White Spruce Firewood — BTU Rating, Burn Quality & Tips

Picea glauca

BTU per Cord

15,900,000

Density

2,240 lbs/cord

Category

softwood

Split Difficulty

easy

Spark Rating

medium

Smoke Rating

medium

Coaling Quality

poor

Seasoning Time

6 months

Availability

common

Common northern softwood with moderate heat output. Burns fast with average sparking. Good for kindling and quick-heat fires. Widely available in northern states and Canada. Seasons quickly. Use in combination with denser hardwoods for sustained heat.

Pros

  • +Easy to split
  • +Seasons relatively quickly (6 months)
  • +Widely available

Cons

  • -Lower heat output
  • -poor coaling quality

Best Uses for White Spruce

Open Fireplace

Acceptable — use a screen

Wood Stove

Usable but lower heat

Campfire

Great — easy to light and splits easily

Smoking/Cooking

Not recommended — resinous flavor

Seasoning White Spruce

White Spruce requires approximately 6 months of seasoning to reach the ideal moisture content of 20% or below. Split wood to 3-6 inch pieces and stack with good airflow. Keep the top covered but leave sides open to air. Store off the ground on pallets or rails.

Compare With Similar Species

Eastern Hemlock

15,900,000 BTU/cord · poor coaling

Ponderosa Pine

16,200,000 BTU/cord · poor coaling

Balsam Fir

14,300,000 BTU/cord · poor coaling

Eastern White Pine

14,300,000 BTU/cord · poor coaling

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Last updated: December 2024