Campfire Wood Calculator
Estimate firewood for camping nights by fire use, temperature, and wood type.
Returns bundles and pieces.
Includes the no-transport-across-state-lines rule.
Campfire firewood planning prevents two opposite mistakes: arriving with too little (cold nights, no cooking) and hauling far too much (heavy car, wasted effort).
A campfire burns through roughly 2 to 6 pieces of split wood per hour depending on the size of the fire and the density of the wood. A “piece” here is a standard split log about 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 inches) long. One bundle sold at camp stores holds about 4 to 6 pieces and burns for 1 to 2 hours.
Average firewood use per campfire per hour:
| Fire Size | Pieces / Hour | Typical Burning |
|---|---|---|
| Small (social, atmosphere) | 1 to 2 | 2 to 3 hrs/evening |
| Medium (cooking + warmth) | 2 to 4 | 3 to 5 hrs/evening |
| Large (cold-night heating) | 4 to 6 | 4 to 6 hrs/evening |
Firewood quantity guide (bundles):
| Nights | Social Fire | Cooking Fire | Heating Fire |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 night | 1 bundle | 1 to 2 | 2 to 3 |
| 2 nights | 2 | 3 | 4 to 5 |
| 3 nights | 3 | 4 to 5 | 6 to 8 |
| 1 week | 7 to 10 | 10 to 14 | 14 to 20 |
Wood type and burn behavior:
| Wood Type | Burn Rate | Heat | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood (oak, hickory, ash) | Slow | High | Best for heat and coals |
| Fruitwood (apple, cherry) | Medium | High | Great aroma, good coals |
| Mixed hardwood | Medium | Medium-High | Most common camp-store bundles |
| Softwood (pine, fir, cedar) | Fast | Medium | Lights easily, burns fast |
| Wet or green wood | Very slow | Low | Hard to light, lots of smoke |
The non-negotiable rule: don’t move firewood.
Never transport firewood across county or state lines. It is one of the main vectors for invasive insects (emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, spotted lanternfly). Buy firewood within 50 miles (80 km) of your campsite. Most states explicitly post this at the park entrance, and several can fine you for ignoring it. Federal land managers and the “Don’t Move Firewood” campaign track outbreaks back to weekend camping trips with depressing regularity.
Don’t cut live trees either, and even deadfall may be protected in national parks. If a sign says “no collection,” it means no collection.
Conditions that increase consumption. Wind, rain, and cold all push burn rate up. Add 30 to 50% buffer in exposed, cold, or wet conditions. You can always not burn extra, but running out mid-night with the temperature dropping is a long, miserable wait for dawn.
Safety: Never leave a campfire unattended. Allow 20 minutes to fully extinguish using the “drown, stir, drown” method before sleeping or leaving camp.
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