If you’re new to grilling with a Traeger, gauging how many pellets you will need for a cook can be daunting.
When I first got my Traeger, I didn’t know its burn rate. In other words, I didn’t know how many pellets it would burn through, on average, in an hour. This made planning difficult.
How many bags of wood pellets would I need to buy?
How long would they last me?
Would I have enough wood pellets for the meats I wanted to prepare?
Thankfully, I found some helpful information online, which I will share below.
Spoiler: There’s a simple trick to calculate how long your Traeger pellets will last.
Note: If you actually want to know how long Traeger pellets can be stored (i.e., how long they last in storage), check out this post.
Table of Contents
- How Long Do Traeger Pellets Last? [Burn Time]
- Can You Extend Traeger Pellets Burn Time?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- My Final Thoughts
How Long Do Traeger Pellets Last? [Burn Time]
Traeger Wood Pellets Burning Time [Rule of Thumb]
No matter the flavor, 1 lb of Traeger pellets should burn for between one to three hours (1-3 hours).
How Long Do Traeger Pellets Last At Low Heat?
The burn time is inversely correlated with the temperature setting.
If you set your grill at a low heat (such as the smoke setting circa 165 to 180 Fahrenheit), the burn rate will be lower, and the grill will burn fewer wood pellets per hour.
At low heat, you can expect to burn approximately 1 lb of pellets per hour.
How Long Do Traeger Pellets Last At High Heat?
The burn time is inversely correlated with the temperature setting.
If you set your grill at high heat (at the grill’s highest temperature setting, circa 450 Fahrenheit), the burn rate will be higher, and the grill will burn much more wood pellets per hour.
At high heat, you can expect to burn approximately 3 lb of pellets per hour.
How Long Do Traeger Pellets Last At 225 Fahrenheit?
At 225 Fahrenheit, you can expect to burn approximately 1 lb to 1.5 lbs of pellets per hour.
How Long Will A 20 lbs Bag Of Traeger Pellets Last?
To approximate how long a 20 lbs bag of Traeger pellets will last, you can apply the rule of thumb above.
A simple division tells you that, on average, a 20 lbs bag of pellets should last between six and twenty hours (6-20 hours), depending on the temperature setting of your grill and other external factors.
Can You Extend Traeger Pellets Burn Time?
Several external factors can influence the burn time of your Traeger pellets. However, the impact on the burn time won’t be major.
Over the past year or so, I’ve guesstimated that using my grill on a cold, damp, windy day increased the burn rate by approximately 25%. However, that’s just anecdotal evidence, and I’d be interested to hear what you folks have observed.
In short, it’s possible to extend the burn time (or at least avoid increasing it) by cooking on a warm, dry, and calm day! Unfortunately, we can control many things but the weather isn’t one them!
Temperature
The temperature of the air will impact the burn rate of your grill. Generally speaking, the colder the temperature, the higher the burn rate. And the higher the temperature, the lower the burn rate.
In other words, grilling in colder weather uses more pellets. This is because the grill has to burn more pellets (i.e., or work harder) to reach the temperature setpoint and maintain a constant temperature.
Grilling in hotter weather uses fewer pellets. This is because the grill doesn’t have to burn as many pellets (i.e., or work as hard) to reach the temperature setpoint and maintain a constant temperature.
Humidity
The humidity in the air will impact the burn rate of your grill. Generally speaking, the higher the humidity levels, the higher the burn rate. And the lower the humidity levels, the lower the burn rate.
In other words, grilling in damp weather uses more pellets. This is because the grill has to burn more pellets (i.e., or work harder) to reach the temperature setpoint and maintain a constant temperature.
Grilling in dryer weather uses fewer pellets. This is because the grill doesn’t have to burn as many pellets (i.e., or work as hard) to reach the temperature setpoint and maintain a constant temperature.
Wind
The strength of the wind will impact the burn rate of your grill. Generally speaking, the windier it is, the higher the burn rate. And the calmer the breeze, the lower the burn rate.
In other words, grilling in windy conditions uses more pellets. This is because the grill has to burn more pellets (i.e., work harder), to reach the temperature setpoint and maintain a constant temperature.
Grilling in still, calm conditions uses fewer pellets. This is because the grill doesn’t have to burn as many pellets (i.e., doesn’t have to work as hard) to reach the temperature setpoint and maintain a constant temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does a Full Hopper of Pellets Last in A Traeger?
The answer depends on the capacity of the Traeger grill model you own.
For example, the Traeger Pro Series 34 has a hopper capacity of 18 lbs. This is pretty standard across the Traeger grill range.
If you include the pellets contained within the augur tube (let’s say another 1 lb to 2 lbs), that’s roughly a full standard-sized 20 lbs bag of pellets.
As per the rule of thumb above, a full hopper of pellets should last you approximately 6 to 20 hours.
How Long Does a Full Hopper of Pellets Last in A Traeger at 180 F?
The answer depends on the capacity of the Traeger grill model you own.
As per the rule of thumb above, a full hopper of pellets should last you approximately 18 to 20 hours at 180 Fahrenheit.
How Long Does a Full Hopper of Pellets Last in A Traeger at 450 F?
The answer depends on the capacity of the Traeger grill model you own.
As per the rule of thumb above, a full hopper of pellets should last you approximately 6 hours at 450 Fahrenheit.
My Final Thoughts
You’ll be in a good place by remembering the simple rule of thumb that, on average, a Traeger grill burns between 1 lb to 3 lbs of pellets per hour.
Combined with the approximate cooking time of the dish you want to prepare, you’ll be able to gauge the weight of pellets you’ll need.
I like to be conservative and add another 25% to allow for external factors such as the weather or the possibility that my friends are still hungry and I need to cook more food! So, it doesn’t harm to have a spare bag of pellets as a backup.
You Might Also Enjoy:
- What Are The Different Parts Of A Traeger Grill?
- How To Start A Traeger Grill [A-Z GUIDE]
- How To Connect A Traeger Grill To Wi-Fi [WiFIRE]
- How Do I Get More Smoke From My Traeger? [7 Causes & Fixes + 2 Hacks]
- How To Turn Off A Traeger Grill [Shutdown Cycle]
- How To Clean A Traeger Grill?
- How To Store Traeger Pellets?
- How Long Do Traeger Grills Last? [How Many Years]