Why is kiln seasoning necessary?
Timber seasoning is the process of reducing moisture content from timber. This can be achieved in a few different ways, with kiln and air seasoning being the most common. If left unseasoned, timber can quickly warp, twist, and break as too much moisture wreaks havoc on the cellular structure.
seasoning: noun: salt, herbs, or spices added to food to enhance the flavour. When we asked chef about seasoning the first thing he said was that it's essential. It creates deep flavours and marries together different ingredients to create balanced, flavoursome food. Seasoning can be sweet, savoury, acid or bitter.
Seasoning reduces the likelihood of stain, mildew, or decay developing in transit, storage, or subsequent use. Blue stain fungi and wood-destroying fungi cannot grow in wood with a moisture content of less than 20 percent. 2. The shrinkage that accompanies seasoning is made to take place before the wood is put to use.
Advantages: Exact moisture content achieved, More control over seasoning, Uniform circulation of Air. Quick method. Disadvantages: Expensive to set up, Skilled operator needed, Different drying schedules for various species.
If a product is made before the shrinkage takes place damage to joints can occur and the product will fail. If the shrinkage is not excessive, the wood may warp even though the joints may not break.
Kilning is the heating of germinated barley to dry it and develop malty, biscuit-like flavors. The largest portion of malt in most beers today is pale malt that is only gently dried at relatively low heat to preserve the integrity of its enzymes. See enzymes.
kiln seasoning (kiln drying)
A drying process predominantly utilized for reducing the moisture content in timber. The process is carried out in a closed chamber, providing maximum control of air circulation, humidity, and temperature.
Wood burned inside the home should always be dry and seasoned for at least 6-12 months. Wood burns most efficiently when the moisture content is at 20% or less. Damp wood burns at a cooler temperature, resulting in incomplete combustion, more smoke, and dangerous creosote build-up in the chimney (a fire hazard).
On top of that, burning unseasoned firewood in a stove or fireplace that is used to heat your house can lead to creosote build-up in your chimney, which can cause a dangerous chimney fire or smoke build-up in the house.
Wood defects due to seasoning
More specific terms for warping include cupping, twisting, bowing, crook, and spring. Common seasoning defects, including types of warping, include: Bowing – A curvature formed in the direction of the length of timber.
Does kiln-dried wood need to be seasoned?
Kiln dried wood is naturally seasoned, easy to use, and burns efficiently. Traditional seasoning requires between six months and one year of storage before wood should be used. Otherwise, the wood is considered “green,” which refers to the fact that it was recently living.
With air-dried wood there are no internal tensions baked into the wood. Kiln dried wood can be more fragile and break off easily. It can chip easily especially when working with hand tools, spokeshave or powered knife. Kiln dried wood often loses about 20% of its color, even when it is not steamed.

As you might expect, the main advantage of kiln dried logs is that they burn hotter and last longer than their seasoned counterparts. Because so much moisture has been removed from them, a greater proportion of their mass is burnable carbon, which is what allows each log to burn for longer.
One thing you will always find with kiln dried logs, unlike really well seasoned logs, is that there will be more of a gradient in moisture content across the log. Kiln dried logs usually show 10-15% on the outside and 20-25% on the inside, with the overall average below 20%.
Pressure treated wood needs time to dry out before it's primed or painted. You can expect 3-4 months before the moisture levels fully go down. If moisture beads up on the surface, it's still too damp. You'll know the treated wood is ready to paint when it absorbs water instead of repelling it.
Drying wood in a kiln helps keep the wood from shrinking. Reclaimed wood that has shrunk is much harder to install and can cause many unnecessary headaches during and after installation. Removing the wood's moisture in a kiln ensures the wood remains a consistent size even after it has been installed.
In dry-kiln seasoning, the wood is placed in a structure in which heat, humidity, and air circulation are carefully controlled by fans and steam pipes. As adjuncts to air and kiln seasoning, salt or urea may be impregnated into wood to make it season more easily…
What are the goals of the kilning process? Lower moisture and stop germination (Lower levels of moisture will stop the germination process). The correct sequence of the malting process is: Steeping then germination then kilning.
Kilning. Kilning, the third phase of malting, dries the grain down to 3-5% moisture and arrests germination. Large volumes of hot air are blown through the grain bed. By varying air flows and kiln temperatures, malts of different colors can be produced with varying flavor profiles.
Air-drying doesn't kill any insects, eggs, bug larvae, mold, and fungi in the wood, leaving it vulnerable to a potential infestation. As kiln-drying process uses heat (170F), it kills most of the insects, eggs, bug larvae, mold, and fungi. So, kiln-dried logs and furniture can last relatively longer.
Is kiln-dried better than seasoned?
As you might expect, the main advantage of kiln dried logs is that they burn hotter and last longer than their seasoned counterparts. Because so much moisture has been removed from them, a greater proportion of their mass is burnable carbon, which is what allows each log to burn for longer.
The process of kiln drying sucks the moisture from the wood, as opposed to seasoning, which can happen over 1 to 3+ years, where the wood will naturally release it's moisture. Kiln drying also kills insects during the process, it also requires little stacking space unlike when you season wood.
References
- https://www.stovax.com/kiln-dried-or-seasoned-logs/
- https://www.charltonandjenrick.co.uk/news/2016/10/seasoned-or-kiln-dried-wood-whats-the-best/
- https://mrtimbers.com/kiln-dried-wood/
- https://www.britannica.com/technology/dry-kiln-seasoning
- https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199534463.001.0001/acref-9780199534463-e-3885
- https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/best-practices-guide/solid-wood-machining/understanding-working-wood-defects
- https://www.versacetimbers.com.au/advantages-of-timber-seasoning-in-the-building-industry/
- https://www.watergatebay.co.uk/blog/seasoning-2/
- https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/681fTT0AJU/
- https://extension.psu.edu/why-does-lumber-need-to-be-dried
- https://www.greatwesternmalting.com/process/
- https://quizlet.com/351048021/fst-003-final-review-flash-cards/
- https://sunnydazedecor.com/blogs/news/how-to-season-firewood-6-tips-to-make-your-firewood-dry-quickly
- https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2017/12/how-can-i-tell-if-my-firewood-seasoned-okay-burn
- https://www.londongases.co.uk/blog/which-is-right-for-you-kiln-dried-logs-or-seasoned-logs
- https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/downloads/q237hw402
- https://www.studystack.com/flashcard-1553128
- https://octaneseating.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-kiln-dried-wood-in-a-nutshell/
- https://www.madhatterindy.com/kiln-dried-firewood-vs-traditional-firewood-seasoning/
- https://www.paintritepros.com/blog/can-you-paint-pressure-treated-wood/
- https://www.wefixloghomes.com/difference-between-air-dried-and-kiln-dried-logs/