A log store is one of those purchases that looks like a nicety and turns out to be the thing that determines whether your firewood burns well or sulks. Wood stacked under a tarpaulin against a fence does not season – it sweats. Wood stacked in a ventilated store with an overhanging roof loses moisture steadily all summer and burns hot and clean by November.
September is the right moment to sort it, because a store bought now still has the tail of the year’s dry weather to work with. Below are the ones worth buying, what to avoid, and how big yours actually needs to be.
Quick verdict
- Best overall: Rowlinson Large Log Store, pressure treated (around £160-200)
- Best budget option: Forest Garden Compact Pent Log Store (around £90-120)
- Best for small spaces: Rowlinson Small Log Store (around £110-140)
- Best large capacity: Arbor Garden Solutions Large Log Store (around £320-400)
- Best low-maintenance: VIVOHOME metal-framed log store with cover (around £120-180)
- Best cheap fix: a raised pallet base plus a purpose-made log store cover (around £30-50)
How big a store do you need?
Capacity is quoted in cubic metres and it is worth doing the sum rather than guessing. A stacked cubic metre of split logs is roughly 300 pieces, and a wood burner used most evenings from November to March will get through somewhere between 3 and 5 cubic metres a season.
That does not mean you need a 5 cubic metre store. Most people run two stacks: a large store outdoors holding the season’s supply, and a small one nearer the door holding a week or two of dry, ready-to-burn wood. A store of around 1 to 1.5 cubic metres – typically a 4ft by 3ft unit – is the usual sensible starting point, and 1.5 cubic metres and up suits a larger garden or a house that burns wood as its main heat.
One caveat worth knowing: quoted capacities assume neat stacking right to the roof. Real-world capacity is usually 20 to 25 per cent less than the figure on the listing.
What actually matters in a log store
Ventilation
The single most important feature. Slatted or feather-edge sides with gaps, and an open front, let air move through the stack and carry moisture away. A sealed cupboard-style store traps humidity and grows mould. If a store has solid sides all round, it is a shed, not a log store.
A raised floor
Logs sitting on soil or paving wick moisture straight back up. Any store worth buying stands the stack on slats or bearers at least a few centimetres clear of the ground. If yours does not, put battens in yourself.
An overhanging roof
Rain in the UK arrives sideways. A roof that projects beyond the front by 10cm or more keeps the top of the stack dry without closing off the airflow. Felt is the usual covering and is fine; check whether it is included, as some listings sell it separately.
Pressure-treated timber
Not the same as dip-treated. Pressure treatment forces preservative into the core of the wood rather than coating the surface, and it is the difference between a store that lasts fifteen years and one that needs retreating every second spring. It is usually worth the premium and is normally backed by a 10 or 15 year anti-rot guarantee.
The best log stores in the UK
1. Forest Garden Compact Pent Log Store – best budget buy
Around £90-120. A compact pressure-treated unit roughly 1.2m wide by 0.6m deep, holding around 0.7 cubic metres. Slatted sides, sloping pent roof, and a 15-year anti-rot guarantee that puts most cheaper stores to shame.
Pros: proper pressure treatment at a low price; slim depth suits a side passage or against a wall; light enough for one person to move before filling.
Cons: capacity is genuinely small – a couple of months’ burning at most; the roof felt is thin and worth upgrading; assembly instructions are sparse.
Best for: occasional stove users, or as a second store near the back door.
- Log Capacity 0.5m3
- Pressure treated to ensure longevity
- 15-year anti-rot guarantee
- Can fit 2 rows of average-sized log
- Small footprint ideal for patios and by backdoors
2. Rowlinson Small Log Store – best for small spaces
Around £110-140. Similar footprint to the Forest unit but noticeably more solid, with heavier slats and a better-finished frame. Rowlinson build to a slightly higher standard across the range and it shows in how square the panels go together.
