Will Firewood Dry in a Shed? Stack, Cover and Store It Right

Last updated October 17, 2026

Will firewood dry in a shed? Yes, if air can move through the stack. Split wood dries well under a roof with open or slatted sides, raised off the ground. In a closed shed it dries slowly, so season green wood outside under a top cover first and move it in once it reads about 20 percent moisture.

Will firewood dry in a shed? Airflow decides

Wood dries as water leaves the cut ends and split faces, and moving air carries that water away. A roof stops rain from wetting the wood again, but it does not dry anything on its own. Sun warms the stack and wind clears the damp air around it.

Where the wood sits	Keeps rain off	Air through the stack	Green wood	Seasoned wood
Pile on bare ground	No	Poor at the bottom	Rots at the bottom	Gets wet again
Single row on rails, top cover only	Yes	Good	Dries	Keeps, if the cover stays on
Woodshed with open front or slatted sides	Yes	Good	Dries	Keeps
Closed shed, doors shut, no vents	Yes	Poor	Dries slowly, may go musty	Keeps
Closed shed with vents at both ends	Yes	Some	Slower than open sides	Keeps
Garage or basement	Yes	Poor	Not recommended	A few days’ supply only

The EPA’s Burn Wise firewood card puts it in four steps: split, stack, cover the top, store. Cornell Cooperative Extension gives the same rule in its storing and drying firewood note: keep the pile covered and let air move through it.

A 3DSHEDPLANS 4×8 lean-to, with a 67 inch double door across most of its 8 ft front, works as a store for seasoned wood that you reach into from outside. Green wood still dries best outside first.

Why dry firewood matters

Wet wood burns poorly, makes more smoke and gives less heat, because the fire spends energy boiling off water. The EPA’s wet wood brochure is built around that point. Smoky fires also leave more creosote in the chimney. Have the chimney inspected and cleaned on the schedule your stove maker or sweep suggests.

Split it first: rounds dry slowly

Bark slows drying, so a round loses water mostly through its two cut ends. Splitting opens fresh faces along the whole length. Split wood soon after cutting it, then stack it.

• Size. Split to fit your stove or fireplace. The EPA brochure suggests pieces no larger than about 6 inches across.
• Length. Cut every piece to the same length, a few inches shorter than your firebox. Even pieces stack straighter.
• Kindling. Keep a separate pile of small splits. They dry first and start fires fast.

How to stack firewood so it dries

These steps work for an open stack and inside a woodshed.

1. Get it off the ground. The University of Kentucky firewood fact sheet suggests 4 to 6 inches of clearance. Set pressure-treated 2×4 rails on concrete blocks, or use pallets on gravel. Shim the rails level, or the stack will lean as it shrinks.
2. Stack in a single row. One row lets wind reach both faces of every piece. If you need two rows, leave a few inches between them.
3. Face the cut ends to the wind. Set the row across the prevailing wind, with the open side of a woodshed facing it, so air blows along the grain. Give that open side a deep overhang, since blowing rain and snow come from the same direction.
4. Leave a gap at the back. Keep the stack a few inches off any wall so air can rise behind it.
5. Stack loosely. Michigan State University Extension says not to pack drying wood tightly.
6. Build end pillars. Crisscross straight, even splits in a square at each end, like a log cabin corner. Crooked pieces make a pillar that leans.
7. Stop at about 4 ft. It is easy to reach and less likely to topple. Taller stacks lean as the wood shrinks.

Bark direction matters little under a roof. In an open stack, lay the top row bark up so rain runs off.

Tools that help: a splitting maul or a rented log splitter, a pin-type moisture meter, a wheelbarrow, leather gloves and safety glasses.

Cover the top, not the sides

The EPA card says to cover only the top and keep the sides open. A tarp pulled to the ground holds moisture in and can turn the bottom rows moldy. Let a top cover hang down only a few inches, weigh it with a board, and leave a little air space between the cover and the wood.

A woodshed does the same job with a real roof. Give it an overhang so rain blowing in at an angle does not soak the front of the stack.

How long does firewood take to dry?

Treat these as minimums. Species, split size, weather and the stack all change the time.

Wood	Minimum drying time	Source
Softwood	6 months	EPA Burn Wise card
Hardwood	12 months	EPA Burn Wise card
Firewood in general	6 months minimum, 1 year preferred	University of Kentucky fact sheet

Dense hardwoods such as oak and hickory can need more than a year. In a University of Maryland Extension trial described in its wood moisture fact sheet, hickory still averaged about 24 percent moisture after one year. The Kentucky sheet also says to avoid spots in constant shade. A common habit is to keep two years of wood on hand so this year’s stack can dry while they burn last year’s.

How to tell when firewood is dry

Test it instead of going by age.

• Moisture meter. Split a piece from the middle of the stack and read the fresh face, not the bark or the end. Follow your meter’s instructions on pin direction and wood setting. University of Maryland Extension uses about 20 percent as the mark for dry firewood. Take a few readings and average them.
• Ends. Dry wood often shows cracks (checks) and a gray or darker color on the ends.
• Weight. A dry split is noticeably lighter than a green one the same size.
• Sound. Two dry pieces knocked together usually sound hollow. Green wood thuds.
• On the fire. Wood that hisses, bubbles at the ends or smolders with heavy smoke is still wet.

