How To Make A Fire Burn Hotter: 5 Simple Ways


image hotter fire

Are you an experienced camper looking to extend your camping season by camping in the fall or early spring? 

Do you enjoy campfires, but the heat just never seems to get as high as you want it? 

A good camper and firebug should know how to make a fire burn hotter. 

You can make a fire burn hotter by using dry wood, providing more oxygen, using a softwood, picking the right type of wood in general, and increasing the surface area of the fire. Doing these things safely will increase the amount of heat your fire gives off. 

Read on for more details on how to do this all safely. 

Too cold in general? Check out the best halogen heaters for camping.  

ways to make a fire burn hotter

What Makes A Fire Burn? 

In this section, we look at what it takes to make a fire burn and how to build your own fire. 

The Fire Triangle

The fire triangle is what experts describe to scientifically explain how fire works.

This is also used in most school assemblies as part of a fire safety program. 

The three parts of the fire triangle are: energy, fuel, and oxygen. 

Fire is a chemical process as a result of these three factors.

Increasing or changing one of these will also change your fire as well. 

Energy – The energy is the heat the fire uses to get started and continue.

As the energy increases, the likelihood of more fire rises. 

Fuel – This is the matter being burned.

In the case of campfires, we’re looking at the wood and any special starter, tinder, or kindling you may use. 

Some types of fuel have more energy potential in them while others may have a cooler but longer burn. 

Oxygen – Oxygen is key for fire.

As the energy level rises and fire begins, oxygen is used in the combustion which creates fire. 

To increase the amount and heat (energy) from a fire, you can increase the oxygen. 

Fire Building Process

how to start a hot fire

In this section, we’ll give a quick rundown on how to start a fire. 

To build a fire, you need these things: 

  • Tinder
  • Kindling
  • Fuel
  • Starter (Lighter)

First, you arrange the fire pit with tinder in the middle surrounded by the kindling.

Around the kindling you can use some smaller fuel logs as well. 

Note: Whether you use cabin or tepee style doesn’t really matter, as long as you arrange it so the tinder lights the kindling which lights the fuel, and oxygen is available to the fire. 

Next, use your starter such as a lighter to start the tinder.

While this is starting, keep feeding more tinder until the kindling lights. 

Then, feed the fire more tinder and kindling until the fuel logs start aflame.

Continue to add more kindling then gradually larger fuel logs. 

For more details, check out our guide on how to build a fire

5 Easy Ways To Make A Fire Burn Hotter

make your campfire hotter

Now that you’ve got your fire built, you may want to tweak things so the fire burns hotter.

This section gives you 5 easy ways you can do this. 

#1 Use Dry Wood

Wet wood can be started with time (see our tips on starting a fire with wet wood), but if the wood is still “green” you may find it difficult to light. 

Dry wood which has been sitting for a year or longer has all the sap dried out of it.

This is considered dry wood. 

With the sap gone, the energy is allowed to fill the wood faster than green wood.

The better energy results in a hotter flame. 

#2 Provide More Oxygen

Another great way to make a fire hotter is to provide an influx of oxygen to the flames.

This will make the fire energy and spread jump dramatically. 

However, this only works in the short term.

After the oxygen pump is gone, the fire will go back to its normal size and heat. 

But, if you need to get a quick bit of heat to light things quicker or warm up faster, you can always do this. 

Manual bellows or electronic bellows such as this Zippo FireFast Bellows will do a great job with this.

(There was a great sale on the electronic one as of the writing of this article, so make sure to check and see if it’s still there.) 

#3 Choose Softwood

choose a hot wood for your fire

Woods tend to be classified into two types: softwood and hardwood. 

Softwoods are great for starting new fires and increasing the heat of fires in general.

They burn quicker and with more energy. 

Softwoods also “dry out” faster (see #1).

It may take them less than the recommended year to reach their burning potential. 

Hardwoods are the opposite.

They last a lot longer than softwoods, but burn with less heat. 

For those looking for a slow burn such as with a wood-burning stove or a long night of campfire, the hardwood may be right for you. 

But this post is on getting more heat.

At any time you want a hotter fire, add some softwood to it and watch the flames turn blue. 

