Description
Hotmax Fuel Logs – UK-Made Softwood Briquettes
Hotmax fuel logs are made in the UK from compressed softwood sawdust and bark. They’re quick to light, easy to handle and particularly useful when you want heat and flame without waiting for a large, dense briquette to get going.
The pieces are smaller than many other briquettes, making them a useful choice for lighting the fire, bringing fading embers back to life or using as the main fuel in a smaller stove.
Quick facts
- Supplied in 10kg paper sacks
- Approximately 50mm to 160mm long
- Approximately 70mm in diameter
- Made in the UK
- Quick to light and produce heat
- No artificial additives or binders
- Ready to Burn certified
What quantities can I order?
Hotmax can be ordered in the following quantities:
- Express Pack: Two 10kg bags – approximately 20kg
- Quarter pallet: 24 bags – approximately 240kg
- Half pallet: 50 bags – approximately 500kg
- Three-quarter pallet: 70 bags – approximately 700kg
- Full pallet: 100 bags – approximately 1,000kg
- Mix Your Own Pallet: Individual 10kg bags
Delivery to most UK mainland postcodes is included in the pallet prices shown. Express Packs are sent separately by parcel courier.
Please note that the full pallet weighs more than 720kg and cannot be delivered on a smaller 7.5-tonne vehicle. It requires suitable access for an 18-tonne delivery vehicle.
Before ordering, please read our pallet delivery information. If you’re unsure whether an 18-tonne vehicle can reach your property, call us on 01387 731 210 and we’ll be happy to help.
What is Hotmax made from?
Hotmax is made in the UK from softwood sawdust and bark left over from the production of dust-free horse bedding. The timber comes from sustainably managed British forestry.
It’s a useful way of turning a wood by-product that might otherwise have gone to waste into a practical fuel.
There are no chemicals, additives or artificial binders. The fuel logs are made from pure, untreated wood by-product and held together by compression alone.
What is Hotmax like to burn?
Hotmax lights readily and produces plenty of heat with a lively flame.
Because the pieces are relatively small, they get up to temperature quickly and help create a useful bed of embers. This makes Hotmax particularly handy when you want to warm a room without waiting for a large, dense briquette to get going.
Burn time and heat output will vary according to your stove, chimney or flue, and airflow settings.
What is Hotmax best used for?
Hotmax comes into its own when you need to get a fire going quickly. Two or three pieces will produce plenty of flame and heat, helping to create a useful bed of embers.
Hotmax is particularly good for:
- Starting the fire
- Reviving a fire that’s beginning to die
- Replacing traditional kindling
- Producing quick heat
- Building a good ember base
- Fuelling a smaller stove
Hotmax pieces come in different lengths, and the larger ones can be broken down if necessary.
How do I light Hotmax?
Place a handful of Hotmax pieces around a natural firelighter, with the firelighter in the middle.
Make sure there is enough space for air to move between the pieces, then light the firelighter. The smaller pieces should catch quickly and help establish the fire. Once they’re burning properly, add more fuel as required.
Hotmax can also be used to revive a dying fire. Add a few pieces to the remaining embers to produce a quick burst of heat and flame.
Can Hotmax be used as the main fuel?
Yes. Hotmax works well as the main fuel in a smaller stove.
It produces its heat relatively quickly, so it’s particularly useful when you want to warm the room without waiting for a larger, denser briquette to get going.
For a larger appliance or a fire that needs to last for several hours, you may prefer to combine Hotmax with a slower-burning fuel.
Every stove and flue combination behaves differently, so the results can vary between appliances.
If you’re unsure which briquette will suit your appliance, try our Wood Briquette Finder.
Can I burn Hotmax on an open fire?
Yes. Hotmax can be used on an open fire as well as in a suitable stove.
The pieces are relatively small and may expand slightly as they burn, so add them gradually and place them well back from the front of the fire. Leave enough space around the fuel for it to expand safely.
Don’t overload the fire, and always use a suitable fireguard.
