Wheat, corn and rapeseed straw can be used as a raw material for the production of biofuels used to generate heat energy. Due to the growing interest in renewable fuels, including straw, it is reasonable to test the energy suitability of these fuels. The aim of the study was to compare the combustion heat and calorific value of particular straw species. The most important parameters enabling comparison of the above mentioned fuels were determined, which include: humidity, combustion heat and calorific value. The moisture content of individual wood samples was: 6.32% for wheat straw, 8.40% for corn straw and 8.49% for rapeseed straw. The analysis showed that the moisture content of the straw samples tested was at a similar level. Combustion heat analysis allowed to obtain the following results: 16.10 MJ⋅kg-1 for wheat straw, 16.60 MJ⋅kg1 for rapeseed straw and 17.30 MJ⋅kg-1 for maize straw. The highest combustion heat was observed for corn straw. The same parameter for rapeseed straw was lower by 0.7 MJ⋅kg-1 than for maize straw. The lowest combustion heat of 16.10 MJ⋅kg-1 was observed for wheat straw. The calorific value of the samples tested was: 14.80 MJ⋅kg-1 for wheat straw, 15.30 MJ⋅kg-1 for rapeseed straw and 16.10 MJ⋅kg-1 for maize straw. The highest calorific value was found for corn straw. The calorific value of wheat straw was lower by about 9%, while rapeseed straw was lower by about 5% in comparison to maize straw. On the basis of the conducted research and literature data concerning the yields of straw of various cereal species, the amount of energy possible to obtain per hectare of cultivation was estimated. With the yield per hectare for: wheat straw 3.2 Mg d.m., rapeseed straw 3.3 Mg d.m., maize straw 12.5 Mg d.m. can be obtained for: wheat straw 47.36 GJ⋅ha-1 , rapeseed straw 50.49 GJ⋅ha-1 , maize straw 201.25 GJ⋅ha-1 .