Once they have gone through the process of becoming pellets, the old rule of thumb on hardwood vs. softwood is thrown out the window. 1 pound of a hardwood pellets and one pound of softwood pellets both weigh a pound and are very close in performance, with the slight edge for heat going to the softwood. To make that pound would take more softwood than hardwood though. The old way of thinking about BTU's is based on volume and weight in log form. It takes a higher volume of softwood to get the same weight as a smaller amount of hardwood, thus the misconception on pellet performance. I have had similar discussions when people assume that alder based smoking pellets must be inferior because they are made from a softer hardwood.