After the explosion in pellet prices at the beginning of the year, there is now a fall in prices, but on a much higher level than a year ago.

According to the German Pellet Institute (DEPI), a tonne of wood pellets costs on average € 343.14, which means that the price has fallen significantly compared to last March, by 9.7%, a trend typical for this time of year, The pellet price is still well above the previous year’s level.

Pellet prices significantly above previous year
In April 2024, the average monthly price determined by DEPI was €288.79/t, which is 19% lower than the current price. End users pay 6.86 cents for one kilowatt hour of heat from pellets. The price advantage over heating oil has increased again and now stands at 23%, compared to 44% a year ago.

After the short-term and unusual price increases at the beginning of the year, DEPI managing director Martin Bentele now sees a calming market as the heating season is almost over. Now it is also up to the purchasing behaviour of consumers whether a common ordering and storage process settles down again.

Online pellet prices in a downward spiral
How disturbed the pellet market is still, is shown by the online pellet prices, which from March to April have made a real dive due to the weak demand, after the prices had soared at the beginning of the year due to a sudden surge in demand: From 25 March to 25 April, the average national price for loose pellets at heizpellets24.de dropped from €339.06/t to €297.16/t. This is a decrease of 12%.

For holzpellets.net, the average price fell by 11% over the same period from €345.59/t to €307.08/t.
Despite this massive price decline, wood pellets are still 14% more expensive on the online markets than they were a year ago.

Regional pellet prices
In April, the DEPI price for wood pellets shows the following regional differences (6 t): Southern Germany: 338.63 €/t, Northern and Eastern Germany: 347.82 €/t. Central Germany € 348.29/t.
Larger quantities (26 t) are traded under the following conditions: South: 323.70 €/t, North/East: 334.86 €/t, Middle: 330.50 €/t (all prices include VAT).
At the end of April, heizpellets24.de had the cheapest pellets in Hessen and Bavaria, the most expensive in Berlin, Brandenburg and Bremen. For holzpellets.net, pellets were the cheapest in Baden-Württemberg and Hessen, the most expensive in Saarland as well as Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The price range on the online markets ranges from just under 280 €/t to over 330 €/t.

Source: DEPI