How Much Are Wood Pellets Per Bag?

Wood pellet prices range between $5 and $9 for a 40-pound bag, or an average of $7 per bag. A single bag lasts about 24 hours with constant burning in a pellet stove. If you’re buying in bulk, the cost of wood pellets is roughly $250 per ton.

Average Wood Pellet Prices

Wood Pellet Price Factors

How much are pellets for pellet stoves? Wood pellet prices can vary based on several factors, including:

• Supply: Pellets are a waste product, made from materials such as sawdust or even food waste. Price varies based on waste supply and availability.

• Type: Corn pellets are cheaper than wood; hardwood pellets are more expensive than softwood or biomass pellets.

• Delivery: Your pellet fuel costs will rise if you have them delivered.

• Brand: You can buy from big-box home improvement stores, but you can also order brands like Lignetics or Packsaddle, which may be slightly more expensive.

Wood Pellet Brand Comparison

Depending on brand, you’ll spend anywhere from $4 to $9 for a 40-pound bag of pellets.

Bulk Wood Pellet Prices

Buying pellet fuel in bulk costs $250 per ton on average. This is a good way to stock up on fuel, but you’ll pay extra if you need it delivered. Delivery costs an additional $50 to $100, depending on how far you live from the purchasing site.

Wood Pellet Prices per Ton

Typical bulk orders for wood pellets are by the ton. A single ton of wood pellets (equivalent to 50 40-pound bags) costs $250 on average. Depending on the type of pellet fuel, however, you could spend up to $380 per ton—or $480 if you need delivery. Alternatively, a cord of wood costs between $150 and $500 and lasts 6 to 10 weeks in a fireplace or wood-burning stove.

Bag of Wood Pellets Cost

Pellets commonly come in 40-pound bags and average $7 per bag, but you can usually lower the cost to $5 per bag when buying a bulk order. The type of pellets and where you order them from also factor into price. Expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $9 for one 40-pound bag.

Pellet Stove Cost Per Month

While a pellet stove costs between $1,025 and $3,300 as an initial investment, it only costs $35 to $50 per month to run your stove.

Homeowners often use pellet stoves in addition to a home’s heating system. Like a fireplace, stoves work best to heat a single room. Maintenance isn’t a monthly cost, but you might need servicing annually or every other year to help your stove last. Contact a pellet stove installer near you to get the best recommendation.

Pellet stoves require both pellets and electricity to operate. This table breaks down the average cost of running a pellet stove each month:

Pellet Stove Fuel Cost

Pellets are an affordable way to fuel a wood-burning stove. At $5 to $9 per bag, you can expect to spend $25 to $35 per month on pellets. This largely depends on how often you run the stone; a single bag will burn for roughly 24 hours. This monthly wood pellet pricing estimate assumes that you’ll use the stove between three and four hours a day.

Cost to Run a Pellet Stove

A pellet stove needs electricity to power its fans and thermostat. These stoves typically use 1 kilowatt of electricity per hourto run (and 3.5 to 4.5 kilowatts to ignite). For three to four hours of daily usage, monthly electric costs will range between $10 and $15 a month.

How to Choose Pellets

Not all wood pellets are created equal. Just because you can find a bag for $5 doesn’t mean you should pass up the bag that costs nearly twice as much. Certain factors, like BTUs, ash content, moisture content, and additives, may make the more expensive pellets longer-lasting and thus worth the investment.

BTUs

BTU, which stands for British Thermal Unit, is a measurement of heat output. The higher the BTUs, the higher the pellets will burn. Generally, wood pellets range from 8,000 to 9,000 BTUs. To heat a larger space, you’ll want pellets with a higher BTU rating—but these tend to be more expensive.

Ash Content

When purchasing wood pellets, look for ash content less than 2% of the total weight of the pellets—at a minimum. An even higher-quality pellet should have an ash content below 1%, and the highest-quality may fall below 0.7%. The lower the ash content, the less often you’ll have to clean out your stove.

Moisture Content

Moisture content can also determine wood pellet quality. Wood pellets need some degree of moisture during the pelletization process—the moisture serves as a glue to hold it together. However, too much moisture can make pellets less effective.

Additives

You might find bags of wood pellets with bark, cardboard, or recycled materials added in. This may yield lower wood pellet prices, but it results in a mixture that won’t burn as hot and produces more ash.