Wood pellet fuel standards
According to the Pellet Fuels Institute (PFI) there are four standards for wood pellets:
- Utility
- Standard
- Premium
- Super Premium
Strangly enough heating value is not required in these standards. It is however required for pellet manufactures that produce in compliance with the standards of the Pellet Fuels Institute to print the mean higher heating value in BTU per pound ass well as the ash content on the bag label using a scale bar respresenting the mean value +/- 2 standard deviations. The label on the bag must indicate the PFI standard and the type of materials and additives used.
An overview of the standards:
| Property | Super Premium | Premium | Standard | Utility |
| Buld density (lb/cubic foot) | 40.0-46.0 | 40.0-46.0 | 38.0-46.0 | 38.0-46.0 |
| Diameter (inches) | 0.250-0.285 | 0.250-0.285 | 0.250-0.285 | 0.250-0.285 |
| Pellet durability index | ≥97.5 | ≥97.5 | ≥95 | ≥95 |
| Fines (%) | ≤0.50 | ≤0.50 | ≤0.50 | ≤0.50 |
| Inorganic ash (%) | ≤0.50 | ≤1.00 | ≤1.00 | ≤1.00 |
| Length (% > 1.50 inches) | ≤1.00 | ≤1.00 | ≤1.00 | ≤1.00 |
| Moisture (%) | ≤6.00 | ≤8.00 | ≤8.00 | ≤10.00 |
| Chloride (ppm) | ≤300 | ≤300 | ≤300 | ≤300 |