Does Hotmax expand while it burns?
Hotmax expands slightly during burning, so don’t fill the firebox too tightly.
Position the pieces carefully and leave enough room for them to expand without touching the stove glass or falling onto the hearth. Larger pieces can be broken into smaller sections to fit the stove more comfortably.
Every stove is different, so always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and take care not to overfill the firebox.
Is Hotmax Ready to Burn?
Yes. Hotmax is Ready to Burn certified.
The certification provides reassurance that the fuel is sufficiently dry and has been checked to ensure it is made from untreated wood without artificial additives or binders.
You can find out more in our guide to Ready to Burn wood fuel.
Technical details
- Composition: Clean, dry softwood sawdust and bark
- Made in: United Kingdom
- Calorific value: 4.7kWh per kilogram
- Maximum water content: 7%
- Maximum ash content: 3%
- Compression density: Approximately 1,200kg/m³
- Product standard: Ready to Burn
- Piece length: Approximately 50mm to 160mm
- Piece diameter: Approximately 70mm
- Pack weight: Approximately 10kg
- Packaging: Paper sack
The fuel logs hold their shape well, which makes them clean and straightforward to handle.
How should Hotmax be stored?
Hotmax must be kept completely dry.
A dry garage, watertight shed, porch, conservatory or dry outbuilding is suitable. The bags can also be kept inside your home or in a watertight plastic garden store.
Don’t keep them in a traditional open-sided log store, an uncovered outdoor area or a damp building. Hotmax is already very dry and will absorb moisture if exposed to it. Once damp, the pieces begin to expand and can eventually turn back into sawdust.
Is the packaging waterproof?
No. Hotmax is supplied in a paper sack, which isn’t waterproof. The bags need to be kept dry and moved under cover as soon as possible.
The complete pallet is plastic wrapped for protection during transport. This gives some temporary protection from poor weather during delivery, but it isn’t suitable for outdoor storage.
Please make sure you can move the bags under cover when they arrive. Check with your local authority to find out whether the packaging can be recycled in your area.
Is delivery included?
Delivery to most UK mainland postcodes is included in the pallet prices shown. Some mainland and offshore addresses carry an additional surcharge, which you can check using our postcode and delivery information.
Express Packs are sent separately by parcel courier. You can read more about this service in our parcel delivery information.
Pallet orders are delivered by our pallet courier, Palletline, rather than by one of our own vehicles. Pallet delivery normally takes three to five working days for most areas, and someone must be there to receive it.
How will my pallet be delivered?
Delivery is made at the kerbside using a tail-lift vehicle and pallet truck.
The pallet footprint is normally approximately 1.2m × 1m. The driver needs a firm, flat and level surface on which to unload. A pallet truck can’t move safely over gravel, grass, slopes, steps or uneven ground.
Deliveries are normally made on an 18-tonne lorry. As a rough guide, if a bin lorry can reach your property, an 18-tonne delivery vehicle should be able to as well. The driver will make the final decision about whether it is safe to enter your road.
The pallet will normally be left at the kerbside or where your bins are placed for collection.
What if access to my property is restricted?
If you need a smaller 7.5-tonne vehicle, your order must weigh no more than 720kg.
A quarter, half or three-quarter pallet of Hotmax can be carried on a 7.5-tonne vehicle. A full pallet weighs approximately 1,000kg and requires suitable access for an 18-tonne vehicle.
A 7.5-tonne vehicle is the smallest delivery vehicle we can request. If you need one, select the Access Restrictions option at checkout and add a note asking for a 7.5-tonne vehicle.
Why choose Hotmax fuel logs?
Hotmax is UK-made, quick to light and easy to handle. It’s particularly useful in smaller stoves and works well for starting a fire, replacing traditional kindling or bringing fading embers back to life.
It contains no artificial additives or chemicals, makes useful fuel from a British forestry by-product and is Ready to Burn certified. Use Hotmax as your main fuel when you want quick heat or combine it with a denser briquette for a longer, steadier burn.
