From the Director’s Desk: EIA Releases November Pellet Data
November Pellet Data
November data (5-year average) - in tons
East
Sales – 107,552 (102,605)
Production – 83,860 (93,724)
Inventory – 52,175 (87,906)
Inventory Depletion – 19,826 (12,618)
West
Sales – 32,084 (45,671)
Production – 30,301 (35,298)
Inventory – 91,166 (56,240)
Inventory Depletion – 1,638 (8,714)
South
Sales – 29,380 (29,688)
Production – 18,157 (16,304)
Inventory – 7,513 (30,470)
Inventory Depletion – 5,889 (5,398)
All U.S.
Sales – 169,016 (177,192)
Production – 132,318 (153,383)
Inventory – 150,854 (174,620)
Inventory Depletion – 27,353 (26,725)
Late last week, the EIA released November data for the Monthly Densified Biomass Fuel Report, helping to put some meat on the bones of a heating season that producers and retailers know was a “good year in the East” but not how good.
Most notably in the data is the stark difference between wood pellet sales in the East. Last November, sales in the East came in at a paltry 67,931 tons, well off the 5-year average of 102,605 tons. A quick check of the PFI Heating Degree Day Index shows that HDDs were lagging across the country in November of 2024 and by nearly 20% in the index’s eastern locales. This year, HDDs were up in the East, and in the first week of December, HDDs in Buffalo, NY, and Harrisburg, PA, were a whopping 25% ahead of the prior year’s pace. As a result, sales in the region were much stronger, and producers sold 107,552 tons. Combined with September and October, pellet sales in the region were 369,531 tons, a nice bounce from the 294,996 tons over the same time period in 2024. Inventory in the region took a hit, and after spending all of 2024 and most of 2025 well above the five-year average for inventory, the region finished November well underneath the 87,906 average with just 52,175 tons on the ground at the end of the month.
The other side of the coin this year was the Warm West. Readers of the Pellet Wire and followers of the PFI Heating Degree Day Index know that winter never really got going out West. Skiers too. No snowpack. No extended cold snaps. By the end of November, Spokane, Washington, and Lewiston, Montana, were already lagging behind last year’s HDD pace, and the impact shows up in the data. Pellet sales in the West were just 32,084 tons, the lowest November total in the report’s history. Inventory in the West at month's end was 91,166 tons, down from the 128,000 tons amassed in summer, but almost double the November average (56,240 tons). Inventory and production numbers will be worth watching as the data sets from December to March are released.
The soft pellet market in the West is tamping down what otherwise would be the kind of year producers cheer. In the East, sales through November are up 12% year over year, but the total U.S. picture is less rosy, up just 4.5% to 1,464,631 tons.
December was cold. The PFI Heating Degree Day Index shows the accumulated HDDs rising throughout the month, finishing nearly 25% ahead of the prior year’s pace in New York and Pennsylvania. It will be interesting to see how that cold snap impacted pellet sales, as December typically finds consumers burning pellets they purchased in the fall, with depletion rates impacting additional purchases in January and February. At this point, I can say with confidence that wood pellet sales in 2025 will top 2024’s 1.54 million tons total, but I am not prepared to say we’ll eclipse 1.6 million tons.
Save the Date – PFI Annual Conference Scheduled for June 15-17
After what feels like a month in an icebox, the warmth of summer seems impossibly distant, but concern about the heat during the PFI Annual Golf Tournament (co-located with our annual conference) is just four and a half months away. This summer, we will gather at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Alabama (just outside of Mobile).
PLEASE NOTE: The 2026 PFI Annual Conference will follow a Monday-Wednesday pattern instead of the Tuesday-Thursday pattern the conference followed last year.
The conference schedule is as follows:
Monday, June 15th – PFI Board Meeting
Tuesday, June 16th – PFI Golf Tournament/Opening Reception
Wednesday, June 17th – PFI Annual Conference/Panel Discussions
Please mark these dates in your calendar and watch the Pellet Wire for further announcements about the conference, including speakers, sponsorship opportunities, golf sign-ups, and travel recommendations. We look forward to seeing you there.
