Firewood Profit Calculator

Firewood can sell for strong prices by the cord, face cord, bundle or delivered load, but the selling price alone says very little about whether the business is actually profitable. Logs still need to be purchased or harvested, cut, split, stacked, seasoned, loaded and delivered before the money collected from the customer becomes profit.

This Firewood Profit Calculator estimates profit per cord, profit per delivery, monthly revenue, annual profit, break-even volume and the selling price required to reach a target margin. It can be used by small firewood sellers, tree-service businesses processing logs, farms, sawmill operators and larger firewood companies running processors, splitters and delivery trucks.

Simple Estimate is designed for a quick calculation using the number of cords sold, selling price and average production cost. Advanced Estimate separates raw logs, cutting and splitting labor, processor fuel, saw chains, splitter wear, seasoning losses, packaging, storage, delivery, advertising, equipment financing and other overhead so you can see where the money from every cord actually goes.

How to Calculate Firewood Profit

Firewood profit starts with the amount collected from customers and subtracts the complete cost of producing and delivering the wood. That sounds simple, but firewood businesses can have several costs that are easy to overlook.

The basic formula is:

Firewood Profit = Firewood Revenue − Total Firewood Costs

If one cord sells for $400 and the complete production, storage and delivery cost is $250:

$400 − $250 = $150 profit per cord

Advanced mode is designed to help determine whether that $250 cost estimate is realistic by breaking expenses into individual categories.

Firewood Profit Margin Formula

Profit margin shows what percentage of firewood revenue remains after the costs entered into the calculator.

Profit Margin = Profit ÷ Revenue × 100

If a cord sells for $450 and creates $180 of profit:

$180 ÷ $450 × 100 = 40% profit margin

If you want to compare firewood results with other business margins, the Profit Margin Calculator can calculate gross profit, operating profit, net margin, markup and break-even figures separately.

How Much Money Can You Make Selling Firewood?

The answer depends on selling price, production volume and cost per cord. A seller moving 30 full cords per month at $400 each generates:

30 × $400 = $12,000 monthly revenue

If the complete cost averages $250 per cord, variable and allocated costs total approximately $7,500 and estimated operating profit would be around $4,500 for that month.

A seller charging a similar price can make substantially less if every delivery requires an hour of driving or if purchased logs are expensive.

Firewood Revenue Per Cord

Revenue per cord is the total amount earned from one full-cord equivalent before expenses are deducted.

A business selling full cords directly can use the customer price. Businesses selling half cords, face cords or smaller quantities can convert those sales back into full-cord equivalents to compare profitability more consistently.

Firewood Profit Per Cord

Profit per cord measures how much is left after raw wood, labor, processing, storage, delivery and business overhead are allocated to one finished cord.

It is often one of the most useful numbers for comparing different customers, wood sources and delivery areas.

Full Cord Firewood Profit

A full cord is commonly treated as a stacked wood volume of 128 cubic feet, traditionally represented by a stack measuring 4 feet high, 4 feet deep and 8 feet long.

The calculator uses a full cord as its standard comparison unit so different selling quantities can be converted back to the same baseline.

Face Cord Firewood Profit

The term face cord or rick is used differently in different areas, so sellers should follow local measurement and advertising rules. For calculator purposes, the default conversion assumes approximately one-third of a full cord.

If a face cord sells for $175 and three face cords equal approximately one full cord, gross equivalent revenue would be roughly $525 per cord before costs.

Half Cord Firewood Profit

Selling half cords can produce more revenue per full-cord equivalent if customers are willing to pay a premium for the smaller quantity.

However, two half-cord deliveries can also mean twice as many customer stops compared with delivering one full cord.

Quarter Cord Firewood Profit

Quarter-cord sales can increase the retail price per unit of wood but also increase loading, scheduling and delivery frequency.

Smaller orders therefore need a strong minimum delivery price so the business does not spend an hour driving for a low-revenue load.

Firewood Bundle Profit

Packaged firewood bundles can sell for much more per cubic foot than bulk cords. Campgrounds, convenience stores, grocery stores and roadside vendors may sell small bundles to customers who only need wood for one evening.

The higher retail price has to be compared with packaging material, labeling, bundling labor, wholesale discounts and retail distribution.

How Much Revenue Can One Cord Make in Bundles?

