Best Eco Logs For Your Log Burner

Looking to see if eco logs are any good for your log burner?

If you own a multifuel burning stove, it goes without saying that you’ll want a good eco log to get your fire roaring.

The good news is that there is a range of eco logs, also known as heat logs, available now on the market.

Eco logs burn efficiently, produce great heat and aren’t made using chemicals and other additives.

They’ll be perfect on a Ecodesign multifuel stove and some small log burners that accept different fuel types. This ensures you can burn both eco logs and traditional wood logs – although not at the same time!


What are eco logs?

biomass logs in log burner
Biomass heat logs in log burner

Eco logs are an alternative to wood logs for your stove or log burner. Eco logs are highly compressed, manufactured logs made from recycled natural materials.

They can come in different shapes and sizes, but are often cylindrical or can be squared off like a briquette.

As eco logs are compressed to very high pressures, they keep their shape and pack in more energy to burn when compared to a traditional log.

A good heat log should maintain its shape and not crumble into sawdust and other bits of material either in the bag or when in the stove.

How are heat logs made?

Heat logs are made by mechanically compressing wood, sawdust and other organic offcut materials into a very dense log. The heat logs are usually pressed into shape.

The high compression squeezes a lot of the moisture out of the biomass that goes into each heat log. This gives the eco logs a high density and also means they have a very low moisture content.

The moisture content of eco logs is less than 10%. This benefits the efficiency of a fire and helps it burn for longer.

This is significantly less than dried out seasoned wood, which sits around 20% moisture.

What are eco logs made from?

Heat logs can contain different types of biomass and natural materials.

Many are made using recycled materials, waste products and offcuts. This is great from a sustainability point of view.

Eco logs can be made from materials such as:

  • Hardwood
  • Softwood
  • Sawdust and wood shavings
  • Straw
  • Corn and rice husks
  • Coffee (read more here about coffee logs)
lekto wood fuels heat eco logs

How are eco logs environmentally friendly?

Heat logs are considered environmentally friendly as they are produced using leftover organic biomass, wood shavings and other waste materials.

Eco logs shouldn’t contain any chemicals, additives and other nasties. This means that eco logs burn cleaner, producing less air pollutants, which is good news for the air in your house and the environment outside.

If the heat log contains no artificial chemicals and is 100% organic material, then you can use the leftover ash as fertiliser for your garden.

Previous fire logs may have been made with sawdust but it would have been bound together with paraffin wax. This is the same fossil-fuel derived substance that is used for candles, which is why natural eco friendly candles are a better choice.

If the heat log is claiming to be eco friendly, they should not contain any artificial chemicals, additives or fossil-fuel based materials. Heat logs may also contain peat, but if you are considering the environment, please don’t buy peat-containing logs.

And finally, if possible make sure the initial wood source is from a sustainable plantation and certified by Forest Stewardship Council.

Can you burn eco logs in a wood stove?

The best recommendation is to not burn eco logs in a purely wood burning stove.

Although some people will do this, burning any other fuel other than a 100% wooden log, may void your guarantee and could damage the stove. This is because the inside of wood burning stoves are designed differently to multifuel stoves.

Eco friendly logs can definitely be burned in a multifuel stove.

A multifuel stove has been designed specifically to accept different fuel types and may also have different flue liners. You can read up on the difference between a wood burner and multifuel stove here.

Heat logs can also be burned in chimeneas, fire pits, pizza ovens and open fires.

It’s also possible to burn eco logs in second hand log burners too, which are another great option.

biomass log in log burner 2
Biomass heat logs pictured above in a multifuel stove.

You can increase the efficiency of the heat your stove produces by using stove top fan. A stove fan helps to distribute the heat evenly around the room for maximum overall warmth!

Do heat logs smoke?

Most heat logs produce very little smoke. This is good for the health and condition of the stove and flue, as well as the environment.

It will also mean you won’t have to clean the glass as much. Although if you do, take a look at these 3 best ways on how to clean log burner stove glass.

Some heat logs may even be smokeless.

How long do heat logs burn for?

As eco logs don’t contain much moisture compared to a traditional solid wood log, they are quicker to catch light, heat up, and have a longer, more consistent burn time.

Many heat logs will burn for around 2 hours, although some will last even longer than this.

A longer burn time means you won’t have to buy as many logs and will save you money in the long run through being more efficient.

If an eco log is not of great quality, it will crumble apart in the stove which will reduce its burn time.

Best places to buy eco logs

hardwood heat logs lekto

Eco logs are now produced all over the world. So, if you’re in the UK, try and source locally made eco logs.

Even better, a UK heat log of good quality will have been accredited with the Woodsure Plus mark. This is the UK’s only woodfuel certification scheme.

Here are a few of the best heat logs you can buy for your eco stove burner.

Please note, these are all suitable for multifuel stoves but may not be suitable for all wood burners, so please check before buying.

If you’re looking to buy in bulk, you may be able to buy a pallet of eco heat logs.

You can certainly do this on UK Logs Direct and from Lekto Wood Fuels.

And what better place to put your eco heat logs than in a lovely wicker log basket.


So, are heat logs any good?

Yes, eco heat logs are a great choice for your multifuel stove.

They have a high heat output, don’t produce much smoke, have a low moisture content and burn very efficiently.

The only downside to eco logs for me is that they will be shrink-wrapped in plastic. This is to keep the logs are dry as possible and prevent any moisture from entering. If left in the elements, eco logs will readily absorb any moisture, which isn’t good for burning.  

You may also find that the beautiful flames may not be as good as the ones produced with wooden logs.

However, if you still like to burn traditional wood logs, this isn’t a problem as you’ll be able to burn both wood and eco logs on a multifuel stove. However, don’t do this at the same time.


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