Log Stores

Buying guide

Dry wood is the single biggest factor in a clean, hot fire, whether in a stove, a fire pit or a pizza oven. A log store keeps rain off while letting air through, so seasoned logs stay dry and fresh logs keep drying. This guide explains what makes a good log store, how much you need and how our timber and steel stores compare.

How a log store dries wood

Freshly felled wood can be half water by weight. Wood dries by losing that moisture to moving air, so a log store needs three things: a roof to keep rain off, open or slatted sides so wind can carry moisture away, and a raised floor to keep logs off damp ground. Air-seasoned logs usually take one to two years to dry, depending on species and size; dense oak typically takes two years or more.

• Split first. Split logs dry far faster than whole rounds.
• Stack with gaps. Leave space for air between logs, bark side up.
• Cover the top, not the sides. Open sides let the wind do the work. A sunny, breezy spot is ideal.
• Off the ground. Raised floors, such as on the Shire heavy duty and tall wall stores, stop damp wicking up.
• Test before burning. Split a log and push a moisture meter into the fresh face near the middle. Aim for 20% or less.

In England, wood sold in volumes under 2 cubic metres must be certified Ready to Burn (20% moisture or less), so bagged kiln-dried logs arrive ready. Store them under cover so they stay that way. Our firewood guide compares the common UK woods.

Buying firewood to store

In England, wood sold in volumes under 2 cubic metres must be certified Ready to Burn, which confirms 20% moisture or less: look for the logo and certificate number on the bag. Larger loads can be sold wet, but the supplier must give you a notice explaining how to dry, store and check the wood before you burn it. Kiln-dried logs arrive dry and only need keeping dry; seasoned logs bought wet need a year or more in an airy store first.

Types of log store

Most capacity

Open-fronted timber stores

Slatted sides and a pent roof for seasoning, from the 6x3 heavy duty store to the tall wall store for narrow spaces.

See the 6x3 store

Neat and compact

Triangular stores

Apex stores in pressure treated tongue and groove timber with a high kindling shelf, in large and small sizes.

See the triangular store

Ready to burn

Log boxes

Lidded boxes about 131cm wide and 68cm high for kiln-dried logs and kindling by the back door.

See the log box

Feature piece

Steel log stores

Firepits UK stores in 3mm steel: circular (90 or 120cm), half circular (145cm) and pyramid (110cm high), plus a log store seat.

See the circular store

Sizes compared

How much space do you need?

Size the store for the way you burn. A fire pit or pizza oven used at weekends needs far less than a stove that runs every evening through winter. If you buy seasoned wood by the load, choose a store that holds a full delivery with room for air; if you buy kiln-dried bags, a log box or small store by the door may be enough. Many people use two: a large seasoning store at the end of the garden and a small one near the house for the next few days' logs.

Think about kindling too. A fire that lights quickly from dry kindling makes far less smoke than one coaxed from damp twigs, so give it its own dry shelf or box. The Shire triangular stores and the Firepits UK circular store both have a separate space for it, and a lidded log box by the door keeps a day's kindling bone dry.

How to stack a log store

• Put the driest, readiest logs where you can reach them, and newer wood at the back or in a separate store, so you burn first in, first out.
• Stack bark side up with small gaps for air, and do not pack the store solid.
• Keep heavier logs low and the stack stable, especially in tall, narrow stores.
• Use kindling shelves and partitions for small wood: the Shire triangular stores have a high kindling shelf, the Woodlowe Cross a cross partition and the Firepits UK circular store a kindling space at the top.
• Leave the front of an open store clear so air can reach the whole stack.

Timber or steel?

Timber stores hold the most and blend into a garden. Shire uses pressure treated timber on most of its stores (the 6x3 heavy duty store is dip treated), with a 10-year anti-rot guarantee that depends on treating the timber with a spirit-based preservative after assembly and at least once every 12 months. Steel stores from Firepits UK are slimmer (25cm to 30cm deep), so they sit close to a wall, and make the logs part of the design. They are bare 3mm steel that weathers to a rusty patina, which Firepits UK says does not affect use; the circular store suits indoors or out.

Where to put a log store

• Somewhere sunny and breezy for seasoning, with the open side facing the prevailing wind if you can.
• On a firm, level base: Shire asks for concrete, paving, pressure treated bearers or a frame base, not bare soil.
• With a small gap behind it if it stands against a wall, so air can move and the wall stays dry.
• Within easy reach of the stove or fire pit, but keep stacked logs a safe distance from any lit fire.

Logs, fires and the house

Keep stacked logs a safe distance from any lit fire pit, chiminea, pizza oven or BBQ, where sparks or radiant heat could reach them. Indoors, bring in only a few days' supply at a time so the surface is warm and dry before burning, and keep it outside the clearances your stove manual gives. Store logs outside the house rather than in a garage or cellar, where they can harbour damp and insects, and never stack them against air vents or over a damp-proof course.

Storage and seating by the fire

The Firepits UK log store seat is a 40cm cube of 3mm mild steel with a hardwood seat on top and an open side for logs, 42cm high, in a plain or leaf design. Several around a fire pit give everyone a seat and keep fuel close. For carrying logs to the fire, see the Firepits UK log carrier bag.

Buying a log store from us

We are an independent UK online retailer selling Shire timber log stores and Firepits UK steel stores, made by hand in Wales. Delivery to England and Wales is free, and our team can help you choose a size for your stove, fire pit or pizza oven: just contact us with how you burn.

Looking after a timber log store

• Treat the timber before or soon after assembly and then every 12 months to keep Shire's guarantee.
• Check roof felt on the log boxes and pent-roofed stores each autumn.
• Use the oldest, driest logs first, and clear bark and debris from the floor between loads.
• Keep plants and soil away from the timber so it can dry out.