premium wood pellets for heating

[StillGotIt]

My younger bro told me this thing the other day, that every single bag of wood pellets for heating he saw is shouting "Premium Pellets!" then what's the deal with the other pellets?

I thought that he was right. Well, someone's gotta be bending the truth a little, haha.

I heard it's pretty much just the 60/40 mix or straight softwood that's different.

So basically, are most pellets just the same stuff, churned out in the same factories, just thrown into different bags?

I'm sure there is more to this, what do you think, guys?

 

[splitsville]

My younger bro told me this thing the other day, that every single bag of wood pellets for heating he saw is shouting "Premium Pellets!" then what's the deal with the other pellets?

I thought that he was right. Well, someone's gotta be bending the truth a little, haha.

I heard it's pretty much just the 60/40 mix or straight softwood that's different.

So basically, are most pellets just the same stuff, churned out in the same factories, just thrown into different bags?

I'm sure there is more to this, what do you think, guys?

Well the real difference is the ash content. Pretty sure the moisture and BTU also. Softwood has got higher BTU but lower ash, then hardwood burns slower and has more ash. Actually there are some factories that "rebag" the same pellets under different bags so make sure you double check PFI certification to be sure.

 

[Tangent_]

Why do you think so many brands label them "premium", do you think it's just marketing, or have you or your brother noticed real differences in ash content, burn time, or heat output?

 

[JackoJ]

How do you actually tell the difference between truly premium wood pellets and the ones just labeled that way for marketing, are there specific standards or tests to look for beyond just what's printed on the bag?