, lots on clist sell split firewood (hardwood) by the pickup truck load. $X delivered, $Y if you come get it. Also see a decent amount of individual logs when people have a nice cedar or similar.

Typical examples around here are $160 for a cord, split seasoned, delivered, & stacked. $70 for a "pickup truck load" delivered (would guess a pickup load is around 1/2 cord for an 8' bed?). I would guess multiple smaller loads in a smaller truck would be more $ overall, but more time consuming for deliveries. But we're more densely populated than Crossville so a lot of potential deliveries within a 20 min drive. You'd be lucky to break even just running to Cookeville & back probably if you paid yourself min wage for splitting & loading it

Since you and someone else need wood anyway, you're already processing it. Might be best to do like a lot around here and offer it up on clist for $X per pickup load, you come & get it. The wood is there for your use, people come and take away the excess you processed, but you're not really going out of your way or expense loading & delivering. Extra passive income whenever someone shows up to take a little at a time.

 

[crazyal]

When I was clearing a lot to build on I had a lot of hardwood that I needed to get rid of. Most of it was red maple, so not high value. So I ended up cutting and splitting it. I sold some but would never do it for a living. In fact I doubt I would do any of those options as I would rather let the trees rot and replenish the soil. Some of the local guys use a chainsaw and splitter while others just rent a processor for a day (about $400). A processor may not be too bad but you would need enough wood to keep it busy to justify the added expense. The biggest problem with firewood is people expect too much. More than one person assumed I was going to stack the wood at their house. If you can find a way of off loading it into a pile you might do ok with selling it in log length for firewood. But I have a feeling that people are not going to want it just rolled off the side of a trailer.

 

[4570Man]

I have 3 options here similar to yours. Hard wood pulp, your paper wood, at $34 a ton, log length fire wood at $100 a cord, or hardwood pallet logs at $200 per thousand (about 2 cord depending on diameter). The difference in value is very small. None are money makers in small volumes. You either have to want something to do and break even maybe or you have to want to get rid of it and it is worth the work. To me the pulp and pallet logs are better because like Jstpssng says it is a 7 mile each way trip to the log yard and you get your money w/o an argument or big discussion. Also you don't have to dump it out behind the house w/o making ruts in the lawn.

gg

I get 200 per thousand on low grade logs that don’t meet the criteria for paper wood. I don’t have the option to sell unsplit for 100 a cord otherwise I’d probably do that.

 

[Jstpssng]

You are getting a better price selling it as logs than for pulpwood. (paper wood.) A thousand feet is approximately 2 cords, or 9400 lbs of hardwood.
I may misunderstand what you are saying though, generally even a low grade log needs to be more straight and sound than a stick of pulp.

 

[Diggin It]

The other option is pushing it up in a pile and burning it or cutting in 8-10’ lengths and hauling it somewhere else to cut for firewood later.

How would it work out for a logger to come in, cut and haul away? I see that done quite a bit, but I never ask anyone about money involved.

 

[LD1]

Firewood is a nasty cut-throat business.

When we cut excess, we sell. When we don't get any cut, we dont sell. Just depends on the year, weather, other life circumstances, etc. And IF we sell, when we are out, we are out.

Last year we sold somewhere between 20 and 30 full cords, I don't remember exactly. Sold for $160/cord delivered within a 15-20 mile radius or so.

But there is NEVER a shortage of people on c-list selling truckloads of wood....which I too HATE.

Rick, rack, face-cord are "technically" illegal as others mentioned as they arent a defined unit of measurement.....BUT....at least MOST know its 1/3 cord for pieces cut ~16". And as much as I would prefer someone just to advertise 1/3-cord....it is still MUCH better than "truckload"

What is a "truckload"?
short bed, long bed, or small truck like a S-10 or ranger?
is the bed a standard bed....or is it like the modern trucks that are 4" +/- deeper
Is the load thrown in or stacked
How high is it heaped?

Just too many variables.

I have NEVER had one complaint about selling someone a "cord" of wood. And often get surprised looks at the amount of wood I am delivering, and comments like "thats alot more wood than the last guy we got a cord from"

Too many dishonest people out there. But prices "advertised" range from under $100 a cord to over $200 a cord around here. So who knows what the actual fair market value is. And who knows what the quality of the wood is, and if its even seasoned.

Sold out of wood last year selling for $160, and started having to tell people we were out. That tells me that my price is too cheap. Id rather sell less wood for more money.

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^
I got an email from my cousin a few years ago. He had bought a load of 8' firewood; every stick was 7 feet, six inches. I don't know for sure but it sounded like it was cut with a timber processor and the guy needed to recalibrate his computer. I also don't know what my cousin did, if anything; but suggested that he ask for a rate reduction. OTOH it may have been stacked higher or longer to accommodate the shorter length.

 

[CobyRupert]

But there is NEVER a shortage of people on c-list selling truckloads of wood....which I too HATE.

Rick, rack, face-cord are "technically" illegal as others mentioned as they arent a defined unit of measurement.....BUT....at least MOST know its 1/3 cord for pieces cut ~16". And as much as I would prefer someone just to advertise 1/3-cord....it is still MUCH better than "truckload"

What is a "truckload"?
short bed, long bed, or small truck like a S-10 or ranger?
is the bed a standard bed....or is it like the modern trucks that are 4" +/- deeper
Is the load thrown in or stacked
How high is it heaped?

Just too many variables.

True, there's SO MANY VARIABLES: Type of wood (BTU's), moisture content, small rounds vs. split heart wood, bark, stacked vs. unstacked (and air space as function of smaller rounds vs. split small vs. split larger, air space of "curvy wood" vs. neat square chunks), stacked delivery or dumped, etc.. and PRICE!

With so many other variables it seems ridicules that the unit used for measurement becomes a fuss. Is it okay to say "that much wood right there for $x"?

"Caveat emptor!" (Let the buyer be aware)

Even if it is "a cord", that doesn't tell you very much if you're trying to compare the BTU's to someone else's cord.

I bet I could take a "cord" of wood and stack it so it's .8 cord of wood, or stack it so it's 1.25 cord of wood. So which of the 3 is it?