Starting A Firewood Delivery Business

Starting A Firewood Delivery Business

Find related startup resources at the end of this article

If you love the outdoors and want to start a small business, starting a firewood delivery business is something you will surely love.

The recent hikes in fuel prices have brought in a new era of profitability for alternative fuels.

Many firewood suppliers are now even struggling to keep ahead of the demand.

Because of the demand, you should be able to earn a solid seasonal income in your firewood business.

Figures
Firewood is measured by a unit called as cord. A cord has the following dimensions: 8 feet in length, 4 feet in width, and 4 feet in height.

One cord of firewood releases the same amount of heat when burned as 155 gallons of fuel oil. A cord of firewood typically costs much less than its heating oil counterpart which makes it a great deal for customers with wood burning stoves and fireplaces.

Keeping up with heating oil prices (prices can fluctuate wildly) will be useful when placing your firewood for sale directly against fuel oil distributors.


Starting A Firewood Delivery Business – Regulations
The firewood business owner has to follow regulations when starting a firewood delivery business. Check your local regulations regarding the chopping of trees in your area, as many types of firewood are sale-prohibited in certain areas.

For example, some counties may temporary ban the selling of hardwood cut from the region.

The proper stacking of the wood in a cord will be crucial to your success, and failure to do so can invite regulatory measures from the authorities. The cord should be made of wood pieces that are parallel to each other, and there should be no space between the pieces.

You have to provide a receipt to your customers on delivery of the cords, and this receipt should contain the names and contact details of the buyer as well as seller. It should also specify the price and quality of cord, and what type of wood was sold.

As an added precaution, undo and stack the wood in the customer’s firewood storage area when they take a delivery. This will give them a chance to check the quantity of wood and prevent disputes if they claim later that they received inferior wood.

Processing Wood
You will need to set up facilities for drying wood, and it’s cheaper and more eco-friendly to take the natural option. Naturally dried wood pieces will not necessarily have the uniformity of length that artificially dried wood has, but this may not matter to many customers – particularly the owners of country lodges and log cabins.


Kiln dried wood is another alternative to consider, and is drier than sun-dried wood. These pieces can also be given a uniform size and have less chance of catching mold or insects than their sun-dried counterparts.

Many firewood suppliers also sell firewood racks. These neat devices allow customers to store their logs safely and ensure there is no piling of wood in front of attic doors. Firewood holders are used for keeping logs securely in the fireplace as well.

While wood is mainly bought to be burnt for cooking and heating, you are bound to find some customers in unexpected places. Designers frequently source wood logs to provide the backdrop for a photo shoot.

Related Startup Resources
Check out the following related resources that can help you learn more and get started with this small business (will open in new window)...


Business Plans and Financials

Research Reports For The Other Fuel Dealers Industry
Industry Report - Fuel Dealers In The US
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