Suppose one cord can be divided into 80 retail bundles and each bundle sells for $8:

80 × $8 = $640 gross retail revenue

If each package costs 75 cents for wrap, bagging and labels:

80 × $0.75 = $60 packaging cost

Additional bundling labor and retailer margins still need to be considered before assuming the entire difference becomes extra profit.

Bulk Firewood vs Bundled Firewood

Bulk firewood usually has lower packaging and handling costs but a lower selling price per cubic foot. Bundled firewood can command higher retail prices while creating more labor and packaging expense.

Advanced mode lets you estimate what happens when only part of total production is sold as bundles instead of assuming every cord uses the same sales channel.

Raw Log Cost Per Cord

Businesses purchasing tree-length logs should convert the delivered log invoice into an estimated raw-material cost per finished cord.

The cost may include the logs themselves, trucking, loading or unloading.

Wood with significant rot, oversized crotches or unusable material can produce less finished firewood than expected, which raises the raw material cost of each sellable cord.

Free Logs and Firewood Profit

Tree-service logs can sometimes be obtained at little or no purchase price because the tree company needs somewhere to dispose of the wood. Free logs can improve margins dramatically, but transportation and handling are still costs.

A free pile of logs located 100 miles away may not be economically free after truck time, fuel and equipment are included.

Firewood From Tree Removal Jobs

Tree-service companies can potentially turn part of their log disposal stream into another source of revenue by processing suitable wood into firewood.

If you also price tree-removal work, the Tree Removal Cost Calculator can estimate cutting, rigging, crane, debris and stump costs separately from the value of any logs later converted into firewood.

Harvesting Your Own Firewood

Harvesting your own timber does not make the raw wood free. Chainsaw time, fuel, forestry equipment, hauling, permits, road access and labor should be included in the production cost.

A realistic harvesting allowance allows purchased logs and self-harvested wood to be compared on the same basis.

Firewood Processing Loss

Not every piece of incoming wood becomes saleable firewood. Rot, dirt, oversized crotches, short pieces and handling losses can reduce final yield.

The Advanced calculator includes a production-loss percentage so raw material costs increase when part of the incoming volume cannot be sold.

Firewood Cutting Labor Cost

Cutting firewood requires labor whether the worker uses a chainsaw, processor or combination of equipment. Employee cost should include more than the base hourly wage.

If an employee earns $30 per hour and employer payroll burden adds 15%, the loaded hourly cost is:

$30 × 1.15 = $34.50 per hour

Firewood Splitting Labor Cost

Splitting speed depends on log diameter, species, equipment and desired split size. A powerful hydraulic splitter or processor can reduce labor per cord compared with slower manual handling.

The key business metric is not simply how quickly the splitter cycles but how many finished cords can be produced during a paid labor hour.

Owner Labor and Firewood Profit

Small firewood sellers often treat their own labor as free. This can make a weekend firewood business appear extremely profitable even when the owner works dozens of hours cutting, stacking and delivering.

Advanced mode lets an owner assign an hourly value to personal labor so the business can be evaluated as if that work had to be paid for.

Firewood Processor Profitability

A firewood processor can greatly increase production volume by combining cutting and splitting into one machine. The higher purchase price only makes financial sense when the machine produces enough billable firewood to justify ownership.

Fuel, maintenance, hydraulic repairs, saw chains and depreciation should all be allocated to productive processor hours.

Firewood Processor Fuel Cost

Processors and hydraulic splitters can consume gasoline or diesel throughout the production day. Advanced mode lets you enter an hourly equipment fuel cost and multiplies it by the estimated machine hours required for one finished cord.

Chainsaw Cost Per Cord

Chains, guide bars, files, oil, fuel and saw maintenance are consumable expenses. Even if each individual chain appears inexpensive relative to a load of firewood, the annual total can become significant.

The calculator includes a chainsaw wear allowance for every cord produced.

Log Splitter Maintenance Cost

Hydraulic oil, filters, hoses, bearings, wedges, engines and pumps all require maintenance over time. Creating a maintenance reserve helps prevent future repairs from being treated as unexpected losses.

Firewood Equipment Depreciation

Equipment loses value as it accumulates hours. A processor purchased for $50,000 and later sold for $20,000 has consumed $30,000 of equipment value during its working life.

Allocating part of that loss to every productive machine hour provides a more realistic production cost.

Firewood Seasoning Cost

Freshly processed firewood may need months of drying before it reaches the moisture level expected by customers. During that time, the wood occupies valuable yard space and ties up working capital.