#4 Opt For A Different Wood Type

As we discussed in #3, softwood will burn hotter than hardwoods, but not every type of wood burns the same in those categories. 

In general, these types of woods will be ideal for burning at hotter temperatures: 

  • Apple 
  • Ash
  • Birch
  • Black Thorn
  • Cherry 
  • Hawthorn 
  • Maple
  • Oak
  • Pine 
  • Sycamore
  • Walnut
  • Yew

For help identifying trees, check out this guide by the Arbor Day Foundation

#5 Increase Surface Area

increase surface area to get more heat from fire

For a longer and hotter burn, you may want to increase the surface area of the fire.

This will allow more oxygen to get at the fire and make it burn hotter. 

Using a long stick or other tool, spread the ashes out as best as you can.

Make sure that instead of one pile in the center of the pit there is an even layer across the whole area. 

Using the same tool or metal fire tongs (Sunnydaze Decor), rearrange the fuel into a broader cabin or tepee shape. 

Does Some Wood Burn Hotter Than Others?

In this section, we’ll look at the BTUs of major hardwoods and softwoods.

Remember, softwoods burn hotter, faster while hardwoods burn hotter over time. 

The higher the BTU per cord, the hotter the wood is at its highest.

But softwoods will reach their number much faster. 

Note: BTU stands for British Thermal Unit and is the unit of choice for measuring heat from wood. 

Type Of WoodBritish Thermal UnitsHard or Soft
Osage orange32.9 BTUs per cordH
Shagbark hickory27.7 BTUs per cordH
Eastern hornbeam27.1 BTUs per cordH
Black birch26.8 BTUs per cordH
Black locust26.8 BTUs per cordH
Blue beech26.8 BTUs per cordH
Ironwood26.8 BTUs per cordH
Bitternut hickory26.5 BTUs per cordH
Honey locust26.5 BTUs per cordH
Apple25.8 BTUs per cordH
Mulberry25.7 BTUs per cordH
Beech24 BTUs per cordH
Northern red oak24 BTUs per cordH
Sugar maple24 BTUs per cordH
White oak24 BTUs per cordH
White ash23.6 BTUs per cordH
Yellow birch21.8 BTUs per cordH
Red elm21.6 BTUs per cordH
Rocky Mountain juniper21.6 BTUs per cordS
Hackberry20.8 BTUs per cordH
Kentucky coffee tree20.8 BTUs per cordH
Tamarack20.8 BTUs per cordS
Gray birch20.3 BTUs per cordH
Paper birch20.3 BTUs per cordH
White birch20.2 BTUs per cordH
Black walnut20 BTUs per cordH
Cherry20 BTUs per cordH
Green ash19.9 BTUs per cordH
Black cherry19.5 BTUs per cordH
American elm19.5 BTUs per cordH
White elm19.5 BTUs per cordH
Sycamore19.1 BTUs per cordH
Black ash18.7 BTUs per cordH
Red maple18.1 BTUs per cordH
Jack pine17.1 BTUs per cordS
Norway pine17.1 BTUs per cordS
Pitch pine17.1 BTUs per cordS
Hemlock15.9 BTUs per cordS
Black spruce15.9 BTUs per cordS
Eastern white pine14.3 BTUs per cordS
Balsam fir14.3 BTUs per cordS
Eastern white cedar12.2 BTUs per cordS

Are Coals Hotter Than Flames?

are coals hotter than flames

No, given all else being equal, coal has the same potential heat as the wood beginnings, but due to the lack of oxygen and surface area, they produce less heat. 

Think about the heat color spectrum.

Red ⇾ Yellow ⇾ Blue. Each one is hotter than the last. 

Yellow flames show they’re hotter than the red coals. 

You still shouldn’t touch it though! 

For more details, check out this ThoughtCo article on how hot fire gets

Conclusion

Now you know how to make a fire burn hotter.

Giving it more oxygen and choosing the right kind of wood will make all the difference. 

Now get out there and enjoy the fresh air! 

Zach

Zach has been an outdoor enthusiast since childhood when he joined the Cub Scouts of America. Since then, he's spent a lot of time camping with his wife, three boys, and dog.

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