Pellet stove calculator
Enter how long you run the stove and how hard. You’ll get the pellets to buy for the season, in bags and tons.
Bags to buy
135 40 lb bags
- Pellets
- 5,400 lb
- Tons
- 2.7 tons
- Pallets (50 bags of 40 lb)
- 2.7
- Cost for the season
- $877.50
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Quick answers and tables: How many bags of pellets do I need for the winter?
How it works
A pellet stove burns a fairly steady weight of fuel per hour on each setting, usually about 1 to 5 pounds. The calculator multiplies your burn rate by the hours a day and the days in your heating season, then divides by the bag size. A pallet of pellets is usually 50 bags of 40 lb, or one ton.
Check your stove’s manual for its actual burn rate on each setting. It’s often listed in pounds per hour.
Example
With days you heat with it 150 days, hours a day it runs 12 hours, usual setting: medium (about 3 lb an hour), bag size 40 lb, the answer is 135 40 lb bags.
Tips before you buy
- Buy pellets in spring or summer, when prices are lowest, and store them somewhere dry. Damp pellets crumble and burn poorly.
- Premium pellets with less ash mean less cleaning and steadier heat.
- Running on a lower setting for more hours often uses fewer pellets than cycling on high.
- Most homes that heat mainly with a pellet stove burn 2 to 3 tons a winter.
Common questions
How many bags of pellets do I need for a winter?
Running a stove 12 hours a day on medium (about 3 lb an hour) for 150 days takes about 5,400 lb, or 135 bags of 40 lb (2.7 tons).
How long does a 40 lb bag of pellets last?
About 13 hours on medium (3 lb an hour), 27 hours on low and 9 hours on high.
How many bags are in a ton of pellets?
50 bags of 40 lb, which is usually one pallet.