Firewood Maths Problem

[Float]

But who would police/impose this "standardisation"?

 

Not criticising by any means, quite the opposit, but I think its highly unlikely it will ever happen.

 

Exactly, I think we have more chance of hell freezing over, (or G4S finding enough security people).

[Stephen Blair]

A builders ton bag holds approx 240 large brick size logs weighing approx 250kg, of lovely dry wood.

A metre cube bag holds 360 logs of similar size.

You should manage 2.5 m3 comfortably out of your ton of dry wood.

Edited July 16, 2012 by Stephen Blair

[Theocus]

Once upon a time, i created an xl spreadsheet that worked out this for you based on estimations per tonne and then eventually profit etc. It was fairly basic but with the right input formulas you can see if its worth doing. My biggest concern and hence the reason for the spreadsheet was do i buy in wood or fell our own so it was all against labour costs. And then having to work out the small splitter verses processor.

I think the outcome was that if i didnt achieve 1.5 bags of 1m/3 per tonne from bought wood at a 50 per tonne plus delivery at 18 per tonne ( i had been quoted this) then it was not sustainable. The only profit made was purely on delivery charged for that method! This is based on the our local going rate per bag so obviously it may differ nationally.

I could try and dig out the spreadsheet and tweak it to suit this topic but that would be a little geeky.

[ecotreecare]

Here in NZ all everyone sells wood by the cube. Makes life much easier. People know what they are paying for.

 

Most loads are sold in units of three cube or six cube. Most merchants have a wee truck with a certified six cube bin on the back.

[dwconservation]

Hows this for an answer..... A split Ifor Trailer (4x8') slightly heaped up equates to around 600kg green, therefore you can almost get 2 trailer loads per tonne. I sell that trailer load for £120 per load, so you are approximately getting around £200 per tonne.

 

So if a tonne green wood is £50 of mixed hardwood and processing takes around 20 mins (using a processor) at a cost for 2 men of £30 including materials and fuel, you have the potential to turn an aproximate proffit of around the £120 mark, more realistically you will be around the £80.

 

I hope this helps, it is volume that will make you the money, if you muck around doing 20 tonnes or even 50 tonnes, it is a lot of hard work for jeff all, aim high, do a business plan that aims for this, I have gone from 60 tonnes to 225 in 5 hears looking to do over 500 in another 3.....

[windfall]

What year on year ton increase did you manage?

 

Also what's your estimated client base?

 

Cheers

[gensetsteve]

I may be missing the point here but I dont know anyone round my way that sells by the tonne when delivering cord. They may work out the metreage based on green wood then deliver ie 1 tonne of green beech is about 1 cubic metre of solid timber or just under 2 cu metres of space on the truck. If I buy a metre of wood it will still be a metre of wood when dry. If you buy by weight and sell by weight once the wood is seasoned you could be out of pocket.

[Mortimer Firewood]

I may be missing the point here but I dont know anyone round my way that sells by the tonne when delivering cord. They may work out the metreage based on green wood then deliver ie 1 tonne of green beech is about 1 cubic metre of solid timber or just under 2 cu metres of space on the truck. If I buy a metre of wood it will still be a metre of wood when dry. If you buy by weight and sell by weight once the wood is seasoned you could be out of pocket.

 

Every one round here delivers cord by the t and i have a weight ticket from every load never bought by volume just sold by volume but in deepest darkest Herefordshire we are behind the times so i guess it will come.Why would any body pay by volume with ash it would be a waist of time.

[windfall]

I have to buy by the tonne too. North west

[gensetsteve]

You are better off buying by the tonne especially if its ash or other species that have been sat around a while.