PELLET SYSTEMS
CONSULTING

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do pellets come from?
Pellet mills across the country receive, sort, grind, dry, compress, and bag wood and other biomass waste products into a conveniently handled fuel. Today, over sixty pellet mills across North America produce in excess of 610,000 tons of fuel per year, a figure that has more than doubled in the last five years. Pellets are available for purchase at stove dealers, nurseries, building supply stores, feed and garden supply stores, and some discount merchandisers. Pellets are usually packaged in forty pound bags and sold by the bag or by the ton (fifty bags on a shipping pallet). Some mills offer twenty pound bags for easier handling.

What are pellets made of?
All pellets are biomass materials, that is, products of commonly grown plants and trees. The most common residential pellets are made from sawdust and ground wood chips, which are waste materials from trees used to make furniture, lumber, and other products. Resins and binders (lignin) occurring naturally in the sawdust hold wood pellets together, so they usually contain no additives. Nut hulls and other materials are pelletized in some areas, and unprocessed shelled corn and fruit pits can be burned in a few pellet stove designs. Your fuel of choice and its price may depend on the waste biomass most available to pellet mills in your region. In turn, your choice of appliance design depends on the fuel available.

What are common characteristics of all pellet fuels?
Although the chemical constituents and moisture content of different biomass materials vary, the Pellet Fuel Institute has identified common characteristics and developed fuel standards. These voluntary industry standards assure as much uniformity in the final product as is possible for naturally grown materials that become processed, but not refined fuel. PFI graded fuel must meet tests for: Density-consistent hardness and energy content (minimum 40 pounds/cubic foot) Dimensions-length (1 1/2" maximum) and diameter (1/4" or 5/16") to assure predictable fuel amounts and to prevent fuel jamming Fines-limited amount of sawdust from pellet breakdown to avoid dust while loading and problems with pellet flow during operation (amount of fines passing through 1/8" screen no more than .5% by weight) Chlorides-limited salt content (no more than 300 parts per million) to avoid stove or vent rusting Ash content-important factor in maintenance frequency.

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