Free campfire wood calculator. Enter how many hours your fire will burn to find the logs and bundles you should bring along.
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Enter how long the fire will burn. This campfire wood calculator uses a medium fire baseline of 4 logs per hour, with 8 logs per bundle, so a 3 hour campfire needs 12 logs, or 2 bundles, and a 2 hour campfire needs 8 logs, or 1 bundle. That sits at the top of the competitor medium fire range of 2 to 4 logs per hour, and the bundle size of 8 logs sits inside the competitor range of 4 to 12 logs per bundle. Small fires use fewer logs, large fires use more, so adjust up for cold weather, cooking or a large group.
Campfire wood consumption is best planned by hours, not by nights, because fires burn at very different rates. This calculator uses 4 logs per hour for a medium fire, a standard bundle of 8 logs, and rounds up to whole logs and whole bundles, because you cannot buy part of a bundle. How much firewood per hour does a campfire use? Competitor guides agree on about 1 bundle per hour for a sustained fire, about 15 pounds or 1 cubic foot per hour, with log counts of 1 to 2 per hour for a small fire, 2 to 4 per hour for a medium fire, and 4 to 6 per hour for a large fire. This calculator picks the medium fire top end, so a small fire will have leftovers and a large fire will need more.
How many logs are in a bundle of firewood? It varies by seller: 4 to 6 logs, 5 to 6 logs, 7 to 12 logs, and 4 to 5 logs split into 8 to 12 sticks are all reported, with bundle sizes of 0.65 to 1 cubic foot and weights of 5 to 15 pounds. This calculator defines a bundle as 8 logs, inside that range, and you should check your local bundle before shopping. What is a cord vs a face cord vs a bundle? A full cord is 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by 8 feet long, 128 cubic feet, far too much for casual camping. A face cord is the front third of a full cord. A bundle is about 1 cubic foot, or about 1/128 of a cord. A firewood bundle calculator that converts logs to bundles to cords helps you avoid buying a cord when you need two bundles.
How much firewood for a 4 hour campfire? Sixteen logs, or 2 bundles, at this calculator baseline. Bundles of firewood per night depend on hours per night: at 4 hours per night, a medium fire needs 2 bundles per night, a small fire needs 1 bundle, and a large fire needs 3 bundles or more. How many bundles do I need per night camping? About 2 to 5 bundles per day is the common guide range, with cooking adding 1 to 2 bundles. How many bundles for a weekend camping trip? About 5 to 8 bundles for 2 nights of evening fires, plus 1 to 2 bundles for morning fires. Campfire firewood for 2 nights at 4 hours per night is therefore about 4 bundles, and campfire firewood for a week at the same rate is about 14 bundles, before cold weather or cooking adjustments.
Small vs large campfire wood needed differs by a factor of three or more. A small fire for 1 to 2 people in mild weather uses 1 to 2 logs per hour. A medium fire for 3 to 4 people in cool weather with some cooking uses 2 to 4 logs per hour. A large fire for 5 or more people in cold weather with significant cooking uses 4 to 6 logs per hour. How much wood for a campfire for cooking? Cooking fires use less wood per hour than a roaring social fire in some guides, because a cooking fire is smaller and steadier, but cooking for a group over several hours still adds 1 to 2 bundles per day. If your fire is large, multiply this calculator result by 1.5; if it is small, use about half.
Hardwood vs softwood campfire burn time is a real trade off. Hardwoods such as oak, ash, birch and maple burn longer, give more heat, and make less smoke and sparking. Softwoods such as pine, cedar and spruce ignite easily but burn faster, make more smoke and sparks, and can burn twice as fast as hardwood. Hardwood or softwood for a campfire? Use softwood for ignition and hardwood for the main burn, the combination most guides recommend. Softwood needs about 30 to 50 percent more wood than hardwood for the same hours, so add a bundle if you are burning mostly softwood.
What is seasoned firewood? Wood dried for months until its moisture is low, which ignites easily, burns efficiently, and makes less smoke and creosote. Seasoned firewood for camping is easy to spot: darkened cracked ends, a hollow sound when knocked, lighter weight, and peeling bark. Green or wet wood is hard to light, smoky, and burns poorly, and it is a common reason campers run out early. Is it OK to leave firewood uncovered? It is okay in camp for a short time, but not ideal in rain, so keep wood under a tarp or in a dry spot, and keep a dry reserve for starting the next fire.
How does cold weather change firewood needs? Cold weather camping needs about 25 percent more wood, and some guides add 1 to 2 bundles per night in cold weather. How much firewood for cold weather camping for a 4 hour fire? About 20 logs, or 3 bundles, at this baseline plus a cold weather buffer, rather than 16 logs. Wind also raises burn rate, because it feeds the fire and carries heat away, so shelter the fire and add a buffer. Cooking adds wood too, especially for large groups, so plan 1 to 2 extra bundles per day when cooking over the fire. Always add a 25 to 50 percent contingency, the buffer most guides recommend, because running out at night is worse than carrying one extra bundle.
Can I bring firewood from home when camping? Often no, because moving firewood spreads invasive species and diseases such as emerald ash borer and Asian longhorn beetle. Buy locally, use heat treated firewood, and follow campground rules. Can I gather firewood at my campsite? Only where allowed, only dead and downed wood, and only wrist diameter wood in many guides, with Leave No Trace principles. Buying at a campground or convenience store is usually local hardwood, pine or softwood, or packaged kiln dried firewood, and bulk buying a cord is far cheaper per bundle but far too much for a weekend.
What do I do if I run out of firewood while camping? Use a smaller fire, gather only where allowed, borrow from a neighbour, or switch to a portable stove for cooking, and never burn treated, painted, stained, poisonous or driftwood. Can I use a portable propane fire pit instead of firewood? Yes, where allowed, and it is a good backup for fire bans and wet weather, though it does not replace a real campfire for cooking or ambience. Campfire safety means a proper fire pit or ring, a small to medium fire size, never leaving the fire unattended, and fully extinguishing it with water and stirring until cold.
For a medium fire, about 4 logs per hour, or 1 bundle of 8 logs every 2 hours. A 3 hour campfire needs 12 logs, or 2 bundles.
About 1 bundle per hour for a sustained fire in some guides, and 2 to 4 logs per hour for a medium fire. This calculator uses 4 logs per hour as a safe medium baseline.
It varies by seller, from 4 to 12 logs. This calculator defines a bundle as 8 logs, and you should check your local bundle before shopping.
About 2 bundles per night for a 4 hour medium fire, 1 bundle for a small fire, and 3 bundles or more for a large fire, plus cooking extras.
At 4 hours per night, about 6 bundles for a medium fire over 3 nights, plus 1 to 2 extra bundles for cooking or cold weather.
Seasoned hardwood such as oak, ash, birch or maple, with a little softwood for ignition. Hardwood burns longer and hotter with less smoke.
Wood dried for months until its moisture is low. It lights easily, burns efficiently, and makes less smoke. Look for cracked ends, a hollow sound and peeling bark.
Often no, because moving firewood spreads pests and disease. Buy locally or use heat treated firewood, and follow campground rules.
Shrink the fire, gather only where allowed, borrow from a neighbour, or switch to a portable stove for cooking. Never burn treated or poisonous wood.
Yes, where allowed. It is a good backup for fire bans and wet weather, though it does not replace a real campfire for cooking or ambience.