Woodsure

What Woodsure does

Woodsure Limited is a UK not-for-profit organization that operates the country's only woodfuel quality assurance scheme, certifying producers, traders, and self-suppliers of firewood, wood pellets, woodchip, hog fuel, and briquettes. The scheme verifies fuel against the ISO 17225 series and EN 15234 standards, using laboratory oven testing for moisture content (with a 20% threshold for Ready to Burn compliance) and on-site supplier audits to validate the end-to-end supply chain from timber sourcing to delivery. Woodsure Limited is registered in England and Wales as a private limited company (company number 10166443), headquartered in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, and has been a wholly owned subsidiary of HETAS Limited — itself part of the Cleaner Safer Group — since 2017.

Woodsure's product portfolio centers on three core schemes: the proprietary Woodsure Scheme for quality certification; the Ready to Burn Scheme, for which Woodsure is the DEFRA-appointed Certification Body under the Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020; and the Biomass Suppliers List (BSL), which Woodsure administers on behalf of BEIS to enable RHI participants to demonstrate sustainability compliance to Ofgem. The organization additionally acts as an auditing body for ENplus wood pellet certification across the UK, publishes downloadable Fuel Quality Manual templates for applicants, and operates the consumer-facing Find a Supplier search tool and an Advice Hub for educational content. Multiple accreditation partnerships (ENplus, Grown in Britain) and a commercial arrangement with Fleetmaxx Solutions round out the offering.

The business model is certification-fee-driven: suppliers pay an annual registration fee covering routine site audit, supplier listing on the Find a Supplier directory, fuel testing, and certification, plus a one-off new supplier application fee. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Customers are primarily UK woodfuel producers and traders (SME-heavy), with secondary segments comprising self-suppliers requiring RHI compliance, biomass appliance manufacturers and installers, and end consumers using the supplier search and advice content. Revenue diversification comes from government-administration fees for Ready to Burn and BSL, plus ENplus audit services. Current operational headcount is reported at 13, with leadership transitioning in 2025 to Barry Cope as CEO of the parent Cleaner Safer Group following Bruce Allen's eight-year tenure.

Name

Woodsure

Legal name

Woodsure Limited

Website

https://woodsure.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Woodsure Limited is the UK's only not-for-profit woodfuel quality assurance scheme, certifying producers and traders of firewood, pellets, woodchip, hog fuel, and briquettes under ISO and EN standards, and administering the DEFRA-appointed Ready to Burn Scheme and the BEIS Biomass Suppliers List.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wood Fuel Quality Certification

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomass Fuel Quality Testing, Certification & Sustainability Compliance (ENplus, SBP, FSC/PEFC) (EUAAAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biomass Quality Testing & Certification (Moisture, Ash, Contaminants) (AFAMAGAM), Controlled Wood / Due Diligence / Risk Assessment Services (AFAMALAC)

Keywords

• Woodfuel certification
• Biomass quality assurance
• Fuel testing services
• Renewable heat certification
• Solid fuel standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Tewkesbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification Fees: Annual registration fees covering routine site audits, supplier listings, fuel testing, and certification. There is also a one-off new supplier application fee.
2. Application Processing: One-time fees for new supplier application processing, covering initial assessment and setup.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Woodsure runs the UK's only woodfuel quality assurance scheme, certifying producers and traders of firewood, wood chips, pellets, briquettes, and hog fuel. It administers the Woodsure Quality Assurance Scheme, the government-appointed Ready to Burn certification (appointed by DEFRA), and the Biomass Suppliers List (BSL) used under the Renewable Heat Incentive.

Product overview

Woodsure is the UK's only woodfuel quality assurance scheme, operating as a not-for-profit organization that certifies wood fuel producers and traders. The core offering consists of the Woodsure Scheme for quality certification of five wood fuel types (firewood, pellets, woodchip, hog fuel, and briquettes), complemented by the government-appointed Ready to Burn Scheme for moisture content verification and the Biomass Suppliers List for RHI compliance. Additional services include ENplus auditing for pellets, downloadable Quality Manual templates for certification applicants, a consumer-facing supplier search tool, and an Advice Hub with educational content. A partnership with Fleetmaxx Solutions provides members with access to vehicle and fuel-related services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ready to Burn: Certification scheme for wood fuels appointed by DEFRA to help homeowners look after their stoves and improve air quality
• Biomass Suppliers List (BSL)
• Woodsure Quality Assured

Products and services

• Woodsure Quality Assurance Scheme Quality assurance certification for UK producers and traders of solid biomass fuels (firewood, wood chip, pellets, briquettes, hog fuel), verifying compliance with the Woodsure standard on moisture, ash, calorific value, and dimensional grading.
• Ready to Burn certification Government-backed (DEFRA-appointed) certification for firewood and kindling sold in small volumes, verifying that moisture content meets the Ready to Burn standard for domestic combustion.
• Biomass Suppliers List (BSL) Accreditation list for biomass fuel suppliers administered by Woodsure, enabling them to supply fuel into installations claiming support under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

Quantifiable outcome

• Fuel with moisture content of 20% or less burns 50% cleaner than unseasoned wood
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and historical.

• HETAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoodsure is a wholly owned subsidiary of HETAS Limited, a not-for-profit organisation offering a competent person scheme for installers of biomass and solid fuel heating, registration for retailers and chimney sweeps, and approval of appliances and fuels. The relationship provides operational integration and shared expertise in the solid fuel and biomass sector.
• Cleaner Safer GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoodsure is part of Cleaner Safer Group, which encompasses HETAS and other related organisations focused on cleaner, safer heating solutions. CEO Barry Cope joined Cleaner Safer Group as CEO in 2025.
• Fleetmaxx SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFleetmaxx Solutions provides discounted fuel cards, EV charge cards, AdBlue, vehicle camera/tracking systems and other services to Woodsure certified suppliers through a partnership arrangement.
• Grown in BritainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrown in Britain brings together woodland owners, contractors, builders, and retailers who want to buy, use and sell more British timber and wood-based products. Woodsure offers Grown in Britain as an additional accreditation for certified suppliers.
• ENpluscoreTechnology or IntegrationENplus is the internationally recognised fuel quality standard for wood pellets. Woodsure is an auditing body for ENplus and its auditing team covers the length and breadth of the UK, providing certification services for pellet producers and traders.
• OfgemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfgem administers the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme. The Biomass Suppliers List (BSL) administered by Woodsure enables RHI participants to demonstrate to Ofgem that the fuel they are using meets sustainability criteria needed to claim RHI payments.
• DEFRAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs appointed Woodsure as the Certification Body to administer the Ready to Burn Scheme for wood fuels under the Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020.
• Harvey Shopfitters LimitedhistoricalStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarvey Shopfitters founded the Woodsure scheme when the company undertook a project to process timber offcuts into shredded woodfuel for schools. The company wholly funded the formation and development of Woodsure.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas is a global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) major. As a broad TIC incumbent, it could enter or expand UK biomass certification services as the regulatory environment grows, directly competing with Woodsure's quality assurance offering.
• SGS: SGS is a global TIC leader with bioenergy and forestry compliance services. It is a broad incumbent operating in adjacent woodfuel and sustainability certification spaces that could compete with Woodsure's UK scheme.
• TÜV SÜD: TÜV SÜD is a global TIC provider with bioenergy and solid-fuel testing programmes. It is a broad incumbent in the certification market whose capabilities overlap with Woodsure's testing and compliance scope.
• HETAS: HETAS is Woodsure's parent organisation and operates the competent person scheme for installers of biomass and solid fuel heating in the UK. It is a sister business within the Cleaner Safer Group, offering overlapping but broader solid-fuel compliance coverage.
• Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC): PEFC is a global alliance of national forest certification systems. PEFC's sustainable forestry certification framework overlaps with Woodsure's due-diligence and sustainability scheme requirements.
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): FSC is a globally recognised forest certification scheme operating across timber and biomass supply chains. It is a broad incumbent whose controlled-wood and chain-of-custody frameworks compete with and complement Woodsure's quality assurance.

Emerging players

• Grown in Britain: Grown in Britain is a UK accreditation scheme that brings together woodland owners, contractors, and retailers of British timber. Woodsure offers it as an additional accreditation, making it a directly comparable emerging certification mark in the wood supply chain.

Direct peers

• Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP): SBP is a certification system for woody biomass used in industrial energy production. It is a directly comparable certification body whose sustainability framework intersects with Woodsure's BSL/sustainability scope.
• ENplus: ENplus is the international pellet quality certification scheme. Woodsure serves as a UK ENplus auditing body, making it both a partner and a directly comparable certification operation with overlapping woodfuel quality assurance coverage.

Regional players

• Biomass Energy Centre: Biomass Energy Centre is a UK-based information and signposting resource for biomass heat and power. It is a regional adjacent player in the UK biomass ecosystem that supports consumer and supplier awareness alongside Woodsure's certification role.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/woodsureuk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Woodsure