Grill pellets are simply compressed hardwood residues (sawdust). The base flavor of the main BBQ flavor blends is Oak pellets, as Oak provides a neutral smoke flavor that works with any food type. Also Oak pellets produce one of the highest BTU outputs, therefore, they work well for grilling/searing. 

Now, when you see different pellet flavors, say Apple BBQ pellets, some are made from 100% Applewood, whereas others will be made from a base of Oak pellets with a percentage of Applewood pellets (40% to 20% typically).

Traeger also owns a patent to make different flavored pellets with the use of flavored oils. However, while Traeger holds this patent its not clear if they are actually producing their BBQ pellets that way.

If you click the link below you will have access to our BBQ pellets database, where you can sort pellet flavors, brands, blended or single hardwood species pellets, and importantly, the database will show you the price per lb of pellets.

BBQ pellets come in various different bag sizes, some are 20 lbs, some are 40 lbs. There are actually some bags which are odd weights, such as 28 lbs. Therefore, never compare the price of pellets per bag, only compare them on their price per lb.