U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA (2024)

Form EIA-63C, Densified Biomass Fuel Report, a new EIA survey launched in January 2016, gathers information on wood pellet and other densified biomass fuel production, sales, and inventory levels from approximately 90 operating pellet fuel manufacturing facilities in the United States. Facilities with an annual capacity of 10,000 tons or more per year are required to report monthly. Smaller facilities (those with a capacity of less than 10,000 tons per year) report their production capacity annually.

EIA proposed this survey in early 2014, and got feedback from the industry on how to best collect the data. EIA received approval from the Office of Management and Budget to conduct the new survey on August 28, 2015.

Densified biomass fuel, a growing energy source in the United States, consists primarily of compressed wood pellets, briquettes, and logs. These fuels are easy and economical to store and transport. The manufacture of wood pellets utilizes wood residues from sustainably managed forests as well as high-quality wood waste from a variety of industrial activities such as construction and logging. Wood pellet combustion has a high efficiency level, averaging about 80%, and extremely low particulate emissions. Additionally, wood pellets are a renewable energy source.

Densified biomass fuel is used for heating in wood pellet stoves or furnaces in residential settings and in large-scale boilers in commercial buildings. Industry uses utility-grade wood pellets in processes that require thermal energy, such as generating electricity.

Table descriptions and definitions

Individually identifiable data on production, inventories, and sales are protected from public disclosure.

Table 1: Densified biomass fuel manufacturing facilities in the United States by state, region, and capacity
Lists the respondents to the survey, the state the facility is located in, the operating status, and annual production capacity of the facility.

Table 2: Number of operating densified biomass manufacturing facilities, full-time equivalent employees and annual capacity by region (excludes planned and small facilities)
Summarizes the number of reporting entities and the number of full-time-equivalent employees (FTEs), and the total annual capacity by region.

Table 3: Feedstocks and average cost per ton for the manufacture of densified biomass products received at densified biomass fuel facilities
Displays the feedstock purchases (tons) and average weighted cost (USD per ton) for four categories of raw materials: roundwood timber (generally, logs harvested for industrial use from sustainably managed forests), sawmill residue, wood product manufacturing residue, and other residuals. Other residuals is an aggregated category to protect individual data from disclosure and includes bark, logging residues, wood chips, post-consumer wood, unmerchantable wood (wood products that are too poor in quality or too small to convert to industrial use), and other. Details by region are not provided to protect confidentiality.

Table 4: Production of densified biomass fuel by U.S. region and densified biomass product type.
Displays the tons of wood fuel products manufactured in each region during the reporting month for three categories: heating wood pellets which includes both PFI certified as well as those without PFI certification; utility-grade wood pellets; and compressed bricks/logs. Included in heating pellets are PFI certified and not certified premium, super-premium, and standard pellets. These pellet types are primarily used for heating residences, schools, and other buildings. Utility-type pellets are generally used for electric power generation and include both those with and without certifications, such as PFI or ENplus (a European certification program) and other sustainability certifications. Compressed bricks/logs are a small part of the industry, generally used in residential heating applications.

Table 5: Characteristics of densified biomass
Displays the average heat values (Btu per pound) and moisture and ash contents (percentage by weight) of the manufactured products reported in Table 4.

Table 6: Inventories of densified biomass fuel by U.S. region and densified biomass product type
Displays end-of-month inventories (tons) for three broad categories (wood pellets, premium and standard; wood pellets, utility; and compressed bricks/logs) of densified biomass fuel products by region for the reporting month.

Table 7: Domestic sales and average price of densified biomass fuel by U.S. region.
Displays sales (tons) and average price (revenue per ton) of primarily wood pellets in the domestic heating market for the reporting month. Sales and average revenue per ton include both retail and wholesale sales.

Table 8: Export sales and average price of densified biomass fuel.
Displays U.S. export sales and average price (revenue per ton) of primarily utility-grade pellets to global markets. Protection of data precludes display of destination countries and ports.

The Pellet Fuel Institute (PFI)
The Pellet Fuel Institute is a non-profit organization made up of about 100 member companies. PFI establishes and maintains densified biomass fuel standards, among other industry-specific tasks.

PFI certification
Wood pellets that are PFI certified meet certain standards that are set by PFI and regulated by third-party inspections. PFI graded fuel is manufactured to ensure optimal performance of pellet burning stoves.

Contact: Connor Murphy (connor.murphy@eia.gov)