Pros: sturdier than the price suggests; good airflow through the slatting; tidy enough to sit on a patio without looking agricultural.
Cons: still a small capacity; open sides mean driven rain reaches the outer logs; needs a level base or the door frame twists.
Best for: courtyards, patios and narrow gardens.
- Keeps logs dry and aired
- Shelf included
- Easy assembly
- Pressure treated against rot
- Natural timber finish
3. Rowlinson Large Log Store – best overall
Around £160-200. The one we would buy. Pressure-treated timber, open-fronted for quick access, around 1.5 cubic metres, and – the detail that matters – an internal shelf that lets you separate this year’s dry wood from next year’s. That single feature makes seasoning far easier to manage than in a store where everything goes in one heap.
Pros: excellent capacity-to-price ratio; the shelf is genuinely useful; pressure treated throughout; solid back panel gives it stability against a fence.
Cons: heavy and awkward to assemble alone; the open front means the outer row gets wet in a westerly; check the roofing felt and consider replacing it with shingles.
Best for: most households burning wood through the winter.
- Keeps logs dry and aired
- Shelf included
- Easily assembly
- Pressure treated against rot
- Natural timber finish
4. Arbor Garden Solutions Large Log Store – best large capacity
Around £320-400. A substantial unit at roughly 2.27m by 1.26m, holding around 2.5 cubic metres, in constructional-grade pine with heavier timber sections. This is close to a full season’s supply in one place.
Pros: serious capacity; premium timber sections that do not flex; long guarantee; looks well made rather than utilitarian.
Cons: expensive; needs a properly prepared level base; large enough that it will dominate a small garden.
Best for: houses where wood is the main heat source, or anyone taking delivery a whole load at a time.
5. VIVOHOME metal-framed log store with cover – best low-maintenance
Around £120-180. Resin or powder-coated steel rather than timber. The appeal is obvious: no treating, no rot, no annual maintenance. The compromise is equally obvious – most designs ventilate less well than a slatted timber store, and the cheaper metal frames rust at the welds within a few years.
Pros: nothing to maintain; wipes clean; will not be eaten by anything.
Cons: airflow is usually poorer, so only use for already-seasoned wood; can sweat in warm damp weather; cheap steel frames rust; less attractive in a garden setting.
Best for: storing ready-seasoned logs where appearance and upkeep matter more than seasoning performance.
- Durable Material: This firewood cover is made of sturdy 600D Oxford fabric with PU coating, while the firewood rack is made from 1.2 mm thickened steel tubes with a double powder-coated finish, which provides overall weather protection; and the log holder can accommodate 1/2 cord of firewood
- Air Ventilation: The rack is designed to keep the firewood off the ground and facilitating easy stacking. Downward air vents provide dry ventilation, reduce potential condensation and moisture and wind lofting, keeping wood dry for use
- Easy to Install: The firewood cover and rack combo is easy to install, and are perfectly matched with each other. Never worry about fitting wood to your firewood cover. Easy to clean, the firewood cover can simply be brushed
- Weather Resistance: Premium fabric does not crack in hot or cold weather. A protective coating protects wood from burning or fracturing in summer, while a PU (outer layer) and PVC (inner layer) coating keeps logs dry. This log rack and cover combo keeps wood organized away from dampness and bugs during any season and rainy weather
- Measurements: Firewood rack: 244 x 122 x 35cm, Firewood cover: 244 x 107 x 61cm. Ideal for storing, drying, or heaping firewood. Fits on porches, in gardens, on decks, under eaves, on patios, in your yard, etc
6. Pallet base and a purpose-made cover – best cheap fix
Around £30-50. Two pallets on level ground, a stack on top, and a fitted waterproof log store cover with open sides. It is not elegant, but it does the two things that matter: gets the wood off the ground and keeps the rain off the top while leaving the sides open.
Pros: cheapest workable solution by a distance; scales to any quantity; easy to move.