The calculator does not attempt to predict drying time automatically because species, climate, split size and storage method all matter. Instead, it includes a seasoning-time field for planning and separate storage costs per cord.

Firewood Storage Cost

A business producing hundreds of cords needs enough space to store logs, freshly split wood and seasoned inventory at the same time.

Yard rent, pallets, racks, covers, sheds and material handling should be included when they represent real operating costs.

Stacking Firewood Cost

Stacking can require significant labor when large quantities of wood are handled more than once before sale. A business may split wood onto a conveyor, stack it for seasoning, load it later and then stack it again at the customer’s property.

Every handling step consumes labor even though it does not increase the physical amount of firewood being sold.

Firewood Delivery Profit

Delivery can create additional revenue but also adds fuel, truck wear and driver time. A profitable firewood price in the yard can become unprofitable when the customer lives far outside the normal delivery area.

The calculator separates the delivery fee from delivery expenses so you can see whether the charge actually covers the trip.

How Much Should You Charge for Firewood Delivery?

A delivery fee should cover more than gasoline. The truck is accumulating mileage and the driver is spending time that could otherwise be used processing or delivering another order.

A useful delivery price can consider:

• Round-trip distance
• Fuel
• Driver wages
• Truck maintenance
• Tires
• Trailer wear
• Loading time
• Unloading time

Firewood Delivery Fuel Cost

For metric calculations:

Fuel Used = Distance ÷ 100 × L/100 km

If a loaded truck travels 40 km round trip at 18 L/100 km:

40 ÷ 100 × 18 = 7.2 litres

At $1.50 per litre, fuel costs approximately $10.80 for the trip before vehicle wear and driver labor are added.

Firewood Truck and Trailer Cost

Heavy firewood loads can accelerate tire, brake, suspension and trailer wear. A per-kilometre or per-mile vehicle reserve helps ensure that future repairs and replacement costs are reflected in delivery pricing.

Why Delivery Radius Matters

A firewood company can often improve profit by concentrating deliveries within a tighter service area. Two deliveries ten minutes apart can be much more efficient than two customers on opposite sides of a region.

The 25% Less Delivery Distance scenario shows how lower distance-related costs affect estimated profit per cord.

Firewood Stacking Fee

Some customers want the wood stacked in a shed, garage or backyard rack rather than dumped in an accessible location. That additional labor should generally be priced separately.

A stacking upsell can increase revenue, but the amount charged should exceed the additional employee or owner labor required.

Firewood Customer Acquisition Cost

Customers may come from local SEO, Facebook Marketplace, classified ads, Google Ads, referrals, roadside signs or repeat orders.

If a business spends $600 on advertising and receives 60 paying orders:

$600 ÷ 60 = $10 customer acquisition cost per order

The calculator includes this amount as an order-level expense rather than pretending every sale is acquired for free.

Repeat Firewood Customers

Repeat customers can become especially valuable because they may reorder several times during one winter without requiring the same advertising expense as a new customer.

Maintaining a customer list and contacting previous buyers before cold weather can help increase seasonal order volume.

Payment Processing Fees

Cash, e-transfer and card payments can have different transaction costs. If a processor charges 2.9% and a customer pays $500 electronically, the percentage fee is approximately:

$500 × 2.9% = $14.50

Advanced mode allows you to enter the percentage of total sales actually processed electronically instead of applying fees to every transaction.

Monthly Firewood Business Overhead

Fixed expenses continue regardless of whether the business sells five cords or fifty.

• Firewood processor payment
• Log splitter payment
• Truck and trailer financing
• Insurance
• Yard rent
• Advertising
• Phone and software
• Equipment replacement reserves
• Accounting and administration

The calculator allocates those monthly costs across the number of full-cord equivalents sold.

How Higher Firewood Volume Changes Cost Per Cord

Fixed overhead becomes smaller per cord as more wood is sold. If fixed overhead is $3,000 per month:

• 10 cords = $300 fixed overhead per cord
• 20 cords = $150 per cord
• 30 cords = $100 per cord
• 50 cords = $60 per cord
• 100 cords = $30 per cord

This is one reason production volume can improve margins when the existing truck, yard and processor have unused capacity.

10 More Cords Per Month Scenario

The calculator estimates monthly profit with ten additional full cords while keeping the current fixed monthly overhead unchanged.

This can help evaluate how valuable additional sales might be before the business needs another truck, processor or employee.

