Pellets are great for all sorts of things, including barbecuing, heating homes, and creating an absorbent floor for horse stables. This biodegradable source of fuel is typically sold by the ton on pallets or skids. So, how many bags of pellets are there per ton?
Most suppliers will typically package pellets in 40- or 50-pound bags. Because 1 ton is equal to 2,000 pounds, a pallet holding 1 ton of pellets will have 40 50-pound bags or 50 40-pound bags. The exact figure might vary between suppliers.
So, will you need to purchase a ton of pellets? How much space does a ton of pellets take? You’ll find the answers to these questions and more down below.
What Are Pellets?
Pellets are a type of biofuel that is made by compressing wood fibers, sawdust, agricultural crop waste, paper, and other kinds of organic materials. They are generally used in stoves and barbecue pits, but some households rely solely on wooden pellets as their go-to source of heating.
How Many Pellet Bags Do I Need?
If you’re going to spend a few months out in a log cabin during the winter hunting season, you should make sure that you have plenty of fuel to keep your wood stove burning. You could chop logs for kindling, but unless the logs have been seasoned properly, you’re probably better off getting pellet bags instead.
The only question is, how many pellet bags do you need?
A pellet stove will burn through roughly an entire 40-pound bag of pellets per day. So, an entire ton of pellet bags should last for around 50 days out in the wild.
However, you will have to take into account how many pellet bags you will use per day to smoke your meat. Also, how many hours in a day will you spend inside your cabin? These variables might increase or decrease how many pellet bags you should get for the winter.
How Much Space Does 1 Ton of Pellet Bags Take?
The exact dimensions of a bag of pellets will depend on how much it weighs. For instance, a 40-pound bag supplied by the folks at Wood Pellets measures 27 × 18 × 5 inches, which equals 2,430 cubic inches.
So, a ton of 40-pound pellets would take up 121,500 cubic inches of space or approximately 70.3125 cubic feet, which is roughly the same amount of space as 7 standard-sized bathtubs.
Are Wood Pellets More Efficient Than Wooden Logs?
According to the US Department of Energy, some pellet stoves have higher combustion and heating efficiencies as opposed to traditional wood stoves and fireplaces. In fact, any pellet stove sporting an EPA certification will have a combustion efficiency rating of at least 70%, which is considerably higher than an open fire that loses up to 85% of its heating potential.
In addition, you do not have to manually cut, season, haul, split, and stack logs as you would pellets. Since pellets come in an easy-to-transport bag on pallets, all you have to do is find a dry spot in your cabin to place the pellets and rip open a bag whenever you need to refuel your stove.
How Long do Wood Pellets Last?
An unopened bag of pellets will typically last between 6 and 12 months. However, the longevity of your wood pellets will depend on how and where you store them.
The ideal storage spot for wood pellets is a warm place indoors. Make sure the room isn’t humid to reduce the risk of moisture entering the bag. Moistened pellets can still be used, but their lifespan is shortened to around 3 to 4 months.
When water penetrates the surface of the compressed wooden fibers, the size of the pellets will expand. If they become too waterlogged, it can be impossible to use them as a source of fuel.
But on the bright side, expanded wooden pellets become softened and can be used as bedding for hamsters, floor softeners for horse stables, and even kitty litter.
Are Pellets More Cost-Efficient Than Gas?
Whether pellets are most cost-efficient than gas will depend on what you use the biofuel for. When it comes to cooking with wooden pellets or gas, gas stoves typically cost less to operate. However, when heating a home, there are certain times of the year when gas prices skyrocket, making pellets the significantly cheaper heating alternative.
So, while using gas as a fuel for cooking and heating is more common, it doesn’t hurt to have a pellet stove or burner on hand, especially during the winter months.
Leave a Reply