Ready to Burn – What You Need to Know

Wood sold in volumes of up to 2m³ needs to be Ready to Burn certified as having a moisture content of less than 20%. This means it’s suitable for immediate use. It also burns better with less smoke than wetter wood. In turn, this helps reduce pollution and improve air quality.

Legislation has been in place in England since May 2021. Use your postcode to find your local Ready to Burn firewood supplier.

This scheme is backed by the Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in support of The Air Quality Regulations 2020 (England). Wet wood and house coal are the most polluting fuels used in homes. This new law bans the sale of these fuels. It is mandatory for volumes of wood under 2m³ to be certified as Ready to Burn. For larger quantities, the wood will be sold with advice on properly seasoning and checking that the fuel is dry to burn.

Ready to Burn wood is certified by Woodsure, a trusted non-profit organisation. Their independent experts work alongside other national bodies, including industry and government representatives. In addition, to working with retailers, installers and sweeps to promote the benefits of quality wood.

The new law also applies to the sale of manufactured solid fuels. These fuels need to meet certain standards to be listed as Ready to Burn since 1 May 2021. A “manufactured solid fuel” means a fuel produced from coal, wood, plant-derived materials, waxes or petroleum products with other ingredients. For the purpose of burning in domestic properties in England. 

HETAS, the non-profit organisation, has been appointed by Defra to run its Ready to Burn certification scheme for manufactured solid fuels. 

Manufactured solid fuels (MSF) that meet Ready to Burn standards are listed on the Smoke Control website, their ID code starts with MSF.