Wood chips or rubberwood pellets — which should your plant burn?
Short answer: if your boiler tolerates high-moisture fuel and you have yard space, burn wood chips — the cost per unit of heat is clearly lower. If space is tight, you need consistently low moisture, or you feed by auger, burn pellets.
The numbers that decide it
| wood chip 10 mm | wood chip 30 mm | rubberwood pellet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calorific value | ~2200 Kcal/Kg | ~2200 Kcal/Kg | ~4000 Kcal/Kg |
| Moisture | ~43% | ~43% | ~9% |
| Size | 10 mm | 30 mm | ~8 mm |
| Best for | Small to mid-size boilers | Biomass power plants, large boilers | Coal replacement, export |
Choose wood chips when
- Your boiler is a stoker or fluidized bed rated for ~43% moisture
- You have an outdoor yard or shed that can hold bulk volume
- Monthly volume is high and cost per ton is the deciding factor
- You can receive full 28–31 ton trailer loads
Choose pellets when
- Storage is tight and you need more energy per cubic metre
- Fuel is fed by auger or pneumatic conveyor
- You need steady ~9% moisture to hold combustion temperature
- You are replacing coal or LPG and want a clean, easily handled fuel
Still deciding?
Send your boiler spec and monthly consumption. We will work out the cost per unit of heat for both fuels and tell you plainly which is cheaper for your plant.
Call Morse · 092-392-2292- How much more heat do pellets give than wood chips?
- Rubberwood pellets run about 4000 Kcal/Kg against roughly 2200 Kcal/Kg for wood chips — about 1.8 times the heat for the same weight, because moisture is far lower (~9% versus ~43%).
- Which is cheaper per unit of heat?
- Wood chips are usually cheaper per unit of heat despite the lower calorific value, because the price per ton differs so much. Factor in storage space and the labour of feeding the boiler before deciding.
- What is the difference between 10 mm and 30 mm chips?
- Calorific value and moisture are the same. Size is the difference: 10 mm suits small and mid-size boilers whose feed systems take a finer chip, 30 mm suits biomass power plants and large boilers.
- Do we need to modify the boiler to switch from coal to biomass?
- It depends on the boiler and existing combustion system. Some plants switch directly if the design already accepts multiple solid fuels; others need feed and grate changes. Send us your spec and we will assess it.