When to order firewood (earlier than you think)
Every year the same thing happens: the first real cold snap hits, everyone orders at once, and the people who waited pay for it in selection and wait times. Here is how the firewood season actually moves, and how to be on the right side of it.
The best time to order firewood is before you need it: September and early October in our part of the country. That is not a sales line, it is the plain mechanics of how this business works, and I will show you the mechanics so you can decide for yourself.
I have watched eleven firewood seasons from the inside now, and the pattern never changes. Demand does not build gradually. It sits quiet through the warm weeks of fall, then the first hard frost hits and half the region reaches for the phone in the same 72 hours.
Short answer
Order in September or early October. You get full selection before anything sells out, the fastest delivery windows of the year, and time to have the wood stacked and ready before the first fire of the season instead of after it. Kiln-dried wood stores cleanly for months, so there is no downside to being early.
How the season actually moves
Here is the shape of a firewood year in Virginia, DC, Maryland, and North Carolina, from the seller's side of the counter.
| Time of year | Demand | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| August to September | Quiet | Full selection, fastest deliveries, easiest scheduling |
| October | Building | Still good availability; the smart money orders now |
| First cold snap (usually November) | Spike | Order volume can triple in days; delivery windows stretch |
| December to January | Peak | Sellouts on popular products; longest waits of the year |
| February to April | Steady, then fading | Top-up season; availability recovers |
The spike is the part people underestimate. Firewood demand is weather-triggered, so it does not arrive in an orderly line. It arrives all at once, and every seller in the region is suddenly running full routes.
Why kiln-dried sells out first
Here is the supply side that most buyers never see: kilns have fixed capacity. Drying a batch of wood properly takes days in the kiln, and you cannot add kiln space in November because the weather turned. So when the cold-snap spike hits, kiln-dried supply cannot surge to meet it. Green wood is everywhere; properly dried wood is the thing that runs out.
That is why you will see "sold out" tags appear on popular products mid-season, ours included. We hand-select and dry to a consistent standard, and we would rather sell out than lower it. The buyers who ordered in September never see those tags.
What early ordering gets you
- First pick of everything. Oak, mixed, combos with racks, all in stock. In January you take what is left.
- The fastest windows of the year. We deliver in 1 to 5 days year-round, but September orders often land in a day or two, because routes are not yet packed.
- Wood that is ready when you are. Your stack is on the rack, covered, and waiting for the first cold evening, instead of being something you scramble for after it.
- Zero storage penalty. Kiln-dried wood has no bugs and no mold, so it stores cleanly in a garage or on a covered rack for months. Early wood is not worse wood; it is the same wood, waiting.
How much to order for the season
Sizing is its own topic, and our full sizing guide walks through it, but the fall-order shorthand is simple. A 2x4 stack lights roughly 20 fires; scale from there.
- Occasional fires: a 2x4 or 4x4 stack covers you
- One or two fires a week: the 4x8 stack, around 80 fires, is the season workhorse
- Most nights, or a wood stove: the 4x16 stack or a full cord in early fall, with a possible midwinter top-up
When you are between sizes, size up in fall. Leftover kiln-dried wood in April is next October's head start.
Bottom line
Firewood is one of the few purchases where being early costs nothing and being late costs selection, time, and stress. Order in September or October, have it stacked before the first frost, and spend the cold-snap week lighting fires instead of searching for wood.
We deliver kiln-dried hardwood across Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland, typically within 1 to 5 days. Pick your stack, enter your zip for the exact delivery fee, and your season is handled. Every order is personally guaranteed by me.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best month to order firewood?
September and early October are the sweet spot: full selection, fast delivery, and your wood is on its rack before the first cold snap. Ordering in the middle of the first freeze means competing with everyone who waited.
Does firewood really sell out?
Yes, and kiln-dried sells out first. Kilns have fixed capacity, so supply cannot surge to meet a cold snap the way demand does. Popular products routinely sell out mid-season, which is why early buyers get first pick.
How fast can firewood be delivered in season?
We typically deliver in 1 to 5 days year-round. Early in the season it is often faster; in the December to January rush, every seller including us has more stops per day, so ordering ahead of the rush keeps your date early.
Is it okay to buy firewood in summer?
It is smart, with one condition: the wood must be dry and stored properly. Kiln-dried wood stores cleanly for months on a rack or in a garage with no bugs or mold, so a summer order simply waits for October.
How much should I order for a full season?
A weekend burner typically covers a season with a 4x8 stack (around 80 fires). Most-nights burners and wood stove households do best with a 4x16 stack or a full cord ordered in early fall, sometimes with a midwinter top-up.
Do I need to be home for a firewood delivery?
No. Leave delivery and stacking directions at checkout and the driver follows them exactly, whether that is a driveway drop, a rack by the garage, or a stacked porch.
Clark started splitting and selling firewood on his family farm in Upperville, Virginia at age 11. Today Clark's Firewood delivers premium kiln-dried hardwood to homes across Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, and North Carolina, and Clark personally guarantees every order.
