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Is Eucalyptus Good Firewood? Very Hot, Very Hard Work

Eucalyptus burns hotter than oak and holds a long coal bed, but it is brutal to split dry, slow to season and prone to popping sparks.

By Zakaria 2 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
Smooth pale green eucalyptus bark peeling away from a trunk in curling strips
Photo: sandid, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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Hotter than oak, and hard work for it. Dense species reach 30–34 million BTU a cord with a long coal bed. They are also brutal to split dry, need one to two years to season, and pop sparks.

It depends which eucalyptus

This table answers the question on its own
SpeciesMillion BTU / cordNotes
River red gum~32–34Top of any firewood table
Sugar gum~30–33Dense, long burn
Jarrah~29–31Excellent coals
Blue gum~25–27Still above ash
Oak, for reference~27–28—
Ash, for reference~24—

Whatever species you are offered is likely at least as hot as ash and probably hotter than oak.

The splitting problem

Eucalyptus grain is interlocked and often spiralling — the fibres do not run straight down the log, so a maul has nothing clean to part. Green, it splits with effort. Dry, it frequently will not split by hand at all.

  1. Split within days of felling. This is not optional advice with eucalyptus.
  2. Hydraulic splitter for anything over about 8 inches across.
  3. Set knotty and crotch sections aside — they are not worth hand-splitting at any moisture.
  4. Split smaller than you would oak. Thin splits dry years faster in this wood.

Wet eucalyptus and a chimney do not mix

High moisture plus the oils in the wood make unseasoned eucalyptus a notable creosote producer, and creosote is a flue-fire risk. Season it to under 20% on a meter, burn it hot, and keep to the normal sweeping schedule. Burnt dry it is a clean, very hot fuel.

In an open fire pit

The long coal bed suits an evening outdoors, but expect popping. Oil and trapped moisture pockets snap and throw embers more than most hardwoods.

  • Use a spark screen.
  • Not directly beside a timber deck or anything flammable.
  • Burn the splits, leave the loose bark out — eucalyptus bark catches and lifts readily.

The honest trade

If you have a splitter, somewhere to stack it for two years, and a screen on the pit, eucalyptus is among the best fuel you can get. Without those three, it is more trouble than ash.

Common questions

Is eucalyptus good firewood?

On heat, it is excellent — denser species such as red gum reach 30 to 34 million BTU per cord, above oak and hickory, with a long coal bed and a slow, steady burn. On handling, it is one of the most difficult woods in common supply. It carries enormous moisture when green, takes one to two years to season, becomes almost unsplittable once dry, and the oils in it can pop and throw sparks. It rewards the work, but the work is real.

How many BTU is eucalyptus?

It varies widely by species because the genus spans hundreds of them. River red gum and sugar gum sit around 30 to 34 million BTU per cord, which is at the top of any firewood table. Lighter species such as blue gum come in nearer 25 million. Any eucalyptus you are offered is likely to be at least as hot as ash and probably hotter than oak.

How long does eucalyptus take to season?

A year at minimum and often two, because green eucalyptus can carry moisture well above 100 percent of its dry weight and the dense wood gives it up slowly. Split it the week it is felled, stack it in single rows off the ground with the ends exposed to wind, cover only the top, and meter it before burning. Under 20 percent is the target, and large rounds will still be wet inside long after the surface looks grey and checked.

Why is eucalyptus so hard to split?

Interlocked and often spiralling grain, which means the fibres do not run straight down the log and a maul has nothing clean to part. Green eucalyptus splits with effort; seasoned eucalyptus frequently will not split by hand at all. The standard advice is to split it as soon as it is on the ground, and to use a hydraulic splitter for anything above about eight inches across.

Is eucalyptus safe to burn in a chimney?

Seasoned properly, yes, and it burns cleanly at the high temperatures it reaches. Unseasoned, it is a poor choice for any flue — the high moisture plus the oils in the wood make it a notable creosote producer, and creosote in a chimney is a fire risk. Burn it dry, burn it hot, and have the flue swept on the normal schedule.

Can you use eucalyptus in a fire pit?

Yes, and the long coal bed suits an evening outdoors, but expect popping. The oil and trapped moisture pockets in the wood snap and throw embers more than most hardwoods do, so a spark screen is worth having and it is a poor choice directly beside a timber deck or anything flammable. Eucalyptus bark in particular catches and lifts, so burn the splits and leave the loose bark out.

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