Two offers for firewood both state a price per “meter”. One means stacked wood, the other a loose tipped delivery. Before you choose the seemingly cheaper price, quantity and delivery method must clearly match. The same number on the offer does not have to describe the same amount of wood.
Have the unit written out
The Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe distinguishes Festmeter as the wood volume without voids, Raummeter as stacked wood including the voids and Schüttraummeter as loose tipped wood with voids. “Ster” is also used regionally for Raummeter. [HOLZ] An offer stating only “cubic metre” therefore leaves a significant question open for comparison.
Ask for the unit written out and the corresponding delivery description. Will it be tipped loose, delivered stacked or offered as a packaged unit? Do not tacitly transfer the quantity stated for one mode of delivery to another. The price can only be sensibly assessed once it is clear what it refers to.
Do not use a fixed conversion for every pile of wood
According to the FNR, appropriate conversion factors depend, among other things, on the wood species and log length. It also refers for the dimensions to be used to the specifications of the equipment manufacturer. [HOLZ] A sample figure found somewhere is therefore not declared here as a universally valid conversion.
Our editorial recommendation: Match the specifically offered wood species, log length and described condition. Ask for clarification if the information is unclear before you form a calculated price ranking. For the suitability of the fuel for the existing appliance, that appliance’s specific requirements are decisive; this article does not confirm any particular stove operation or the quality of a delivery.
Include delivery in the comparison
Describe where the delivery is to arrive and how you can receive it. Clarify which services are included in the offer and which work remains for the household afterwards. A lower pure unit price may be impractical for you if the offered form of delivery cannot be handled at the intended location.
In the fictitious example a household compares a loose delivery with an already processed and differently measured offer. Only after clarifying the units, log length and delivery does it recognise which details are comparable and which differences must be consciously decided. It does not order extra quantity solely because of an apparent numerical advantage.
Be able to find the order unambiguously
Record the agreed unit and the concrete delivery method in the order. Keep the information on the wood species and the other promised properties together. At handover it will then be possible to factually compare what was agreed and what was delivered.
This article deals with the clear purchase of firewood. It does not replace a fuel inspection, storage planning or instruction on the appliance. The practical benefit is an order whose quantity does not have to be explained only after unloading.