Fuel is a major cost in logging and is also relied on by logging contractors in New Zealand to adjust unit logging rates in dollars per cubic metres (/m3).Thereishowever,nobenchmarkonfuelconsumptionratesinlitrepercubicmetres(l/m3)inNewZealand,makingitdifficulttooptimiseloggingoperationduringplanning.AstudyonfuelconsumptionoftimberharvestingsystemsinNewZealandwasconductedwiththeparticipationof17ground−based(GB)and28cableyarding(CY)loggingcontractorswithcrewsworkingcommonlyonpineplantations(Pinusradiata).Theloggingcontractors,distributedinboththeNorthandtheSouthIslandsofNewZealand,provideddataonfueluse,production,standandterrainattributes,typeandnumberofmachinesusedbymonthoryearofharvesting.Thisdatawasusedtodetermineandsetbenchmarkonratesoffueluseinl/m3andlitresperkilowatt−hour(l/kWhr),andestablishtheproportionofunitfuelconsumptioncostsinunitharvestingcostsbytypeofharvestingsystem.AlltheGBsystemscombinedharvestedapproximately1.1millioncubicmetersoftimberusing2.94millionlitresoffuel.Similarly,allthe28CYsystemscombinedharvestedapproximately1.5millioncubicmetresbyconsuming4.6millionlitresoffuel.Resultsshowedthatonaverage,theratesoffueluseforGBsystemscombinedwas3.04l/m3and0.15l/kWhr,whilethatofCYsystemswas3.18l/m3and0.09l/kWhr.Therewasnocleardifferenceinaverageratesoffueluseinl/m3betweenGBandCYunlikeratesofuseinl/kWhr.UsingcomparabledatafromGBsystemsintheSouthernUSstatesofAlabama,Georgia,Florida,Louisiana,andNorthCarolina,onaverage,GBsystemsinNewZealanduse32/m3) from harvesting benchmarking data and average fuel (diesel) prices for 2013 in New Zealand showed that fuel costs per unit volume of wood harvested, on average, constitutes 16 and 14% for GB and CY operations, respectively per unit cost of harvesting. The study concluded that on average, GB and CY harvesting systems use the same rates of fuel use in l/m3. The rates of fuel use in l/m3 were found to be dependent on total production, slope of harvesting sites and directions of pulling during extraction. The results of the study also showed that GB and CY harvesting systems use different rates of fuel in l/kWhr. The rates of fuel use in l/kWhr were found to be dependent on the type of harvesting system used, total production, number of machines used, average power, slope, directions of pulling during extraction and surface moisture conditions during harvesting. The results of this study will contribute significantly to the understanding of logging fuel use by providing a benchmark on rates of use in l/m3 and l/kWhr, for harvesting planning, adjustment of logging rates, and updating the existing machine costing spreadsheet. The rates of fuel use in l/m3 reported in this study will also be applicable in comparing operational costs between harvesting systems and machines for purposes of economic efficiency.