Cons: covers degrade in UV within two or three seasons; looks like what it is; needs weighting down in wind.
Best for: a first winter, a big delivery that will not fit the store, or a rented garden.
- General to fit 8 foot long log racks size up to 96"(L)x25"(W). NOTE: Cover only, don’t include the metal firewood rack.
- Made of 600D polyester canvas complex with waterproof backing. Tough enough to keep rain, hail, snow away, make your woodpile completely dry.
- Reinforced handle at two sides for easy fitting and removal. Heavy duty adjustable buckle strap secured to racks, especially during high winds and severe weather.
- Convenient zipper closure and toggle fastener are designed to take or pile up the firewood more easier.
- Zipper closure also make the cover easy to take on & off. Flap fastener make the front flap easy roll up & down.
At a glance
| Store | Approx capacity | Material | Best for | Around |
| Forest Compact Pent | 0.7 m3 | Pressure-treated timber | Small quantities | £90-120 |
| Rowlinson Small | 0.7 m3 | Pressure-treated timber | Patios | £110-140 |
| Rowlinson Large Log Store | 1.5 m3 | Pressure-treated timber | Most homes | £160-200 |
| Arbor Large Log Store | 2.5 m3 | Premium treated timber | Large stores | £320-400 |
| VIVOHOME metal + cover | 0.8-1.2 m3 | Resin or steel | Low maintenance | £120-180 |
| Pallets plus cover | Any | Reclaimed | Budget | £30-50 |
Where to put it
- Pick the sunniest, windiest spot you can live with. Airflow dries wood far more than sunshine does, so an exposed corner beats a sheltered one.
- Face the open front away from prevailing weather – in most of the UK that means away from the south-west.
- Leave a gap behind it. A store pushed flat against a fence loses airflow through the back and rots the fence.
- Stand it on a level, free-draining base. Slabs, gravel or compacted hardcore all work; grass does not, because it holds moisture and makes the frame sit unevenly.
- Keep it away from the house wall if you can. Stacked wood against brickwork invites damp and gives insects a route in.
Stacking it properly
Stack with the split faces up and the bark down, so water runs off rather than sitting on the bark. Leave small gaps between logs rather than packing them tight – air needs a path through. Build the ends in criss-crossed layers if the stack is freestanding; it is more stable than it looks and lets you go higher safely.
Rotate your stock. Fill from the back and burn from the front, or use a store with a shelf and keep this year’s wood on one level and next year’s on the other. The commonest mistake we see is topping up the front of the stack all winter and never reaching the properly seasoned wood at the back.
Aim for under 20 per cent moisture before burning. A cheap moisture meter costs around £15 and settles the argument in seconds – split a log and test the fresh inner face, not the outside.
Frequently asked questions
Should I cover the sides of my log store?
No. Covering the sides is the single most common way people stop their wood seasoning. Cover the top only.
How long does wood need in a log store?
Roughly a year for softwood and ash, closer to two for oak and other dense hardwoods, assuming it is split and well ventilated. Unsplit rounds take considerably longer.
Do I need to treat a pressure-treated store?
Not for rot protection, no. A coat of preserver every few years keeps it looking better and is worth doing on cut ends, which lose the treatment where they were sawn.
Will a log store attract insects or mice?
Any woodpile will host some insects – that is normal and harmless outdoors. Keep the store off the ground and away from the house wall, and do not bring more than a day or two’s wood indoors at a time.
Our verdict
For most households the Rowlinson Large Log Store is the right buy: enough capacity for a winter, proper pressure treatment, and an internal shelf that makes rotating your stock straightforward. If space is tight, the Rowlinson 4×2 does the same job in a smaller footprint, and the Forest 4×2 is the better value if budget is the deciding factor.
Whatever you choose, get it in place and filled before the weather turns. Wood that goes into a ventilated store in September is genuinely better fuel by Christmas than the same wood left under a tarpaulin.