What Happens If Firewood Prices Increase by $50 Per Cord?

Most production expenses do not automatically increase just because the selling price rises. That means a $50 price increase can add close to $50 to contribution profit per cord, aside from percentage-based selling fees.

At 40 cords per month, an additional $50 in gross revenue per cord represents:

40 × $50 = $2,000 additional monthly revenue

Firewood Break-Even Point

Break-even volume estimates how many full-cord equivalents must be sold before contribution from sales covers the fixed monthly expenses entered into the calculator.

The formula is:

Break-Even Cords = Fixed Monthly Costs ÷ Contribution Per Cord

If fixed overhead is $3,000 and each cord contributes $150 before fixed expenses:

$3,000 ÷ $150 = 20 cords per month

Target Firewood Profit Margin

The Advanced calculator can estimate the selling price required to reach a selected margin based on your current estimated cost per full cord.

If a cord costs $280 and you want a 30% margin, the required price is approximately:

$280 ÷ (1 − 0.30) = $400

Firewood Markup vs Profit Margin

Markup measures profit relative to cost, while margin measures profit relative to selling price.

If a cord costs $250 and sells for $400, the profit is $150.

Markup is:

$150 ÷ $250 = 60% markup

Profit margin is:

$150 ÷ $400 = 37.5% margin

Firewood Business Startup Costs

A firewood business can begin with relatively basic equipment or involve a large investment in processors, conveyors, loaders and delivery trucks.

• Chainsaws
• Log splitter
• Firewood processor
• Conveyor
• Skid steer or loader
• Truck
• Dump trailer
• Log trailer
• Storage yard
• Pallets and covers
• Scales or measuring equipment
• Insurance
• Website and advertising

If you are planning the business from scratch, the Business Startup Cost Calculator can help estimate equipment, advertising and operating capital separately from ongoing firewood profit.

Small Firewood Business Profit

A small owner-operated business may use a chainsaw, hydraulic splitter and pickup truck. Equipment overhead can be relatively low, but labor per cord may be high.

The owner should still assign a value to personal time when deciding whether the business is more profitable than other work opportunities.

Commercial Firewood Business Profit

Larger producers can reduce labor per cord with processors, conveyors and loaders, but fixed equipment payments and yard expenses become much larger.

High production only creates strong profit when enough customers exist to sell the inventory at worthwhile prices.

Firewood Processor vs Log Splitter

A hydraulic splitter can be inexpensive and flexible for a small operation. A processor can produce far more volume but requires a much larger investment and a steady supply of suitable logs.

Compare equipment based on cost per finished cord rather than purchase price alone.

Seasonal Firewood Profit

Firewood demand is highly seasonal in many climates. Cold weather can create intense demand during a few months followed by much slower summer sales.

The calculator includes Selling Weeks Per Year so annual profit does not automatically assume twelve equally strong months.

Fall Firewood Sales

Fall can be a strong period because homeowners begin preparing for heating season before the coldest weather arrives. Building inventory too late can leave freshly split wood insufficiently seasoned when demand peaks.

Winter Firewood Sales

Cold spells can increase demand quickly. Sellers with dry inventory ready for immediate delivery may be able to maintain stronger pricing than businesses scrambling to process wood after customers begin calling.

Summer Firewood Sales

Summer demand may come from campgrounds, cabins, backyard fire pits and recreational users rather than home heating. Small bundles can become more important during warmer months.

Selling Firewood to Campgrounds

Campgrounds can create recurring seasonal demand for packaged bundles. The firewood producer may sell wholesale at a lower price per bundle while moving larger quantities through one customer relationship.

Selling Firewood to Convenience Stores

Convenience stores and gas stations may sell bundled firewood to campers and recreational customers. Wholesale pricing needs to leave enough margin for both the producer and retailer.

Selling Firewood Online

Local websites, search engines, Facebook Marketplace and classified platforms can generate direct-to-consumer orders. Direct sales can produce higher prices than wholesale, but the seller must handle individual customer communication and delivery.

Firewood Delivery Route Efficiency

Delivering several orders in one area can reduce fuel and driver hours per cord. A seller may also establish specific delivery days for different communities instead of driving long distances for one order at a time.

This routing principle is similar to other delivery businesses where profit depends on how much revenue is generated from every mile or kilometre driven.

