Guidance

Selling wood for domestic use in England

What you need to do to supply, distribute and sell wood for use in domestic heating appliances in England.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published
16 February 2021
Last updated
7 July 2022 — See all updates

Applies to England

Small volumes of wood

You can only supply or sell wood fuel in volumes of less than 2 cubic metres if it is certified as ‘Ready to Burn’. This confirms it has a moisture content of 20% or less.

The Ready to Burn certification scheme applies to:

  • firewood in single retail bags
  • firewood supplied as a bulk delivery in loose volumes of less than 2 cubic metres
  • wood briquettes in single retail bags
  • wood briquettes supplied as a bulk delivery in loose volumes of less than 2 cubic metres

Suppliers: getting wood fuel certified

Suppliers must submit an application to get wood fuel certified.

You’ll need to:

  • complete an application form
  • provide a representative fuel sample
  • provide evidence on how the moisture content of the wood is controlled.
  • give the numbers and locations of your depots
  • give the names of retail outlets and websites where your fuel is sold
  • provide annual sales figures for the previous year to establish appropriate scheme fees
  • agree to the conditions for certification and to comply with the rules

After you apply, you’ll be told how long it will take to get your wood certified. You’ll have to pay application, registration and any additional testing fees.

If your wood meets the legal standards and you’ve paid the fees, it will be certified and you’ll be:

Renewing your certification

Each certification period lasts for 12 months from the date it was approved.

You must pay an annual certification fee plus annual testing fee before your renewal date.

Sellers: storing and labelling

Wood certified as Ready to Burn has a guaranteed moisture content of 20% or less.

Make sure you store the wood properly, so that you do not sell it to customers damaged or wet. You can do this by storing the wood indoors, off the ground or undercover.

Rotate stock so that older stock is used up first.

The wood must be correctly labelled when it is sold to third-party sellers and final customers. You must make sure the following details are either attached to the wood packaging, displayed alongside it on the shelf or next to the price:

  • approved ‘Ready to Burn’ logo
  • supplier’s company name
  • unique certification number

You can check the supplier’s details and certification number on the Woodsure website.

If you sell online, make sure the logo for each fuel is displayed on the section of the webpage where the fuel is advertised.

Crates or trailer loads of wood

You do not need to get wood fuel sales of 2 cubic metres or more certified. You can include a note when you deliver the wood to explain it is dry.

Suppliers who sell wood in volumes of 2 cubic metres or more must provide customers with this notice that explains how to dry, store and check the moisture of the wood before it is used. This also applies to small-scale wood producers.

Sellers: rules in smoke control areas

You must inform customers that they can only use wood in an exempt appliance in a smoke control area.

For example, you could put a sign next to the fuels or tills, or post a message on your website for customers paying online.

Compliance checks

Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the rules. An enforcement officer may check:

  • small bags of wood are sold with the Ready to Burn logo, certification number and supplier or manufacturer details displayed correctly
  • certification details against the certification list
  • correct information on drying is provided to customers for wood fuel volumes of 2 cubic metres or more
  • sales records (including sales to third-party retailers)
  • how you’re storing wood (so that you aren’t selling it to customers damaged or wet)
  • delivery records to households within smoke control areas
  • you’re informing customers that they can only use wood in an appropriate exempt appliance in a smoke control area

Fines

You could be fined if:

  • you’ve stored wood so it has a moisture content of more than 20%
  • the wood does not have the ‘Ready to Burn’ logo or is not labelled correctly

You could get a:

  • £300 fixed penalty fine issued by your local authority
  • fine of more than £300 depending on the severity of the offence issued by the courts

Updates to this page

Published 16 February 2021
Last updated 7 July 2022 + show all updates

  1. Added new section on 'Sellers: rules in smoke control areas' about their legal duty to inform customers that they can only use wood in an appropriate exempt appliance in a smoke control area. Removed out-of-date information on the deadline for wood producers to comply with the Ready to Burn scheme.

  2. Updated labelling information for small bags of wood in the 'Compliance checks' section.

  3. Added information about selling online, packaging requirements for sellers and fines.

  4. First published.

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