The study analyses the firewood characteristics of 16 tree species from the dry semi-deciduous woodlands dominant in south central Africa. The important firewood characteristics used by rural people in Malawi were determined by the pair-wise comparison of preferred indigenous species. This was compared with a fuel value index based on the properties of basic density, moisture and ash content. Nine species were compared over the two techniques and the ordering was broadly similar; with the denser species of lower moisture content being highly ranked in both cases. The main criteria used by villagers to rank firewoods were drying rate, duration of ember production and low moisture content or weight when dry. Drying rates converged after the first month to a daily rate of 0.1-0.2% of dry weight. The procedures used in the study were low technology but accurate enough to establish the important indigenous species to be managed for wood-fuel production. The study recommends that future firewood management planning should recognise the role of indigenous quality criteria in rural people's choice of firewoods. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.