Which logs are best for a fire pit?

Dry hardwood, cut to fit your pit. Kiln-dried silver birch gets a fire pit going quickly and burns with a bright flame, ash or mixed hardwood gives steady heat, and oak keeps going through a long evening. Small bowls and chimineas want smaller logs. Skip wet wood, which smokes out you and the neighbours, and never burn pallets or treated timber.

Why dry wood matters outdoors too.

Wet wood creates smoke and harmful particulates when it burns (GOV.UK), and logs that aren't dry tend to smoulder rather than flame (Forest Research). Round a fire pit, that smoke ends up in your eyes, your jumper and next door's washing. Our logs are kiln dried to 20% moisture or less and certified Ready to Burn, so they catch quickly and burn with a proper flame.

Which wood for which evening.

• Silver birch: lights easily and burns bright, and the bark helps it catch. Lovely for a lively, crackling fire.
• Ash: hot, clean and steady. Good, even heat to sit round.
• Oak: dense and slow burning, so it lasts. Add it once the fire is going for a long evening.
• Mixed hardwoods: two or more hardwoods per bag, an easy all-rounder.

What about softwood? Defra says softwoods light easily but burn faster than hardwoods and give less heat log for log. Fine for kindling, but you'll be feeding the pit all night. Our hardwood vs softwood guide has the details.

Getting the size right.

Measure your bowl. Logs should sit well inside the pit, not hang over the rim. Our standard logs are cut to about 25cm, give or take 2cm, which suits most fire pits. For small bowls, tabletop pits and chimineas, our extra small logs fit better and catch faster. They're the same logs we cut for pizza ovens. Keep the fire small: Northumberland Fire and Rescue says that if flames are coming out of a chiminea's chimney or mouth, the fire is too big.

How to light a fire pit.

1. Stand the pit on a firm, level surface, not on decking, and well away from buildings, sheds, fences, hedges and overhanging trees.
2. Put a little kindling and a natural firelighter in the middle, with two or three small logs criss-crossed loosely over the top so air can get in.
3. Light it and let the kindling get going, then add logs one or two at a time.
4. Never use petrol or other fuels to start or revive a fire (North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue).

Fire pit safety.

The fire service advice, from North Yorkshire and Northumberland, comes down to this:

• never leave the fire unattended, and keep a bucket of water, sand or a hose nearby
• keep children supervised, and don't drink too much if you're in charge of the fire
• use a spark guard or mesh to stop hot embers escaping
• avoid lighting garden fires in dry or windy weather
• if a fire gets out of control, call 999, get to a safe place and don't try to tackle it yourself

Taking a portable fire pit out into the Dales? North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue asks for no barbecues on grass or moorland, and the same common sense applies to any open fire.

Putting it out.

Stop adding logs well before you want to go in, and let the fire burn down. Make sure the ashes are completely cold before you get rid of them: the fire service suggests emptying them onto soil rather than into a plastic wheelie bin. Follow your fire pit maker's instructions too.

Smoke, neighbours and the rules.

North Yorkshire Council explains that smoke control areas deal with smoke from buildings, not burning in the open. GOV.UK lists outdoor barbecues, chimineas, fireplaces and pizza ovens as fine to use in them. Fire pits aren't named, so if you're in a smoke control area, check with your council.

Smoke rules apply everywhere, though. Your council can serve an abatement notice if smoke is a statutory nuisance, for example if it unreasonably and substantially interferes with your neighbours' enjoyment of their home (GOV.UK), and you could be fined if smoke drifts across a road and becomes a danger to traffic (GOV.UK). This is a general summary, not legal advice: check with your council.

What not to burn.

A fire pit is not an incinerator. Never burn pallets, painted or treated wood, fence panels or old furniture: Defra warns that treated waste wood gives off harmful fumes and toxic pollutants. Defra also points out that most garden waste isn't dry and can make a lot of smoke, so compost it or use your council's garden waste collection instead.

Fancy cooking on it? Our guide to cooking over wood covers grilling over a fire pit.

Questions people ask.

What we'd suggest.

Silver Birch for a bright, easy-lighting fire, our extra small logs for small bowls and chimineas, and kindling to start. If you only light the pit now and then, birch nets are easy to store and carry out to the garden.

• 

  Kiln Dried Silver Birch

  Lights easily, burns bright. Lovely bark.

  £150Add Kiln Dried Silver Birch to basket +
• 

  Extra Small Logs for Pizza Ovens

  Small and dry, made for pizza ovens and fire pits.

  £150Add Extra Small Logs for Pizza Ovens to basket +
• 

  Silver Birch Nets (10 nets)

  Handy 40 litre nets

  £110Add Silver Birch Nets (10 nets) to basket +
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  Kindling

  A bag of dry kindling

  £6Add Kindling to basket +