Trial bag of fuel: pellets, coal and briquettes by Nova Poshta

What it is and why

On pellet forums, the most common advice before buying a tonne is "just buy a bag to try first". We have made that a separate product. You choose any fuel from our catalogue, we send one bag or pack by Nova Poshta, and you test it in your own boiler, stove or fireplace: how it lights, how much ash it leaves, whether the burner cokes up, whether the auger clogs. If you are happy with everything, you order a pallet or a tonne knowing exactly what will arrive.

What you can order as a trial

• Softwood wood pellets 6 mm: 15 kg bag (specifications).
• Sunflower husk pellets (agro pellets): 25 kg bag (specifications).
• Anthracite AO, AM or AS: 25 kg bag, please state the grade in the comment (specifications).
• Long-flame coal DG 50-100 mm: 25 kg bag (specifications).
• RUF, Pini-Kay or Nestro briquettes: 10 kg pack (specifications).
• Peat briquettes: 25 kg bag (specifications).

You can combine several items in one shipment, for example a bag of anthracite and a pack of briquettes, to compare them in the same stove. The maximum weight of a single parcel at Nova Poshta is 30 kg, so 25 kg bags travel as separate parcels.

How much it costs

The price of a trial bag equals the retail price of a bag or pack from the table in the relevant category, with no "trial" mark-up. Delivery is charged at the Nova Poshta rate depending on weight and city, and you pay it on receipt at the branch. You also pay for the fuel on receipt, by cash on delivery; we do not take prepayment.

How it works

1. Click "Order", enter the number of bags, your city and, in the comment, which fuel you want (for anthracite, the grade).
2. Our manager will call you back during working hours, confirm availability and quote the delivery cost at the carrier's rate.
3. We ship on the day of the order or the next working day and send you the waybill number via Viber or Telegram.
4. You collect it at the branch and pay on receipt. You can weigh the bag right there on the branch scales.

What to check when the bag arrives

Pellets. Pour a handful onto a light surface: the pellets should be smooth, shiny, roughly the same length and free of cracks. There should be no more than a handful of dust and sawdust at the bottom of a 15 kg bag. Drop a few pellets into a glass of water: good ones sink and within 5-10 minutes soften into uniform sawdust; if they float or the water gets a film on top, the pellets contain glue or bark. Burn 2-3 kg in your burner and look at the grate after an hour or two: clean grey ash is good, while fused "cakes" mean the fuel or the air settings do not suit you.

Coal. Anthracite is heavy, black with a metallic sheen, does not soil your hands and rings when lumps are knocked together. Small pieces and dust should make up no more than a tenth of a bag of graded coal. Light it on a bed of firewood and see whether it holds its heat without smoke. Long-flame coal should catch from kindling and burn with a long flame.

Briquettes. Dense, heavy, with even edges and no sawdust at the bottom of the pack. A briquette should catch from paper and kindling and burn with an active flame for 2-3 hours with the draught open. If it burned out in half an hour, close the ash pit door a little: briquettes are designed for a limited air supply.

Next step: a pallet or a tonne

If the fuel suits you, order the volume you need in the category: pellets, coal, briquettes. The price per tonne on a pallet, in a big bag or in bulk is lower than for a single bag; the "Bag → price per tonne" block on each category page helps you compare packaging options. We deliver a pallet or a tonne with our own vehicles or by carrier, with unloading and a check weighing on receipt.