A firewood side hustle in Canada buys seasoned wood from a local yard and resells it as delivered half-cords, stacked cords or small bundles, or sells delivery and stacking as a service. The rules that matter are federal: Measurement Canada sets the legal units, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) restricts moving firewood out of pest-regulated areas. Canadian yards listed a full cord of seasoned hardwood at about $410 to $925 on October 19, 2026, depending on the region and the species.
Related reading: snow removal uses the same truck and the same winter clients, junk removal covers hauling and dump costs, and best winter side hustles ranks other cold-weather work.
| Quick fact | Figure |
|---|---|
| One cord | 128 stacked cubic feet, or about 3.6 stacked cubic metres |
| Legal units | Stacked cubic metre, cubic foot, cord and fractions of a cord |
| Prepackaged label unit | Cubic decimetres (dm³); cubic feet may be added |
| CFIA buy-local guidance | Buy wood cut less than 80 km from where it is sold |
| Penalty for moving regulated firewood | Up to $50,000 and/or prosecution |
| Solid wood in a stacked cord | About 70% (NRCan), the rest is air gaps |
| Ready-to-burn moisture | Below 20% by weight (Nova Scotia, Regional District of Nanaimo) |
What units can you legally sell firewood in, in Canada?
In Canada you can sell bulk firewood by the stacked cubic metre, the cubic foot, or the cord of 128 cubic feet, including fractions such as half or a quarter of a cord. Measurement Canada’s selling firewood page recommends the stacked cubic metre, and says terms such as “face cord” or “stove cord” are illegal because sellers use them for quantities smaller than 128 cubic feet.
That matters because many yards still use those words. Fairwood’s own FAQ prices “a face cord” at $200 a skid, and describes a skid as about a third of a full cord, roughly 37 cubic feet. If you resell, write every quantity in cubic feet or as a fraction of a 128-cubic-foot cord, so the buyer can check it.
How to measure a stack, from Measurement Canada’s measuring page:
- In inches: length × height × width ÷ 1,728 = cubic feet; ÷ 128 = cords. Their example: 96 × 48 × 12 inches = 55,296 cubic inches = 32 cubic feet = a quarter cord.
- In centimetres: length × height × width ÷ 1,000,000 = cubic metres; ÷ 3.6 = cords.
A buyer is told by Measurement Canada’s buying page to be present, measure the stack before using any, and ask for a receipt showing the quantity and type of wood, the seller’s name, address and phone number, and the price. Give that receipt without being asked.
Bagged, boxed or strapped wood sold at retail needs the product name, the responsible seller’s name and address, and the quantity on the package (or on a hang tag for strapped wood). The prepackaged quantity is shown in cubic decimetres, and cubic feet may be added. One cubic foot is about 28.3 dm³.
How dry does firewood need to be before you sell it as seasoned?
Firewood sold as “seasoned” should be below 20% moisture by weight. Nova Scotia’s Burn it hot, burn it clean guide says freshly cut “green” wood is 35 to 50% water by weight, should be seasoned at least six months under shelter, and should be split to 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches) thick and about 10 cm shorter than the firebox. The Regional District of Nanaimo’s Season of Wood page says softwood needs at least four to six months to air-dry below 20%, and that very little drying happens after October.
Natural Resources Canada’s graded firewood bulletin describes the CAN/CSA-ISO 17225-5 grades that buyers with newer stoves may ask about:
| Label part | What it means (NRCan Bulletin No. 7) |
|---|---|
| M20 / M25 / M35 | Moisture at or below 20%, 25% or 35% of weight as received (M35 applies to Grade B only) |
| L30 / L40 / L50 | Piece length 30, 40 or 50 cm, within 2 to 4 cm |
| D15 | 85% of pieces are 5 to 15 cm across; NRCan recommends under 15 cm for stoves |
| D2 / D5 | Kindling sizes, 2 cm or 2 to 5 cm |
| Grade A1 | Stem wood or untreated mill residue only |
NRCan also says a neatly stacked cord is about 70% solid wood, that firewood around 25% moisture burns efficiently, and that hand-held meters “have limited accuracy” compared with oven drying. So a meter reading is a check, not a lab result: write “split and stacked since [month]” on your listing as well as the reading.
A moisture check you can copy
Moisture check, before every sale
1. Take 3 pieces from different parts of the stack (top, middle, bottom).
2. Split each piece and test the fresh inside face, not the bark side.
3. Push the meter pins in along the grain; note each reading.
4. Sell as "seasoned" only if all 3 read under 20%.
5. Write on the receipt: species, date split, and the 3 readings.Which CFIA pest rules apply to selling firewood?
The CFIA prohibits moving firewood out of a regulated area, and says moving firewood from places where regulated pests have been found can violate the Plant Protection Act, with penalties of up to $50,000 and/or prosecution. Its hazards of moving firewood page lists the pests by province, including emerald ash borer in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and says Alberta is free of federally regulated pests but prohibits moving elm wood under provincial law.
