Kindling Guide: What to Use and How Much You Need

What is kindling?

Kindling is the small wood between the paper or firelighter and your logs. Burnright says it burns vigorously because it has a large surface for its size. Stovax calls it essential for getting the firebox up to its working temperature quickly.

What's the best wood for kindling?

Softwood. Defra's stove guide says softwoods such as spruce tend to light more easily and can be good for kindling. The Scouts point to woods with resin or oil in them, such as pine, spruce, fir and birch.

Hardwood is denser, so it lights more slowly and burns longer, which makes it better as logs. Our kindling is kiln dried softwood, and our hardwood logs take over once it has caught. See hardwood vs softwood logs.

How big should kindling be?

Each stove maker gives its own figure, so check your manual. Thinner sticks catch faster, so keep a few very thin pieces for the bottom of the stack. Pieces should be short enough to lie flat in the firebox with room around them.

How much kindling do I need to light a stove?

By weight, Charnwood's C-Four manual recommends about 1 to 1.2 kg of kindling each time you light the stove on wood. A small stove needs less than a big one, and a stove that's still warm from the night before needs less again.

Does kindling need to be dry?

Yes. Burnright says stoves are designed for wood at 20% moisture or less, and HETAS's lighting guide asks for dried kindling. Damp kindling smoulders instead of catching, so the stove stays cold. HETAS says a cold flue draws poorly and wet wood burns with much more smoke, which leaves tar in the chimney. Our kindling is kiln dried, so it's ready to use when it arrives.

How should I store kindling?

• Keep it under cover and off the ground. HETAS says bags should be protected from rain but not wrapped tightly, as that can make them sweat.
• Don't stack it next to the stove. HETAS warns that wood stored right beside a stove might catch fire.
• Bring in only what you'll use soon. Woodsure suggests only bringing wood indoors that you'll burn over the next two days.

Can I make my own kindling?

Yes, from clean, untreated softwood offcuts or split softwood logs. Use a small hatchet or a kindling splitter on a solid block, wear safety glasses and gloves, and keep your other hand well clear of the blade. Split each piece down to about the thickness your stove's manual gives.

What should I never use as kindling?

• Pallets. HETAS says they are likely to have been treated with wood preservatives.
• Painted or varnished wood, which HETAS says releases a multitude of chemicals when burned.
• Old furniture, fence panels or other treated waste wood, which Defra says not to burn.
• Building timber and board products such as MDF and chipboard. Stovax lists them among the things not to burn.
• Your Christmas tree. HETAS says to avoid it.