The Essentials of a Wood Fire: Tinder, Kindling, Fuel - Premier Firewood Company (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between tinder kindling and wood fuel? ›

While tinder is the smallest of the three materials, kindling is slightly larger. It refers to any ignitable material that's larger than tinder but smaller than firewood. Most people use small sticks for kindling, which ignite more quickly than the firewood and burn for longer than the tinder.

Tinder can be dry paper, dry debris, pine needles, leaves or cotton. Kindling usually consists of small sticks and branches. It is flammable material that is slightly larger than tinder and is used to create a teepee above the tinder bundle. The last and most obvious type of fuel is chopped wood.

Kindling tends to be the material used to let larger wood really catch, while tinder is small shavings or shreds of material that will burn hot quickly and starts the kindling burning. Kindling is larger than tinder. Examples of tinder include dry grass, dry bark and down from birds.

In a pinch, almost any dry plant material can be used as tinder. This includes dry grass, leaves, sticks, dry pine needles, cotton fabric, or natural twine or rope. These may not be the easiest materials to ignite, but they will kindle a fire in desperate situations.

You can also look for dead leaves, grass, and pine needles, as these can make excellent kindling. Our founder's favorite kindling is called "squaw wood," which are the small dead limbs thinner than a pencil under the live canopy of a conifer or pine tree.

The best fuel for a log burner is dry and seasoned hardwood. It should have a moisture content of around 20% or less. Burning wet or unseasoned wood can cause excessive smoke, poor combustion, and the buildup of creosote in your chimney, which can lead to chimney fires.

In a top-down fire, the biggest logs are placed at the bottom, while the smaller logs and kindling are added on top. The fire is lit from the top, and it spreads to the wood at the bottom once it catches. Some people call it a feeding fire, but the principles are the same.

Start fires with firelighters and dry kindling – allow 5-10 minutes for the kindling to burn fiercely warming your flue and creating a strong draw before adding *any* logs. Burn hot, bright fires and start with a few smaller logs. Arrange your logs in such a way that allows air between, without overfilling your stove.

Birch. Birchwood burns at mid to high-temperature levels and burns moderately well. Birch firewood is effortless to separate apart and doesn't produce a lot of smoke or dispense much sparks.

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Pine needles take more heat to ignite than other tinders, but will burn longer than grass. Pair them with something that ignites at a lower temperature and you'll have no problems. They are easy to find, but make sure they are dry / brown in colour.

There are 3 different types of firewood – green, seasoned, or kiln dried – and which type you use makes all the difference with the quality of your fire.

So if you don't have a lighter with you, don't worry! Fatwood shavings make excellent tinder for any purpose of fire you may need.

The best types of kindling are always small. Using dry sticks that can be arranged vertically good conditions for an ideal burn. The best kindling is a type of soft wood such as: Pine.

Smokeless is best

Smokeless fuel has the added benefit of being better for the environment and being suitable for use in smoke control areas.

Brought in to help relieve pollution and smog in the 1950s, smokeless coal remains a popular choice of fuel today. Generally, it's cheaper and longer lasting than wood.