The page allows three cases:
- moving firewood within a regulated area;
- moving firewood within non-regulated areas, as long as you do not pass through a regulated area;
- moving firewood out of a regulated area with a CFIA movement certificate for heat-treated firewood, or under a compliance agreement.
For a side hustle this means: buy from a yard near your customers, ask where the wood was cut (the CFIA suggests less than 80 km from where it is sold), and do not haul a load from your cottage region to the city. Check the regulated-area map for your province on the CFIA page before your first delivery.
What do Canadian firewood yards charge?
Canadian firewood yards that publish prices listed a full cord at $320 (softwood) to $925 (birch) when read on October 19, 2026. Delivery, length and stacking change the price.
| Yard (region) | Published price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Yarmouth Firewood (Nova Scotia) | $320/cord softwood, $410/cord hardwood, delivered | Minimum 2-cord order, deposit required |
| SAM Firewood (Metro Halifax) | 1 cord $440 (zone 1) to $500 (zone 4); half cord $240 to $300 | Prices include delivery, exclude HST; bags $10 per cubic foot; winter deliveries $60 extra per trip |
| Connell’s (Stayner, Ontario) | Bush cord $550, half bush cord $340, including HST | Green wood $450 a bush cord; $2/km after the first 20 km |
| Seasoned Firewood (Ontario) | Bush cord $552, half bush cord $295 (14 to 16 inch mixed hardwood) | Local delivery available |
| Fairwood (Orillia and GTA area) | $600 for 3 skids (full cord); $215 per skid | Says seasoned mixed hardwood runs about $500 to $600 a full cord before delivery and HST |
| A Cut Above Firewood (British Columbia) | Pine $325/cord, pine-fir mix $365, fir $400, birch $650 | Delivery charged on top; 2-cord truckloads $620 (pine) to $1,280 (birch) |
| Isaac Yard Services (Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) | Stacked $3.00 per cubic foot, loose $2.35 (2025 price list) | Pickup only; 8-ft truck bed (88 cu ft) $264 stacked; $3.00 × 128 = $384 a cord equivalent |
| TMH Industries (Calgary) | Birch: $925 a cord, $462.50 a half cord | Loose birch charged at $7.23 per cubic foot (sale price) |
These are yard prices for buyers. A reseller pays a yard’s price or a wholesale price the yard quotes privately, so the gap between the two is your margin. Ask the yard for its trade price in writing before you advertise.
What do firewood bundles sell for across Canada?
St. Boniface Bag Company, a Winnipeg bag maker, publishes a bundle price list compiled from suppliers, gas stations and online marketplaces (updated September 2024; it does not state a sample size). It says the most common bag is 1.0 cubic foot, with sizes from 0.5 to 2.0 cubic feet.
| Market | Bag prices on the list |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | Suppliers 1.0 cu ft $12, 1.5 cu ft $15 to $20; gas stations $13.99 |
| Calgary | Marketplace 0.5 cu ft $8, 1.25 cu ft $15; gas stations $13.99 |
| Edmonton | Marketplace 1.5 cu ft $15, 2.0 cu ft $25; gas stations 0.75 cu ft $11.99 |
| Regina / Saskatoon | 1.0 cu ft $20 / 0.75 cu ft $12 |
| Winnipeg | Gas stations $13.99; marketplace $6 to $7; roadside $9 |
| Toronto / Ottawa | Suppliers 1.0 cu ft $11 / marketplace 0.5 cu ft $5, 2.0 cu ft $15 |
| Montreal | Marketplace 0.8 cu ft $7, 1.0 cu ft $10 |
| Nova Scotia | Suppliers 1.0 cu ft $15, 2.0 cu ft $30; marketplace $10 |
Price per cubic foot is the number to compare: the $11.99 Edmonton gas-station bag of 0.75 cubic feet works out to about $15.99 a cubic foot, against $3.00 a cubic foot for stacked wood at Isaac Yard Services.
What can a firewood side hustle sell?
A firewood side hustle can sell small bundles, delivered fractions of a cord, stacking, or a winter refill route. These ideas suit a one-truck or one-trailer operator:
- 1-cubic-foot bundles for campfires and patios. Matches SAM’s $10 bag as a price anchor.
- Kindling bags. SAM lists kindling at $10 per cubic foot.