Wood sold as “seasoned” can be wet in the middle. Kiln-dried wood is usually ready to burn, but test it too. Split a few pieces from the load and test them before you stack it.

Can you use a storage shed for firewood?

A small storage shed with solid walls and a door works well for wood that is already seasoned. It keeps rain, snow and leaves off, and the wood stays clean and ready to carry. It is a slow place to dry green wood.

The better plan is to dry the wood outside on rails under a top cover for a season, then move it in. If wood has to go in green:

• Vent both ends. Air only flows through a shed when there is an opening on the opposite side, so pair low vents on one end with high vents on the other. Our shed ventilation guide shows where vents go.
• Open up on dry, breezy days. An open door plus a vent on the far wall moves air through the stack.
• Keep rows apart and off the walls. Leave a few inches between rows and behind the stack. Do not pile wood against the siding from inside.
• Spread the weight. Lay rails at right angles to the floor joists (the nail lines in the floor show where they run), so the load spreads over several joists and air gets under the bottom row. Firewood is heavy: stack evenly and do not fill a small shed to the rafters.
• Keep fuel out. Do not store gas cans or a gas mower in the same shed as your firewood.

Adding vents or swapping one solid wall for spaced boards is your own change to a plan. Wall sheathing helps keep a shed from racking, so add bracing if you open a wall.

Common firewood storage mistakes

• Stacking unsplit rounds. They stay wet inside far longer than split wood.
• Stacking on bare dirt. The bottom row soaks up ground moisture and rots.
• Wrapping the whole pile in a tarp. It keeps rain off but traps the moisture you want out.
• Stacking against the house. MSU Extension warns that wood against an outside wall or in the garage can put wood-damaging insects next to the house.
• Bringing in too much at once. MSU Extension advises keeping wood indoors for as short a time as possible. Bring in a few days’ supply, and wear gloves when you carry it, since spiders and insects live in stacks.
• Burning the rails. Never burn pressure-treated lumber or old pallets.
• Hauling firewood long distances. Moving firewood can spread insects such as emerald ash borer. Buy or cut wood near where you burn it.

Where to put a woodshed

The EPA card says to build the stack away from buildings, so set the woodshed well away from the house, far enough that insects in the wood stay off the house walls and you can walk all the way around the stack. Pick a spot with sun for much of the day and some wind, on high ground that drains, with a path you can walk in snow. Avoid low, wet corners and deep shade under trees.

A compacted gravel shed foundation drains water away from the floor frame. Rules on where a shed can sit, and wildfire guidance on firewood near homes, vary by town, so check your local permit office and fire department before you build. Our guide to building a lean-to shed covers the build itself.

What we checked: split, stack, top-cover, seasoning times and “away from buildings” come from the EPA Burn Wise card; piece size from the EPA brochure; the 4 to 6 inch clearance and shade advice from the University of Kentucky fact sheet; the 20 percent mark and the hickory trial from University of Maryland Extension; insect and loose-stacking advice from Michigan State University Extension; the cover-plus-airflow rule from Cornell Cooperative Extension. Shed sizes and doors come from our live plan pages.

Plans that fit

These 3DSHEDPLANS lean-to plans build small freestanding sheds with four solid walls, a door and a single-slope roof. They are storage sheds, best for keeping seasoned wood dry away from the house, not open drying sheds. Each PDF has step-by-step instructions, 3D images and a material list with quantities.

• 4×8 lean-to shed plan: 32 sq ft, 4 ft deep, with a 67 inch wide double door that opens most of the front, so you can reach the wood without stepping inside. Try the free 4×8 lean-to preview PDF.
• 4×10 lean-to shed plan: 40 sq ft, 4 ft deep, with a 30 inch single door.
• 4×12 lean-to shed plan: 48 sq ft, 4 ft deep, with a 30 inch single door.
• 6×10 lean-to shed plan: 60 sq ft, 6 ft deep, with a 60 inch wide double door for wood and garden gear side by side.

See every single-slope design on our lean-to shed plans page, or browse all sizes on shed plans.

Frequently asked questions

Will firewood dry in a closed shed?

Slowly. Split wood keeps losing water in a closed shed, but humid air builds up inside with no wind to carry it away. Season green wood outside under a top cover first, or vent the shed at both ends and open it on dry days.

How long does firewood take to dry?

The EPA's Burn Wise card says to dry softwood at least 6 months and hardwood at least 12 months. A University of Kentucky fact sheet gives 6 months as the minimum and prefers a full year. Dense hardwoods in big splits can take longer.

Should you cover firewood?

Cover the top only. The EPA says to cover the top of the stack and leave the sides open so air can move through. A tarp pulled down to the ground traps moisture against the wood.

How do you know when firewood is dry?

Split a piece and test the fresh face with a moisture meter. University of Maryland Extension uses about 20 percent moisture as the mark for dry firewood. Cracked ends, lighter weight and a hollow knock are good signs, but the meter is the real test.

Can you store firewood against the house?

Michigan State University Extension advises against it, because wood stored against an outside wall or in the garage can put wood-damaging insects next to the house. The EPA card also says to stack wood away from buildings.