Yes, hickory is some of the best firewood you can burn. It’s dense, burns hot and holds a fire a long time, with heat output comparable to oak. The tradeoffs are that it’s hard to split, slow to season if you buy it green, and the smoke smells stronger than most woods. Buy it kiln-dried and most of those downsides go away.
How good is hickory as firewood?
Ask a few old-timers what the best firewood is and you’ll hear oak, hickory and locust over and over. There’s a reason. Heat comes from density: the heavier the wood is per cubic foot, the more fuel packed into every log. Hickory is among the densest hardwoods growing in the eastern United States.
Published firewood charts typically put shagbark hickory in the high 20s of millions of BTU per cord. That’s near the top of the list for common eastern hardwoods, roughly level with white oak and a step above red oak and sugar maple. Exact numbers vary by species, moisture and which chart you read, so treat them as a ballpark, not a promise. What matters in practice is simple: a log of dry hickory throws a lot of heat and leaves a bed of hot coals behind.
Our hickory firewood is processed and kiln-dried in the northeastern United States from hickory trees. We describe it as dense and hot-burning, with heat output similar to oak, and that matches what you’d expect from the species.
Hickory vs. oak vs. other hardwoods
Here’s how hickory stacks up on the things people ask about most. This is general guidance for dry wood, not a lab test.
| Wood | Heat | Burn time | Splitting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory | Very high | Long | Hard, can be stringy | Strong aroma, great coals |
| Oak | High | Long | Moderate | Slow to season if green |
| Maple | Medium to high | Medium to long | Easy to moderate | Clean, steady burn |
| Ash | High | Medium | Easy | Seasons relatively fast |
| Pine and other softwoods | Lower | Short | Easy | Burns fast, better for kindling |
If you want the full picture on drying, our post on kiln-dried vs seasoned firewood explains why moisture matters more than species once you get to the burn.
The honest downsides of hickory
Nobody’s wood is perfect, and hickory has a few quirks you should know about.
It’s tough to split. Hickory fibers are long and interlocked. Splitting it by hand can feel like arguing with a rope. A hydraulic splitter makes it easy. If you’re buying firewood that’s already split, you skip this entirely, which is one more reason to let a supplier handle it.
Green hickory takes a long time to dry. Because it’s so dense, it gives up moisture slowly. If you cut your own, expect a long seasoning period, and our guide on seasoning firewood faster has tips to help. Kiln-dried hickory sidesteps the wait, since it arrives dry and ready to burn.
It can be slower to catch. Dense wood doesn’t light as easily as pine or small splits. Start with kindling and a couple of smaller pieces to build a coal bed, then add hickory. A bundle of kindling makes this much easier.
The smell is stronger. Hickory gives off a distinct, sweet-smoky aroma. Some people love it. Others find it a bit much in a small room. If you’re sensitive to smells, burn a test load first.
Is hickory good for a wood stove or fireplace?
Yes, with one note. Hickory is a great stove wood because it burns long and hot, which means fewer reloads on a cold night. It leaves good coals, so you can restart a fire easily in the morning.
Because it burns hot, keep an eye on your stove’s manufacturer guidelines. Stoves are built for a certain fuel load, and dense hardwoods can push a small firebox if you pack it full. Load it the way your manual says and don’t overfire.
Smoke and creosote come from wet wood and starved fires, not from the species. Dry hickory burned with enough air is a clean fuel. If your stove smokes back into the room, check our post on why a wood stove smokes when you open the door.
Can you cook or smoke with hickory?
Hickory is one of the classic barbecue woods, and people associate its flavor with bacon and ribs. But heating firewood and cooking wood aren’t the same thing. For food you want small, clean, consistent chunks that burn steadily. Our 3-inch smoking chunks are made for that, and our guide to the best wood for smoking meat covers hickory next to cherry, apple and others. You can also browse the cooking wood category.
The takeaway: use hickory firewood for heat, and use dedicated smoking wood for food. Don’t toss bark-heavy or unknown firewood in your smoker.
How much hickory firewood do you need?
That depends on your burn rate more than your wood. Dense hardwoods last longer per log than light woods, so you’ll typically burn fewer pieces per evening than you would with pine. Our post on how much firewood you need for the winter has a simple way to estimate, and the heating firewood category lists every size from bundles up to a half cord.
Wherever you store it, keep it off the ground, covered on top and open on the sides. A rack does all three at once.
Tips for burning hickory well
A few habits make hickory easier to live with. Build your fire with kindling and a few small splits first, so the firebox is hot before the dense logs go in. Once you have a coal bed, one or two hickory logs will carry you a long way. Leave a little space between logs so air can circulate, and don’t smother the fire by stacking it tight.
Mixing is fine, too. Plenty of people burn hickory with a lighter wood: the light wood gets things going and the hickory carries the long, hot part of the evening. Save the heaviest loads for the coldest nights, and keep the wood under cover so it stays at its dry best.
Hickory firewood FAQ
Is hickory better than oak for firewood?
They’re close. Heat output is similar, so the choice usually comes down to availability, price and aroma. Hickory has the stronger smell.
Does hickory burn hot?
Yes. It’s one of the hottest-burning common hardwoods, and it leaves long-lasting coals.
How long does hickory take to season?
Green hickory takes a long time because it’s so dense, often a year or more. Kiln-dried hickory is dry on arrival, so you can burn it right away.
Is hickory firewood good for a fire pit?
Yes. It works in fire pits as well as stoves and fireplaces. Expect a stronger smoky smell outdoors than with a milder wood like maple.
Can I use hickory firewood for smoking meat?
It’s a classic smoking wood, but for food we recommend purpose-cut smoking chunks rather than heating firewood. Our hickory firewood is sold for heating.
Does hickory make a lot of creosote?
Creosote comes mostly from wet wood and low-air fires. Dry hickory burned properly is no worse than other dry hardwoods.
Do you ship hickory firewood nationwide?
Yes. We ship nationwide, and during our seasonal sale shipping is free.
Where to get it
If you want hot, long-lasting heat without the splitting and the wait, order Hickory Firewood kiln-dried and ready to burn. Pair it with a Woodhaven 4 ft firewood rack to keep it dry, and you’re set for the season.