- Half-cord deliveries to townhouses. Many buyers have no room for a full cord.
- Stacking as an add-on. The buyer’s yard, your labour, measured afterwards.
- Monthly refill route. The same houses every three or four weeks through February.
- Cottage-season pickup orders. Sold locally only; respect the CFIA rule above.
- Restaurant and pizza oven supply. Ask about species and length first.
- Short-length wood for small stoves. SAM charges $30 extra per cord for 14-inch and $60 for 12-inch.
- Bundles for convenience stores. Retail labels must show name, address and quantity.
- Seniors’ delivery and carry-in. Pair with tech help for seniors or snow clearing.
What gear does a firewood side hustle need?
A firewood reseller needs a way to haul, a tape measure, a moisture meter and bags or a bin for bundles. These were the Amazon.ca prices on October 19, 2026:
| Item | Product | Price (Amazon.ca, Oct 19, 2026) | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moisture meter | RDINSCOS pin wood moisture meter | $30.68 | Spot checks before each sale |
| Moisture meter (second option) | RDINSCOS pin moisture tester | $30.15 | Same use; buy one, not both |
| Bundle bags | 20x24 mesh firewood bags, 50-pack | $54.99 (about $1.10 a bag) | Reusable bags for patio and campfire bundles |
A 20 x 24 inch bag is the common size on the St. Boniface list. Measure what one of your bags actually holds (stack it, then measure the stack) before you print a quantity on the label.
Illustrative example: one cord as bundles versus a delivered half cord
This is an illustrative example. The cord price, the $10 bag price and the $1.10 mesh bag cost are sourced above. The bag count per cord, label cost, delivery fee and your hours are assumptions.
Option A: bundles.
- Sourced: bush cord at $550 including HST (Connell’s).
- Assumed: 110 one-cubic-foot bags from a 128-cubic-foot cord, because loose wood in a bag packs less tightly than a stack.
- Sourced: $1.10 a bag ($54.99 for 50 mesh bags). Labels are left out.
- Revenue at the $10 SAM bag price: 110 × $10 = $1,100.
- Costs: $550 + 110 × $1.10 = $550 + $121 = $671.
- Left before fuel and time: $1,100 − $671 = $429.
- Assumed 8 hours to bag, label and sell: $429 ÷ 8 = about $54 an hour before fuel.
Option B: delivered half cords.
- Assumed trade price: $250 a half cord from the yard (below its $340 retail half bush cord).
- Assumed sale: $320 delivered and stacked, under the $340 retail half bush cord above.
- Left: $320 − $250 = $70 a delivery, before fuel. At an assumed 2 hours each, $35 an hour.
| Bags per cord (assumed) | Revenue at $10 | Costs ($550 + $1.10 a bag) | Left before fuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | $900 | $649 | $251 |
| 110 | $1,100 | $671 | $429 |
| 125 | $1,250 | $687.50 | $562.50 |
Bundles pay more per hour in this sketch but sell slowly and need a label. Delivered half cords move volume but depend entirely on the trade price a yard will give you.
What does a first season look like?
A first firewood season starts in October with a supplier, a measuring routine and a label, then sells through December and January when demand peaks.
| Weeks | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Find a yard within your area; ask for a written trade price per cord and where the wood was cut |
| 2 | Check the CFIA regulated areas for your route; buy one cord and measure it yourself |
| 3 | Print labels (product, your name and address, quantity in dm³ and cubic feet); bag a test batch |
| 4 | List bundles and half cords locally; offer stacking as an add-on |
| 5 to 8 | Deliver, measure in front of the buyer, and give a receipt every time |
| 9 to 12 | Turn repeat buyers into a refill route through February |
A receipt template you can copy
Firewood receipt
Seller: [name], [address], [phone]
Date delivered: [date]
Wood: [species], seasoned, [length] inch
Quantity: [__] stacked cubic feet ([__] of a 128 cu ft cord)
Measured: [L] x [H] x [W] inches = [__] cu ft
Price: $[__] GST/HST: $[__ or "not registered"]What do Canadian firewood sellers say about the business?
Two Prince Edward Island sellers described their costs to CBC News in May 2023:
- Tommy Gillis, Wood Guys Firewood (Pleasant Grove, P.E.I.): said fuel is “your biggest killer”, because gas runs both the chainsaws and the delivery trucks. He expected prices to rise $40 to $60 a cord over the previous season and was reluctant to take advance orders because fall delivery costs were uncertain.
- Trevor Smith, TLC Firewood (South Granville, P.E.I.): had sold cords and campground bags for seven years and said his bagged-firewood prices had more than doubled in five years.
