Guide.
Seven FSC certified kiln-dried hardwood species — each with its own burn profile, aroma, heat output and food pairing. Understanding your wood is the difference between a good fire and a great one.
Use this guide to choose the right species for your pizza oven, firepit, smoker, or live-fire grill — whether you're cooking at home or running a five-star kitchen.
Oak is the gold standard of firewood. Dense, long burning, and producing a steady intense heat with a mild, pleasant smoke. Requires slightly longer to reach full temperature but rewards with exceptional endurance.
Oak produces a mild, subtle smoke with earthy undertones — present enough to add character to food without overpowering it. Its smoke is neutral enough to pair with virtually any protein or vegetable, making it the most versatile smoking and cooking wood available.
Blend 70% Oak with 20% Olive and 10% Birch for the ultimate pizza oven programme — Oak for heat mass, Olive for aromatic signature, Birch for fast ignition on service start.
Olive is one of the densest hardwoods available — high calorific value, long burn duration, and a distinctively rich Mediterranean smoke that makes it instantly recognisable in any professional kitchen.
Olive produces a distinctive, slightly sweet Mediterranean aromatic smoke. Its fragrance is unmistakable — herbal, rich, and complex. It adds a signature character to anything cooked over it that no other wood replicates. A single piece in the oven changes the whole flavour profile of a pizza.
Olive burns hot but takes time to catch — always use Birch or a firelighter to establish the fire first, then add Olive once you have a good base of embers. Never use Olive as your sole ignition wood.
Birch is the lighter hardwood — lower density means faster ignition, brighter initial flame and quicker heat build. Ideal as the ignition partner for denser species like Oak and Olive.
Birch produces a mild, slightly sweet aroma with minimal smoke. It's not a smoking wood per se — its value is in its ignition speed and clean, bright flame. It burns with a pleasing crackle and produces very little off-putting smoke, making it excellent for indoor fireplaces and covered outdoor areas.
Birch available in 40L sacks (~15kg) — the perfect format for hospitality kitchens using it as an ignition and blending wood alongside Oak and Olive logs.
Beech is the clean, efficient workhorse — high heat with barely any ash or smoke residue. Service kitchens love it because it keeps the oven clean and the kitchen clear.
Beech produces a mild, subtly sweet aromatic smoke. It's not as assertive as Oak or Olive, making it ideal when you want the fire's heat but not its flavour to dominate the food. Particularly well-suited to delicate proteins like fish, game birds and vegetables where a neutral heat source is preferred.
Beech is the ideal substitute when Oak is in short supply — similar heat output and duration, even cleaner burn. Many Michelin-starred wood-fired restaurants in Europe use Beech as their primary fuel.
Cherry is a medium-density fruitwood — burns with good heat, produces a beautiful pink-red smoke and imparts a distinctive sweet-fruity character to anything cooked over it.
Cherry wood produces a sweet, fruity smoke that adds both flavour and beautiful mahogany colour to the surface of meat. It's mild enough not to overpower and pairs especially well with poultry and pork. The smoke creates a stunning bark on chicken skin and adds a signature finish to ribs that no other wood replicates.
Blend Cherry with Hickory 50/50 for a balanced BBQ smoke — Hickory gives the bold savouriness, Cherry gives the sweetness and the colour. The combination is the foundation of classic American competition BBQ.
Hickory is the boldest, most assertive smoking wood in the range. Strong, pungent, and with a distinctive savoury character — use with purpose. A little goes a long way.
Hickory produces a strong, bacon-like savoury smoke — the defining flavour of American BBQ. It penetrates deeply into meat and creates complex, earthy, rich flavour. Too much Hickory can be overpowering, so it works best blended with milder woods like Cherry or Oak for balanced profiles.
Never use Hickory as your sole fuel for long cooks — the smoke intensity builds over time and can turn bitter. Use Oak or Beech as your primary fuel and add Hickory chunks or chips to manage smoke intensity.
Ash is one of the most overlooked yet most reliable firewood species. Clean, steady, minimal smoke — it delivers consistent heat across long periods without demanding much attention.
Ash produces a very clean, neutral burn with minimal smoke and no notable aroma. This makes it ideal when you want warmth and heat without flavour impact — for fireplaces, outdoor heating, and cooking situations where you're adding smoke separately via chips or chunks rather than the primary fuel.
Ash is the only major hardwood that burns well even when slightly green — though kiln-dried Ash is always preferred for optimal performance and minimal smoke in enclosed spaces.
Compare all seven.
Quick-reference guide for chefs and procurement teams. Ratings out of 5.
| Species | Heat | Duration | Smoke | Ignition | Best For | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak | Pizza · Grill · Smoke · All-round | 10kg / 40L | ||||
| Olive | Pizza · Mediterranean · Signature | 10kg bundle | ||||
| Birch | Ignition · Blending · Firepit | 40L sack | ||||
| Beech | Pizza · Fish · Game · Clean burn | 10kg bundle | ||||
| Cherry | Poultry · Pork · Smoke colour | 10kg bundle | ||||
| Hickory | Ribs · BBQ · Bold smoke | 10kg bundle | ||||
| Ash | Firepit · Heating · Neutral base | 10kg bundle |