For a closed-combustion unit we recommend bloekom or blackwattle, and closed-combustion owners love kameeldoring and sekeldoring too. An open fireplace wants bloekom or blackwattle, with a piece of kameeldoring for the coals — and about half again as much of it.
Same wood, two very different fireplaces. Here is what to put in each, and why.
See prices · Delivery from R200 WhatsApp an order — 060 978 8945
★ 4.9 on Google from 700+ reviews — Cape Town’s most-reviewed firewood company · Since 2001 · Bags carried in and stacked
Call 021 492 7317 · WhatsApp 060 978 8945 · Factory shop: 35 Tredoux Street, Parow
The one difference that decides everything
An open fireplace heats the room by radiation and sends most of the heat up the chimney with the smoke. A closed-combustion unit burns the wood behind glass with controlled air, so far more of the heat ends up in the room. The practical result: an open hearth burns about half again as much wood for the same evening, and it rewards cheaper wood, while a closed unit rewards dense wood that holds.
Closed-combustion: what we recommend, and what owners love
Recommended: bloekom or blackwattle. Bloekom lights readily and gives the flame you sit in front of; blackwattle is denser and holds a hotter, longer fire at the same price per bag. Loved by closed-combustion owners: kameeldoring, sekeldoring and the Namibian Hardwood Mix. Very dry, dense wood that burns hot and long with fewer trips to the basket, which is why so many of our closed-combustion customers burn nothing else. Check your unit’s manual before you burn dense hardwood in it. A bag a fire on a medium unit, most evenings.
One thing to avoid: anything treated — painted pallets, chipboard, recycled pine — which tars the flue. Our Kindling / Starters (Pine) is recycled pine and is for open fireplaces and braais only; use the untreated Kindling / Starters (Premium) in a closed unit.
Small unit in a flat, or one that does not take a full-length log? Short Pieces is the same bloekom cut shorter, and Heat Logs — twelve compressed hardwood logs, 10kg, no bark, very little ash — are the tidy fuel for an apartment unit.
Open fireplace: bloekom, blackwattle, and hardwood for the bed
The nightly fire in an open hearth is bloekom: lights readily, strong even burn, and the honest price matters when you are burning half again as much. Blackwattle is the step up — denser, hotter, better coals — at the same price per bag. And a piece or two of kameeldoring laid on a good bed gives the glowing coals an open fire is really for, long after the flames have settled.
Get it going with a firelighter under a handful of pine kindling, three or four smaller pieces of bloekom in a loose stack, and leave it alone for ten minutes. The commonest open-fire mistake is packing the grate before there is a bed to hold it.
Side by side
| Closed-combustion unit | Open fireplace | |
|---|---|---|
| Wood per evening | About 1 bag (medium unit, a full evening) | About 1½ bags |
| Best everyday wood | Recommended: bloekom or blackwattle | Bloekom, or blackwattle |
| For the coal bed | Kameeldoring or sekeldoring, loved by closed-combustion owners | A piece or two of kameeldoring |
| Kindling | Premium (untreated) | Pine or Premium |
| Compressed logs | Heat Logs suit it well | Fine, but bloekom is cheaper here |
| Anthracite | Only in an anthracite stove | Never |
How many bags
A medium closed-combustion unit burning through the evening takes about one bag; the same evening in a medium open fireplace is about a bag and a half. Fifteen fires a month is the realistic Cape figure. The full table by fireplace size is here, and the calculator turns it into an order.
Offloading and stacking the bags: included. We carry them in and stack them neatly within 50 metres of where we offload; further than that, arrange it with us when you order. Unbagging — emptying the bags onto your pile — is R10 a bag, added at checkout.
Questions people ask us
What is the best firewood for a closed-combustion fireplace?
We recommend bloekom or blackwattle: bloekom lights and gives flame, blackwattle holds a hotter, longer fire. Kameeldoring and sekeldoring are loved by closed-combustion owners for their dry, dense, long-burning heat; check your unit’s manual before burning dense hardwood in it.
What is the best firewood for an open fireplace?
Bloekom for the nightly fire, blackwattle when you want it hotter with better coals, and a piece or two of kameeldoring on top for the glowing bed everyone stares into. An open hearth burns about half again as much wood as a closed unit, so the price per bag matters more here.
Can I burn pine or recycled kindling in a closed-combustion unit?
Use the untreated kindling. Our Kindling / Starters (Pine) is recycled pine and is for open fireplaces and braais only; Kindling / Starters (Premium) is untreated wood and is the one for a closed-combustion unit. Never burn painted, treated or glued timber in either.
Why does my closed-combustion glass go black?
Wet wood, or the air choked down too early. Burn dry wood, run the unit with the air open until the fire is established and the glass is hot, then close down. A blackened glass usually cleans with a damp cloth dipped in the cold ash.
Is your wood actually dry?
Yes, and we stake 25 years on it. Our bagged wood is seasoned and stored under cover, so it lights properly and burns hot instead of hissing at you. If a bag covered by the Dry Guarantee is not dry, WhatsApp us a photo within 7 days of delivery and we uplift it and exchange it for dry bags, at no charge. Read the Dry Guarantee.
Order the right wood for your fireplace
Order online and the bags are carried in and stacked within 50 metres of where we offload, or WhatsApp us and we will say what we would put on the truck.
See prices · Delivery from R200 WhatsApp an order — 060 978 8945
