In wood pellet production, knowledge is needed about the raw material properties that affect
the energy requirements for pelletizing and pellet quality. This study presents novel methods for this
purpose, including analyses of influence of the raw material properties on the energy requirements in the
sequence of subprocesses (compression, flow, and friction components) that constitute the pelletizing
process, and the strength of the pellets. The methods were used to analyze the importance of pelletizing
temperature and MC and the differences between sawdust of European beech (Fagus sylva´tica L) and
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L). Results showed that increasing temperature and MC decreased the energy
requirements for all components of the pelletizing process and that beech required more energy than pine
in all components. Beech produced the stronger pellets; increasing temperature resulted in stronger
pellets, whereas increasing MC caused weaker pellets. Also, a method to quantify the energy requirements
for the combined pelletizing process is presented. The methods can be used to analyze the
allocation of the energy requirements of pelletizing in the die and can be useful tools for analyzing the
pelletizing properties of wood and other biomass residues