Char-Broil Gas Pizza Oven
A capable pizza oven that gas fuel, best judged on the fuel type and pizza size that suit how you cook.
The Best Wood for a Pizza Oven (and What to Avoid)
The wood you burn shapes the heat, flavour and cleanliness of a wood-fired bake. This guide covers the best woods for a pizza oven, what to avoid, and how to store your fuel.
The short answer
Use kiln-dried hardwood with a low moisture content. Hardwoods such as oak, ash, beech, birch and fruit woods burn hot, steady and clean, which is exactly what a pizza oven needs. The single most important factor is that the wood is dry and seasoned - damp wood smoulders, smokes and never reaches pizza temperature.
The best woods
- Oak: burns hot and long with steady heat, a reliable all-rounder.
- Ash: lights well and burns clean, a favourite for pizza ovens.
- Beech and birch: hot, bright flames that come up to temperature quickly.
- Fruit woods (apple, cherry): burn clean with a mild, pleasant aroma.
All should be kiln-dried or well seasoned to a low moisture content.
Woods and fuels to avoid
- Softwoods (pine, fir, spruce): resinous, spit and soot up the oven.
- Green or unseasoned wood: too damp to reach temperature, smokes badly.
- Painted, treated or reclaimed timber: releases harmful fumes - never use it.
- Construction offcuts and pallets: often treated, unsafe for food.
If in doubt, stick to kiln-dried hardwood sold for stoves or pizza ovens.
Logs, chunks or pellets
Most wood-fired ovens take small logs or wood chunks, which give the best flavour and a long, manageable burn. Some compact ovens use wood pellets via a hopper, which are convenient and consistent but milder in flavour. Size the fuel to your oven's firebox - oversized logs will not fit or burn cleanly in a small chamber.
Storing your wood
Keep wood dry and off the ground, ideally under cover with airflow around it, so it stays seasoned and ready to burn. Damp storage undoes good wood, leaving it hard to light and prone to smoking. Bring a session's worth near the oven before you cook so it is at hand, and keep it a safe distance from the flame.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Burning damp or unseasoned wood that will not reach temperature.
- Using softwood, treated or painted timber near food.
- Choosing logs too big for a compact firebox.
- Storing wood on damp ground or uncovered.
- Expecting flavour to fix a fire that is simply too cool.
Our top picks
#1
#2 
SPOTRAVEL Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven
A capable pizza oven that multi-fuel (e.g. Wood and gas), best judged on the fuel type and pizza size that suit how you cook.
#3 
Indoor Wood-Fired Pizza Oven
A capable pizza oven, best judged on the fuel type and pizza size that suit how you cook.
#4 
Ooni Karu 12
A capable pizza oven that gas / charcoal fuel and reaches up to 500°C, best judged on the fuel type and pizza size that suit how you cook.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best wood for a pizza oven?
Kiln-dried hardwoods such as oak, ash, beech, birch and fruit woods are best - they burn hot, steady and clean. The most important thing is that the wood is dry and well seasoned, whatever the species.
What wood should you not use in a pizza oven?
Avoid softwoods like pine and fir, which spit and soot, and never use painted, treated or reclaimed timber, which releases harmful fumes. Green or damp wood is also a no, as it smokes and cannot reach pizza temperature.
Can you use charcoal in a pizza oven?
Many wood-fired and multi-fuel ovens take charcoal, which lights quickly and burns steadily as a lower-effort alternative to logs. Check your oven is designed for it, and you can often combine charcoal with a little wood for added flavour.
Bottom line
Our top pick is the Char-Broil Gas Pizza Oven (our score 9.5/10) - A capable pizza oven that gas fuel, best judged on the fuel type and pizza size that suit how you cook..