Firewood vs Propane Heating Cost Calculator
The national estimate is adjusted by your state's overall price level (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2022, U.S.=100). This is a cost-of-living proxy applied to the national firewood vs propane heating price — not a per-state firewood vs propane heating quote. Always get local quotes before buying.
Labor estimate loading…
At the national average propane rate, mixed hardwood at $250–$500 a cord delivers usable heat for about $17.86 per usable MMBTU versus roughly $24.58 for propane, so wood wins by about 27% nationally.[1] The math flips by state: where propane runs cheap it beats wood, and where propane is expensive wood wins decisively. Your break-even is a propane price near $1.01 per gallon; above that, a 4-cord wood season is the cheaper heat.
The wood-versus-propane decision comes down to delivered heat per dollar, not headline fuel prices. This page converts both fuels to the same unit — usable BTUs after efficiency losses — so you see the real annual gap for your cord price and local propane rate.[1]
Live fuel prices by state
Retail residential prices from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Updated Jul 21, 2026
| Fuel | Price | $/million BTU | Data vintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Propane | $1.98/gal | $21.64 | U.S. average |
| Natural gas | $19.18/Mcf | $18.47 | U.S. average |
| Electricity | $0.1932/kWh | $56.63 | U.S. average |
Source: EIA Heating Oil & Propane Update · EIA Electricity Data · EIA Natural Gas Data
Wet wood quietly erases your savings
The most expensive mistake is burning unseasoned wood. Green or wet cords carry water that boils off and steals the BTUs you paid for, dropping your real delivered heat well below the numbers here and pushing wood's cost toward or past propane's. Season hardwood a full year to under 20% moisture before you trust any cost comparison; it also cuts smoke and protects your stove and health.[4]
How cost-per-heat actually compares
A cord price and a gallon price are not comparable until you convert both to the same unit of delivered warmth: dollars per usable MMBTU. Take the fuel's heat content, multiply by how much your appliance actually captures, then divide the price by that. A cord of mixed hardwood holds 18 to 22 MMBTU and a gallon of propane holds 91,500 BTU; a wood stove keeps 63 to 83% of the burn while a propane furnace keeps 80 to 96%.[1][4] At $250–$500 a cord and 70% stove efficiency, wood costs about $17.86 per usable MMBTU. At the national average propane rate and 88% furnace efficiency, propane runs about $24.58. That single conversion is the whole decision.
Where wood wins and where propane wins
The comparison is national on average but local in practice, because live propane rates swing hard by state while cord prices move far less. In cheap-propane states, propane slips under wood; in expensive-propane states like the Northeast, wood wins by a wide margin. The table shows usable-heat cost at a $250–$500 cord and 88% furnace, holding wood steady so you can see propane cross it.
| Scenario | Propane usable heat ($/MMBTU) | Wood usable heat ($/MMBTU) | Cheaper fuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| National average | $24.58 | $17.86 | Wood (~27% less) |
| Cheap-propane state | $13.03 | $17.86 | Propane |
| High-propane state | $45.27 | $17.86 | Wood |
The break-even is a delivered propane price near $1.01 per gallon: below it propane wins, above it wood does. Most of the country sits above that line, which is why wood wins on the national average.[1]
What shifts the crossover
Two knobs move your number more than the price you paid. First, stove efficiency: an older stove near 63% burns through more cords for the same warmth than an EPA-certified unit near 83%, raising your real cost-per-MMBTU by a third even at the same cord price.[4] Second, cord quality and species; a well-seasoned oak cord carries more heat than a green or mixed load, and paying up for oak can still beat mixed hardwood on delivered warmth. Wet wood is the quiet killer here, because unburned water steals BTUs you already paid for and pushes your true cost toward the propane line.
Pull your own propane rate first
Grab the price on your last delivery ticket, not a national figure, since your state is what decides this. Enter it against your real cord price and let the calculator convert both to usable MMBTU; if your delivered propane sits above roughly $1.01 per gallon, wood is the cheaper heat for you.
Use your appliance's real efficiency
Find the AFUE on your furnace nameplate and the certified efficiency on your stove tag rather than assuming the averages. A 96% furnace narrows propane's gap and a 63% stove widens wood's cost; plugging in the actual pair can move the crossover enough to change the answer.
Count a full season, not one unit
Estimate your winter in cords, then compare. Four cords of mixed hardwood at $250–$500 each is about $1,000 and delivers roughly the same usable heat as 992 gallons of propane, so multiply your propane price by that gallon count to see the true seasonal spread before you commit.
| Rate | Range | Unit | What drives the spread | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential propane (delivered) | $1.74–$3.61 | $/gallon | Season; region; EIA weekly avg | [2] | 2026-07-27 |
| Propane heat value | 91500 | BTU/gallon | EIA standard heat content | [1] | 2026 |
| Mixed hardwood BTU/cord | 18–22 | MMBTU/cord | EIA AER Table A2 | [1] | 2026 |
| Wood stove efficiency (EPA cert) | 63–83 | % | EPA Burn Wise certified stoves | [4] | 2026 |
| Propane furnace efficiency (AFUE) | 80–96 | % | DOE/EPA AFUE — modern mid-to-high eff | [4] | 2026 |
| Residential natural gas | $12.72–$23.62 | $/MCF | EIA monthly residential avg | [2] | 2026-07-27 |
| Residential electricity | $0.15–$0.22 | $/kWh | EIA monthly avg retail residential | [2] | 2026-07-27 |
Rates current as of 2026-07-27
Frequently Asked Questions
Is wood really cheaper than propane for heat?
At the national average propane rate, wood delivers usable heat for about $17.86 per MMBTU versus $24.58 for propane, a 27% edge.
The deciding factor is your local propane price. The break-even sits near $1.01 per gallon delivered; most states run well above that, so wood usually wins.
In which states does propane actually beat wood?
In cheap-propane states, propane usable heat can fall to roughly $13 per MMBTU, beating wood's ~$17.86.
In high-propane states, propane can climb past $45 per MMBTU, where wood wins by a wide margin. Because these rates are live, the calculator flips the answer as your state's price moves.
How many gallons of propane equal a cord of wood?
A cord of mixed hardwood holds about 20 MMBTU; a gallon of propane holds 91,500 BTU. After an 88% furnace, four cords match roughly 992 gallons of propane, or about 248 gallons per cord.
Multiply that gallon count by your propane price to compare a full season head-to-head.[1]
Does a low-efficiency stove wipe out wood's savings?
Efficiency is a direct multiplier on delivered heat. Moving from an EPA-certified 83% stove to an older 63% unit raises your true cost per usable MMBTU by roughly a third.[4]
In cheap-propane states that can erase wood's edge; nationally, wood usually still wins, just by less.
Do live propane prices change the answer over time?
Propane prices move seasonally and regionally much more than cord prices do, so the break-even shifts through the winter.
Competitor pages often quote a fixed old rate. Because this calculator pulls live EIA propane rates, the wood-versus-propane call updates as your state's price changes.