Firewood and Junk Hauling

A truck and dump trailer used for firewood deliveries may also be useful for other hauling work during slower periods. The economics are different because junk hauling adds landfill costs and labor instead of firewood production costs.

The Junk Removal Job Profit Calculator can help compare customer price, disposal fees, crew wages, truck fuel and profit for that type of service business.

Tree Service and Firewood Businesses

Tree-service companies may have an advantage because they already generate logs through paid removal work. Instead of paying to dispose of suitable logs, part of that material may be processed into a product that can be sold later.

The tradeoff is that logs require handling, storage and processing space, so turning every tree into firewood is not automatically profitable.

Firewood Inventory and Working Capital

Firewood businesses can have money tied up in inventory for months while wood seasons. Logs may be purchased in spring or summer but not sold until winter.

The business therefore needs enough working capital to cover fuel, wages, equipment payments and yard costs before the inventory produces revenue.

Moisture Content and Firewood Value

Customers generally place more value on properly seasoned firewood than freshly cut green wood because lower moisture content makes the wood more suitable for burning.

Exact drying requirements and legal descriptions vary by location, so businesses should advertise wood condition accurately.

Hardwood vs Softwood Firewood Profit

Hardwoods can command higher prices in some markets, but dense wood can also require more cutting and splitting effort. Softwood may process faster while selling for less depending on local customer preferences.

The best species is the one that produces the strongest margin after raw wood, processing time and local selling price are considered together.

Oak Firewood Profit

Oak can command premium prices in many firewood markets because of its density and reputation as a heating wood. It can also require long seasoning periods and more splitting effort.

Maple Firewood Profit

Maple can be a popular hardwood firewood species where it is locally abundant. Raw log availability can be as important as selling price when calculating margin.

Birch Firewood Profit

Birch can be popular for fireplaces and recreational fires because of its appearance and burning characteristics. Local supply and customer preferences determine whether it commands a premium.

Softwood Firewood Profit

Softwoods may be abundant and easy to process in certain regions. Lower raw material cost or faster production can sometimes offset a lower customer selling price.

How to Increase Firewood Profit

• Track the true production cost per cord.
• Charge separately for long-distance delivery.
• Add a minimum delivery order.
• Sell smaller quantities at a higher equivalent price where legal and practical.
• Offer profitable stacking service.
• Sell bundles during camping season.
• Source logs closer to the production yard.
• Reduce unnecessary handling.
• Maintain saws and processors to reduce downtime.
• Group deliveries geographically.
• Track advertising cost per paying customer.
• Build equipment depreciation into the selling price.
• Produce inventory before peak winter demand.
• Measure actual profit instead of gross sales.

Common Firewood Business Pricing Mistakes

• Treating free logs as having no handling cost
• Ignoring owner labor
• Charging too little for delivery
• Not accounting for equipment depreciation
• Ignoring storage costs
• Giving stacking away for free
• Ignoring packaging labor
• Assuming every incoming log becomes saleable wood
• Failing to track customer acquisition cost
• Using revenue instead of profit to judge performance

Why Firewood Revenue Is Not Firewood Profit

A business selling $20,000 of firewood in one month can still have disappointing profit if logs, payroll, fuel, delivery and equipment expenses consume most of the revenue.

If monthly sales are $20,000 and complete operating costs are $14,000:

$20,000 − $14,000 = $6,000 estimated monthly profit

Firewood Monthly Revenue Formula

A simple monthly revenue formula is:

Monthly Revenue = Firewood Volume Sold × Average Revenue Per Unit

Forty cords averaging $425 in revenue each generate:

40 × $425 = $17,000 monthly revenue

Firewood Annual Profit

Annual profit should account for seasonality. A business may have four extremely strong winter months but relatively low sales during the rest of the year.

The calculator uses the number of selling weeks entered to scale monthly performance into a more realistic annual projection.

Is Selling Firewood a Good Business?

Firewood can be attractive where customers pay strong prices and raw logs are inexpensive or readily available. It can also be equipment-intensive, seasonal and physically demanding.

The best way to evaluate the opportunity is to calculate production cost, delivery cost, realistic selling volume and the return generated by the equipment investment rather than relying on selling price alone.

More Business Profit Calculators

Firewood combines manufacturing, local delivery and seasonal inventory management. Browse the Business Calculators section for more tools covering startup expenses, hauling, service businesses, equipment and profit margins.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate firewood profit?

