How much does a Kiln-Dried Firewood Route cost to buy?

A typical Kiln-Dried Firewood Route sells for 1.8x to 4x seller's discretionary earnings. With estimated SDE of $92K, expect to pay roughly $166K to $368K before adjustments for assets, debt, growth, and local market quality.

How much does it cost to start a Kiln-Dried Firewood Route?

Startup costs range from $20K to $250K depending on location, equipment, and scale.

Route

Kiln-Dried Firewood Route

Premium cords, clean bundles, and winter delivery subscriptions

Bottom line

Strong cash-flow candidate with manageable operations.

Kiln-dried firewood routes process or source low-moisture hardwood, then deliver cords, half-cords, bundles, and restaurant wood to homeowners, campgrounds, grocery stores, resorts, and pizza ovens. The boring-but-fun angle is pricing power: kiln-dried, pest-compliant, neatly stacked wood sells at a premium over random roadside logs.

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Acquisition score

Margin · multiple · SBA data

71Strong

Avg revenue

$230K/yr

$60K–$900K range

Profit margin

40%

~$92K SDE

Multiple

1.8–4×

of SDE

Est. buy price

$166K–$368K

startup: $20K–$250K

How It Works

Operators buy logs or tree-service waste, split and dry wood, package bundles or bulk cords, then deliver on scheduled routes. Revenue comes from winter residential deliveries, stacking fees, restaurants, campgrounds, grocery bundle accounts, and premium kiln-dried or certified pest-free wood.

BizBite verdict

Watch / verify

Kiln-Dried Firewood Route has enough high-level data for a first look, but BizBite has not assigned a category-specific operating model yet. Treat the score as preliminary.

71Strong

low data confidence · 40/100medium financing fit

Why it may work

+Attractive 40% estimated margin profile

Be careful

!Source link status has not been verified yet
!No last-checked date yet
!No SBA category enrichment yet
!No category operating model yet
!Low data confidence

Deal Calculator

Priced off $92K SDE — can this deal service its own debt?

2.53×

DSCR · Lender-comfortable

Purchase multiple — 2.7× SDE ($250K)

Category range: 1.8×–4× SDE

Down payment — 10% ($25K)

SBA minimum equity injection is 10% for change-of-ownership

Interest rate — 10.50%

Typical SBA 7(a) range: 9.5–12% (prime-based)

Loan term — 10 years

Standard SBA 7(a): 10 years for business acquisition

Purchase price

$250K

2.7× of $92K SDE

Cash to close

$33K

$25K down + ~3% closing

Debt service

$3K/mo

$36K/yr on $225K loan

Cash-on-cash

171%

cash back in ~8 mo

Debt service coverage · what the lender sees

2.53×+$5K/mo after debt

Most SBA lenders want ≥1.25× coverage; 1.5×+ is a strong file.

SDE = revenue × margin estimate for this niche; it includes owner compensation, so budget your salary out of cash flow. Excludes working-capital injection, capex reserves, and taxes. Actual SBA terms vary by lender and borrower.

Pros

+Simple product with obvious seasonal demand
+Kiln-dried and certified wood can command premium margins
+Delivery and stacking add-ons lift average order value
+Can monetize waste wood from tree services or sawmills

Cons

-Highly seasonal without restaurant or retail accounts
-Inventory takes yard space and working capital
-Heavy labor and delivery logistics matter

Best For

Tree-service owners, landscapers, rural operators, and route buyers near affluent fireplace or camping markets

Operating Costs

Costs include log supply, splitter and kiln equipment, pallets or bags, yard rent, delivery trucks, fuel, labor, insurance, and local firewood transport compliance. Margins improve when operators control wood supply and sell direct-to-consumer subscriptions.