Fire with wood briquettes

What are wood briquettes?

Untreated and dry wood residues such as sawdust or wood shavings are mechanically pressed under high pressure. The wood pellets have a uniformly high density and contain hardly any air. The diameter of the briquettes is at least 50 millimetres. Not to be confused with the much smaller briquettes known as wood pellets, which have a much smaller diameter.

What needs to be considered?

Due to the high density of the wood briquettes/pressings and the low residual moisture content of approx. 10 per cent, wood briquettes have a significantly higher calorific value than hardwood for the same volume. 

1 kilogramme of beech wood, for example, has a heat output of approx. 4 kilowatts. A commercially available briquette has a much higher heat output per kilogramme. Accordingly, the briquette quantity must be adjusted to the stove's heat output in order to avoid overheating and resulting material damage. 
It is therefore essential that you match the kilowatt rating on the packaging of the wood briquettes with the kilowatt output of your stove in accordance with the user manual.

The pellet expands during combustion. If a wood briquette that is far too large is placed in the combustion chamber, the combustion chamber lining can be damaged by the expansion of the briquette. You should therefore pay attention to the size of the wood briquettes used when loading the firebox.

An emotional but no less important aspect is the beautifully blazing and flickering fire. With hardwood, you can achieve a visually beautiful flame pattern that cannot be achieved with wood briquettes.

All Attika stoves and fireplace inserts can be fuelled with hardwood or wood briquettes. Your local Attika specialist partner will be happy to give you further tips on firing.