The lesson for a reseller is the same one in the worked example: fuel and delivery distance decide the margin, so price delivery by zone (as SAM Firewood does) instead of one flat rate.
A listing you can copy
Seasoned firewood, delivered - [town]
[Species], split [month/year], [length]-inch pieces
Half cord (64 stacked cu ft): $[__] delivered to [zone], stacked +$[__]
Full cord (128 stacked cu ft): $[__]
1 cu ft bags: $[__] each, [__] for $[__]
Moisture tested under 20% before delivery. Measured in front of you, receipt every time.
Wood cut within [__] km of [town].Which tax rules apply to selling firewood in Canada?
Firewood sales are business income reported on Form T2125, with the wood, bags, fuel and a share of vehicle costs as expenses. GST/HST registration is required once taxable sales pass $30,000 in a calendar quarter or four consecutive calendar quarters, under the CRA’s when to register rules. SAM Firewood’s page, for example, quotes prices excluding HST. This is not tax, legal, or insurance advice. Vehicle records are covered in the mileage log guide.
What can this guide not confirm?
This guide cannot confirm a trade price any yard will give you, how accurate any hand-held moisture meter is on your wood (NRCan says they have limited accuracy), whether your municipality requires a licence to sell from your driveway, or whether your auto insurance covers hauling wood for pay. Prices were read on each yard’s page on October 19, 2026 and change with the season; the bundle list is dated September 2024 and Isaac Yard Services labels its list 2025 pricing. CFIA regulated areas change, so check the map before each new supplier or route. This is not tax, legal, or insurance advice.
Which guides sit next to selling firewood in Canada?
- Snow removal: the same winter clients and the same truck.
- Junk removal: hauling, loading and dump fees.
- Christmas tree and wreath selling: another seasonal product sold from a lot or driveway.
- Best winter side hustles: other November to March work.
What are the common questions?
Is a face cord a legal unit in Canada?
No. Measurement Canada says bulk firewood is sold by the stacked cubic metre, the cubic foot, or the cord of 128 cubic feet and fractions of it, and calls face cord and stove cord illegal terms.
Can I move firewood to sell in another town?
Not out of a CFIA-regulated area without authorization. The CFIA allows moving firewood within a regulated area, within non-regulated areas without passing through a regulated one, or out of one with a movement certificate or compliance agreement. Penalties reach $50,000.
How much does a cord of firewood cost in Canada?
Yards listed a full cord at $320 softwood to $410 hardwood delivered in Yarmouth, $440 to $500 in Halifax, about $550 to $600 in central Ontario, and $925 for birch in Calgary on October 19, 2026.
How dry should firewood be before I sell it as seasoned?
Below 20% moisture by weight. Nova Scotia's wood-heat guide says green wood is 35 to 50% water and should season at least six months, and the Regional District of Nanaimo says softwood needs four to six months and dries very little after October.
What must a bag of firewood say on the label?
Measurement Canada says boxed, bagged or strapped firewood must show the product name, the responsible seller's name and address, and the quantity, shown in cubic decimetres with cubic feet optional.
Do I charge GST/HST on firewood?
Once your taxable sales pass $30,000 in a calendar quarter or four consecutive quarters you must register and charge it. Income goes on Form T2125. This is not tax advice.
Which sources support this guide?
The rules, rates, and platform requirements in this guide are checked against these primary sources. Retail price ranges are labelled as ranges to verify locally, and they are not quotes.
- Selling firewood — Measurement Canada
- Buying firewood — Measurement Canada
- Measuring bulk firewood — Measurement Canada
- Hazards of moving firewood — Canadian Food Inspection Agency
- Full Cord of Firewood (3 Skids) — Fairwood Firewood
- Mixed Hardwood Firewood — Seasoned Firewood
- Connell's Seasoned Firewood — Connell's Seasoned Firewood
- Buy Firewood - Pricing — SAM Firewood
- Order Wood Now — Yarmouth Firewood
- Birch Firewood — TMH Industries
- Solid Biofuels Bulletin No. 7: Graded Firewood — Natural Resources Canada
- Burn it hot, burn it clean — Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
- The Season of Wood — Regional District of Nanaimo
- Pricing — A Cut Above Firewood
- Firewood Sales — Isaac Yard Services
- Price List Of Firewood Bundles Across Canada — St. Boniface Bag Company
- That cozy wood fire is going to cost you more next year — CBC News
- RDINSCOS Wood Moisture Meter — Amazon.ca
- 20x24 Mesh Firewood Bags, 50-Pack — Amazon.ca
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency
- T2125 Statement of Business or Professional Activities — Canada Revenue Agency