Just a few years ago, it was hard to find good options for small wood stoves to heat a tiny home.  No longer!  As the tiny living movement has taken off, small wood stove options abound.

In this article, we'll explore the best wood stoves for tiny homes available now.  Stoves are arranged by flue size, and then by output, roughly from lowest to highest BTU rating.  All the stoves on this list are designed for permanent installation indoors—no tent stoves, camp stoves, or outdoor stoves.

(tl;dr: skip to 3" stoves, 4" stoves, 5" stoves, 6" stoves)

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Why Heat with Wood?

Whether your tiny home is on- or off-grid, there are lots of great reasons to have a wood stove.

Dehumidification

Wood stoves provide powerful dry heat.  In the winter, humidity tends to accumulate in small spaces and cause condensation on walls and windows, which can lead to mold growth.  Wood stoves can help dehumidify the air while they're heating.

Security & Convenience

You can heat with wood off-grid with no power whatsoever, using fuel that's cheap or free.  It's easy to source firewood locally in most parts of the world, and you can store it in large quantities without much more than a tarp.  Wood is also a fantastic backup heat source for when the power goes out, or if the propane tank runs dry.  In case of an emergency or a disaster, the ability to use locally foraged fuel could be a literal lifesaver.

Versatility

Some wood stoves are designed to be used for cooking.  You can heat water or coffee, cook your morning breakfast hash in a cast iron skillet, or make stew for dinner on top of the same stove that's heating your home.  Baking ovens are built into a few models, or a cast iron dutch oven set on top of the stove can be used for light baking.

Some wood stoves can be used to heat water with a water boiler or jacket attachment.  Using your stove to heat water can distribute heat to other areas of your home with hydronic radiators.  A wood stove with a water jacket can also supplement a solar water heating system in the Winter to ensure you have hot water year-round.

Ambiance

Finally, watching a real fire flickering in your living room is better than TV.  Gather your family (or pets) around the fire in the evening and enjoy the warmth on your skin, and the faint smell of wood smoke in the air.  There really is nothing like a real wood fire.

How to Choose a Wood Stove for Your Tiny Home

The most important factor to consider when choosing a wood stove is:

BTU Output

Wood stoves are not like electric furnaces—bigger is not better.  Wood stove air controls allow you to adjust the burn rate, but only in a relatively narrow range.  Too large of a stove, and you won't be able to burn a clean fire without overheating your home.  Too small, and you'll have to constantly feed your stove, and may not be able to keep up with your heating needs.  For best results, the stove you select should be closely matched to your space, climate, and intended use.

Run your space through a BTU calculator to get a ballpark of how many BTUs you need.  To avoid over-shooting your wood stove BTU needs, I recommend using the average cold Winter day for sizing, not the coldest possible Winter day.

Other factors to consider are:

Air Controls

Stoves with airtight controls will be easier to control than stoves that leak lots of air.  Stoves with several separate air controls allow finer control over the fire for longer, more efficient burns.

Options and Accessories

Do you want a top exit for a more compact installation, or a rear exit to allow a larger top cooking surface?  Will you mount directly on the floor, on a wood storage stand, or hang the stove on a wall?  If your tiny home is relatively airtight, is there a way to pipe the fresh air supply directly to the stove from outside?  Are there other options you want like a water boiler, factory heat shields, bake oven, or special hardware and finishes?

Certifications

If your tiny house is subject to building codes, or if you want to insure it, you might need a UL Listed or EPA/State Certified wood stove.  Check with your local code enforcement and insurance company if you think that might be an issue.  Most of the smaller wood stoves available are not certified for residential use, so needing a certification will seriously limit your options.

Aesthetics

Does the design of the stove fit with the rest of your home?  Are you looking for a modern, classic, or transitional style?  Is a large fire viewing window important to you?  Colored or porcelain finish?  A wood storage stand?

Support

Is there a responsive company to back up the product, or are you on your own?  Is there an installation manual available with required clearances?

Availability of Flue Parts

Don't count on buying solid fuel rated stovepipe in sizes smaller than 6" at your local hardware store.  And don't risk using pellet pipe or direct vent pipe that's not rated for solid fuel temperatures.  Make sure you have a plan for your flue system before buying your wood stove.

It's sometimes OK to connect a small stove to a larger flue system, but matching the flue system to the stove's collar size is ideal. See our post on flue systems for small wood stoves for up-to-date sources of solid fuel rated chimney systems in smaller sizes.