Wood pellet fuel is from biomass products and is made from sawdust and ground up wood chips which are waste products from trees and furniture therefore very environmentally friendly as only waste products are used.
Typically wood pellet fuel have a very low moisture content of approx. 5%-10% compared to that of shelled corn and seasoned fire wood who moisture content is around 15% and 20% respectively.
Some wood pellet fuels contain either petroleum or non-petroleum lining used as a lubricant in the pellet production process, though most contain no additives. Pellets made from agricultural waste contain more ash, but can produce more heat than wood pellet fuel.
Under the PFI standards, there are two types of pellet fuel grades: premium and standard.
The main difference between premium and standard grades is in the inorganic ash content, premium pellet fuels should be less than 1% ash content where as standard pellet fuel which is less than 3%. Premium is usually made of core wood (not bark).
Pellet stoves designed for low-ash (typically top-fed stoves) tend to operate poorly when used with pellets of a higher ash content. Many pellet appliance manufacturers are redesigning their products to burn pellets with varying ash contents.
Although pellet fuel availability is increasing, you should be sure there is a reliable pellet fuel supplier in your area before purchasing a pellet stove