Subtract raw wood, labor, processing, storage, delivery, advertising and allocated business overhead from the total amount collected from customers.

Does the calculator show profit per cord?

Yes. All sales are converted to full-cord equivalents so estimated profit can be compared on a consistent basis.

Can I calculate face cord profit?

Yes. Select Face Cord / Rick and enter the selling price and monthly quantity.

Can I calculate half-cord profit?

Yes. Half Cord is included as a selling-unit option.

Can I calculate quarter-cord profit?

Yes. Quarter Cord is included for smaller bulk orders.

Can I calculate firewood bundle profit?

Yes. Advanced mode lets you specify the percentage of total wood sold as bundles, bundles per cord, retail price and packaging expense.

Can I include purchased logs?

Yes. Enter the estimated raw wood cost per finished full-cord equivalent.

Can I use free tree-service logs?

Yes. Set raw wood purchase cost to zero and still include the transportation, processing and handling expenses that apply.

Does it calculate processing loss?

Yes. Advanced mode includes a percentage allowance for unusable wood and production loss.

Can I include employee wages?

Yes. Enter production hours per cord, worker count, wages and payroll burden.

Can I include my own labor?

Yes. Owner labor hours and an hourly owner-labor value can be added separately.

Can I include firewood processor fuel?

Yes. Enter machine hours per cord and fuel cost per machine hour.

Can I include chainsaw wear?

Yes. A chains, bars and saw-wear allowance can be entered for every cord.

Can I include processor maintenance?

Yes. Enter maintenance and depreciation separately for each machine hour.

Can I include firewood storage?

Yes. Advanced mode includes storage, cover or pallet and handling costs per cord.

Can I include delivery fees?

Yes. Enter the percentage of orders delivered and the average delivery fee collected from customers.

Can I include stacking fees?

Yes. Enter the average stacking fee charged on delivered orders.

Can I calculate truck fuel?

Yes. Enter round-trip distance, fuel economy and fuel price using kilometres and L/100 km or miles and MPG.

Can I include truck and trailer wear?

Yes. Enter a maintenance and depreciation allowance per kilometre or mile.

Can I include driver labor?

Yes. Delivery hours and driver labor cost are calculated separately.

Can I include advertising?

Yes. Advanced mode includes advertising or customer acquisition cost per order plus a separate fixed monthly marketing budget.

Can I include credit card fees?

Yes. Enter the processing percentage and percentage of sales paid electronically.

Can I include equipment payments?

Yes. Monthly processor, splitter, truck and trailer financing can be included in overhead.

Does it calculate monthly firewood profit?

Yes. Results include monthly revenue, monthly operating costs and estimated net profit.

Does it calculate annual firewood profit?

Yes. Annual projections are adjusted using the number of selling weeks entered.

Does it calculate break-even cords?

Yes. Advanced mode estimates how many full-cord equivalents must be sold each month for contribution profit to cover fixed business overhead.

Can I calculate a target selling price?

Yes. Enter a target profit margin and the calculator estimates the required full-cord selling price from the costs entered.

Can tree companies use this calculator?

Yes. Tree-service businesses can use it to determine whether processing recovered logs into firewood generates more value than disposing of or selling the logs another way.

Does the Firewood Profit Calculator work on mobile?

Yes. The calculator switches to a one-column layout on smaller screens and uses large fields and buttons for easier use on smartphones.

Final Thoughts

A firewood business can generate impressive gross revenue during cold weather, but true profitability depends on much more than the price printed on a cord or bundle. Logs need to become finished inventory before they can be sold, and every handling step consumes labor, equipment and money.

Simple Estimate is useful when you already know roughly what one unit of firewood costs to produce. Enter your monthly volume, selling price and average cost to see profit per cord, monthly profit and annual earnings.

Advanced Estimate is better for understanding the business itself. Enter the raw log cost, processing hours, employee wages, processor fuel, saw wear, storage expense, delivery mileage, advertising and fixed overhead. The results then show how much revenue remains after those costs are accounted for.

Run several scenarios before setting prices for the season. Compare full cords with smaller orders, see what happens when the selling price rises by $50, calculate the benefit of ten additional monthly cords and test whether a tighter delivery radius meaningfully improves margin.

The goal is not simply to produce the largest pile of split wood. A strong firewood business converts every log, machine hour and delivery kilometre into enough customer revenue to pay the operating costs, replace the equipment and still leave a worthwhile profit for the owner.