Fire Lays
Types of fire lays compared: teepee, log cabin, lean-to, star, long fire, Dakota hole, platform, upside-down, keyhole and Swedish torch, with build steps.
Calculator · Fire
Firewood Calculator
How much wood to gather for cooking, warmth or a full night — split into tinder, kindling and fuel.
How much wood should you gather before dark? Choose what the fire is for, how long it should burn and what wood you have – and see the total in kilos and armloads, sorted by size, plus how long gathering will take.
Wood to gather
13.9 kg
Armloads
3 × ~5 kg
Gathering time
48 min
Pile size
≈ 34 cm cube
Order of work
- Clear a fire spot and set up a dry base.
- Collect tinder and kindling first — keep them dry in a bag.
- Gather small fuel, then main fuel, in separate piles.
- Process: break, saw or split to length before lighting.
How is this calculated?
Burn rate: cooking 1.5 kg/h, evening warmth 3 kg/h, overnight 2.5 kg/h (dry mixed wood) × wood type (softwood 1.25, hardwood 0.85) × moisture (damp 1.3, wet 1.7) × cold (+2.5 % per °C below 5 °C, max +60 %). Split 30 % small / 65 % main fuel; tinder and kindling per fire start. Armload ≈ 5 kg, stacked wood ≈ 350 kg/m³.
How to use the firewood calculator
- Choose what the fire is for: cooking, evening warmth or all night.
- Set the burn time in hours.
- Pick the wood type (softwood, mixed, hardwood) and its condition (dry, damp, wet).
- Enter the air temperature and how many times you will light a fire, e.g. evening and morning.
- Say how much deadwood is around – this changes the gathering time.
How it is calculated
The calculator starts from a typical burn rate for dry mixed wood: 1.5 kg per hour for a cooking fire, 3 kg per hour for an evening warming fire and 2.5 kg per hour for a slower all-night fire. This is multiplied by the wood type (softwood burns faster: ×1.25, hardwood slower: ×0.85) and by moisture (damp ×1.3, wet ×1.7). For warmth and night fires, cold adds 2.5 % per degree below 5 °C, up to +60 %.
The main amount is split into 30 % small fuel (thumb to wrist) and 65 % main fuel (wrist-thick and up), with 5 % extra kindling. Tinder and kindling are added for each fire start. An armload is counted as about 5 kg, and the pile size assumes stacked wood of around 350 kg per cubic metre.
| Dry mixed wood, 5 °C, 2 fire starts | Total |
|---|---|
| Cooking, 1 h | ≈ 3.4 kg |
| Evening warmth, 4 h | ≈ 13.9 kg |
| All night, 10 h | ≈ 26.9 kg |
Practical tips
- Gather everything before you strike the first spark – then gather the same amount again. Running out in the dark is the classic mistake.
- Collect tinder and kindling first and keep them dry in a bag.
- Split wet wood: the core is often dry. Stack it next to the fire to pre-dry.
- Take only dead and fallen wood, check local fire bans and never leave a fire unattended.
FAQ
How much firewood do I need for one night?
For a fire that burns 10 hours through the night, plan roughly 25–30 kg of dry mixed wood – about six armloads. Wet wood, softwood or frost can push that well above 40 kg.
How much wood does a campfire burn per hour?
A small cooking fire uses about 1.5 kg of dry wood per hour, a cosy warming fire about 3 kg. These are averages; the real rate depends on fire size, wood and wind.
Does wet wood burn?
Yes, but poorly: it wastes energy evaporating water, smokes and needs about 70 % more wood. Look for dead standing wood, split it to reach the dry core and keep plenty of fine kindling.
Related guides
Natural Tinder
Natural tinder explained: birch bark, dry grass, cattail fluff, fatwood and fungi – how to find tinder in every season, process it and keep it dry.
Fire in Wet Weather
How to start a fire in the rain: find dry fuel, split wood to the dry core, build a platform, shelter the fire, use fire extenders and keep it burning.
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