Wood Pellet Calculator
Enter the fuel you heated with last winter and how much you used. You'll get the tons and bags of pellets that deliver the same heat, and, with prices, what each costs per million Btu.
- EIA pellet heat content
- EPA pellet stove efficiency
- Compare with your old fuel
2 Pellets for the winter
Updates as you type| Heating oil system efficiency used | 87% |
|---|---|
| Heat in a ton of pellets | 16.6 million Btu (8,300 Btu per pound) |
| Heat in one bag | 332,000 Btu |
| Tons needed | 6.35 |
| Bags needed | 318 of 40 lb |
This assumes pellets replace all of last winter's heat. A pellet stove heats the rooms around it best, so if the furnace still heats part of the house, you will burn fewer pellets and some of the old fuel.
Have the stove professionally cleaned at least once a year (EPA), put ashes in a covered metal container at least 10 feet from the house (U.S. Fire Administration), and keep carbon monoxide alarms on every level. Most pellet stoves need electricity for the feed and fans, so without a battery backup they stop in a power outage.
Quick answer
Pellets needed = heat your home used ÷ heat a ton of pellets delivers. At 8,300 Btu per pound (EIA's regional averages ran 8,171 to 8,462), a ton holds 16.6 million Btu. A home that burned 700 gallons of heating oil in an 87% furnace used 84.3 million Btu of heat, which takes about 6.4 tons of pellets (318 bags of 40 lb) in an 80% efficient pellet stove.
Tons of pellets to replace last winter's fuel
| Last winter | Heat delivered | Tons of pellets | 40 lb bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 gallons of heating oil | 60.2 million Btu | 4.5 | 227 |
| 800 gallons of heating oil | 96.4 million Btu | 7.3 | 363 |
| 800 gallons of propane | 69.5 million Btu | 5.2 | 262 |
| 1,200 gallons of propane | 104.3 million Btu | 7.9 | 393 |
| 3 cords of firewood | 42.6 million Btu | 3.2 | 161 |
| 5 cords of firewood | 71 million Btu | 5.3 | 268 |
8,300 Btu per pound, 80% pellet stove. Oil in an 87% furnace, propane in a 95% furnace, firewood at EIA's 20 million Btu per cord in a 71% stove. Use the calculator above for your exact size.
How the calculation works
Last winter's fuel use is the best record you have of how much heat your home needs, though a colder or milder winter will change it. The calculator turns last winter's fuel into heat delivered, using the Btu content the Energy Information Administration lists for each fuel and the efficiency of your system, then works out how many pellets deliver the same heat.
- Heat delivered = fuel used × Btu per unit × efficiency. For the example: 700 gallons × 138,500 Btu × 87% = 84.3 million Btu.
- Heat in a ton of pellets = 2,000 lb × 8,300 Btu = 16.6 million Btu, of which an 80% stove delivers 13.28 million.
- Tons = 84.35 ÷ 13.28 = 6.35, about 6.4 tons, or 318 bags of 40 lb.
The figures behind it
- Heat content: pellet makers reported premium and standard wood pellets averaging 8,171 to 8,462 Btu per pound by region in August 2026, in EIA's Monthly Densified Biomass Fuel Report. We use 8,300. The Pellet Fuels Institute standard sets no minimum heating value for any grade, but certified makers must guarantee a minimum on the bag.
- Stove efficiency: EPA says certified pellet stoves usually fall in the 70% to 83% range. Penn State Extension's cost comparison assumes 80%, the default here.
- Bags: Mississippi State University Extension notes pellets usually come in 40 lb bags and are bought by the ton, a pallet of fifty 40 lb bags.
Comparing costs
Enter what you pay per ton and per unit of your old fuel to compare the cost of heat. EIA reports that US producers' domestic sales of densified biomass fuel, mostly wood pellets, averaged $246.98 a ton in August 2026, but that is what producers took in, wholesale sales included, so use the price your dealer quotes. For gas, propane, oil, electric heat and heat pumps side by side, use the heating cost calculator, and for cordwood the firewood calculator.
Safety
EPA's Burn Wise program advises having a pellet stove professionally cleaned at least once a year, and notes that most pellet stoves need electricity to run their feed and fans (some models take a backup battery, and gravity-fed stoves need none). The U.S. Fire Administration says to put ashes in a metal container with a lid, set outside at least 10 feet from the home, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends carbon monoxide alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas. Follow the stove maker's installation manual for clearances.
Frequently asked questions
How many Btu are in a ton of wood pellets?
About 16.6 million Btu at 8,300 Btu per pound. Pellet makers reported 8,171 to 8,462 Btu per pound by region in August 2026, according to EIA, so a ton holds roughly 16.3 to 16.9 million Btu.
How many bags of pellets are in a ton?
Fifty 40 lb bags make a ton (2,000 lb), the usual pallet, as Mississippi State University Extension notes.
How many bags of pellets will I use in a winter?
It depends on how much heat your home needs. Replacing 700 gallons of heating oil burned in an 87% furnace takes about 6.4 tons, or 318 bags of 40 lb, in an 80% pellet stove. Enter last winter's fuel above for your home.
How efficient is a pellet stove?
EPA says certified pellet stoves usually fall in the 70% to 83% efficiency range.
Last reviewed 2026-11-13. See how we calculate for our sources and assumptions.