Campfire Wood Calculator
Figure out how much firewood to bring or buy for your camping trip — in bundles, cubic feet, or approximate logs. Just tell us how many nights you're out, how long you'll keep the fire going, and the conditions, and we'll estimate what you need so you're not stuck scavenging damp branches at 9pm or hauling home three unused bundles.
Your trip details
Estimated cost: $0
Base vs. weather-adjusted estimate
No adjustment applied yet.
Before you light anything
Check local burn bans and campground rules before building any fire. Keep fires within designated fire rings only. Never leave a fire unattended. Fully extinguish it — cold to the touch — before leaving the site or going to sleep. Never transport firewood across restricted areas (it spreads tree-killing pests); buy firewood locally where required. If conditions are windy, consider skipping the fire entirely regardless of this estimate.
Why this estimate may vary
Actual burn rate depends heavily on wood species, split size, how tightly the fire is tended, and airflow around the fire ring. Softwoods burn faster than hardwoods, tightly-tended coal beds stretch wood further than roaring flames, and a sheltered site burns less wood than an exposed, windy one. Treat this as a planning estimate, not a guarantee of exact consumption.
How this estimate is calculated
The calculator starts from your fire size and the total hours you'll burn it across all nights — that's the main driver of how much wood you'll go through. A small ambiance fire burns roughly half a cubic foot of wood per hour, a medium cooking-and-social fire about one cubic foot per hour, and a large fire (only where explicitly permitted) around 1.75 cubic feet per hour.
From there, temperature, wind, and wood condition apply modest adjustment factors — cold nights push consumption up somewhat, windy conditions burn wood faster, and damp or poorly seasoned wood burns much less efficiently than dry, seasoned wood. We also add a small kindling allowance for relighting the fire each night, plus extra wood if you're using the fire for cooking. The result is rounded up to whole bundles, since you can't buy a fraction of one — see our propane calculator for a similar "always round up" approach to fuel canisters.
For a deeper look at how we build every tool on this site, visit our about page.
Base estimate (before weather/wood adjustment):
baseCuFt = sizeRate (cu ft/hr) × hours per night × nights
Weather-adjusted estimate:
weatherAdjustedCuFt = baseCuFt × tempFactor × windFactor × woodFactor + cookingAddition + kindlingAddition
Bundles are then ceil(weatherAdjustedCuFt / bundleSize), and pieces are estimated at roughly 0.04 cu ft per split log.
Assumptions & limitations
- Consumption rates (0.5 / 1.0 / 1.75 cu ft per hour) assume a typical mixed-hardwood campfire, not a bonfire or an all-night fire.
- Temperature is treated as a modest adjustment, not the primary factor — burn time and fire size matter far more.
- An average split log piece is assumed to be about 0.04 cu ft (roughly a 16-inch split); your firewood may be cut larger or smaller, which changes the piece count (not the cubic-foot total).
- Bundle size and price are averages — check what your campground store or roadside stand actually sells before buying.
- This tool doesn't know your local burn ban status, campground rules, or current fire danger rating — you must check those yourself before building any fire.
- Wind and wood-condition factors are simplified multipliers meant for rough planning, not a precise combustion model.
Practical recommendations
- Buy a bit more than the bare minimum — running out of wood mid-evening is far more common than having leftovers, and leftover dry wood keeps fine until your next trip.
- Always buy firewood near where you'll burn it, not near where you live, to avoid moving tree pests and diseases across regions.
- Split larger rounds into smaller pieces before your trip if you can — smaller, drier splits catch faster and burn more predictably, which is also gentler on your wood supply than constantly feeding oversized logs.
- Pair this estimate with your campsite size calculator results so you know your fire ring will actually fit comfortably within your site's layout and setback rules.
- If it's windy enough that embers could travel, skip the fire for the night — no wood estimate is worth an escaped fire.
Frequently asked questions
How many bundles of firewood burn per hour?
For a medium cooking-and-social fire, expect to burn roughly one cubic foot of wood per hour, which is a little over one typical 0.75 cu ft store-bought bundle every hour. Small ambiance fires use about half that; larger fires use nearly twice as much.
Does cold weather really require a lot more wood?
Cold weather has a real but modest effect — this calculator applies up to a 25% increase for near-freezing temperatures. Fire size and how many hours you burn it matter much more than a swing of 10-20 degrees.
Why can't I bring firewood from home?
Many regions restrict or ban moving firewood across county or state lines because it can carry invasive insects and tree diseases (like emerald ash borer) that devastate local forests. When in doubt, buy firewood at or near your destination.
What counts as "seasoned" firewood?
Seasoned firewood has been cut and dried, typically for six months to a year, until its moisture content drops low enough to burn cleanly and efficiently. It's usually lighter than green wood, has visible cracks in the end grain, and sounds hollow when two pieces are knocked together, rather than a dull thud.
Is it safe to have a large fire when it's windy?
No — wind can carry embers well beyond a fire ring and turn a contained campfire into a wildfire risk very quickly. Scale down or skip the fire entirely in windy conditions, regardless of what any wood-quantity estimate suggests.
How much firewood do I need for a weekend camping trip?
For a typical two-night weekend with a medium fire running about three hours each evening, plan on roughly 6-8 cubic feet of wood, which usually works out to 8-10 standard bundles depending on conditions. Use the calculator above with your own nights and fire size for a tailored number.
Should I buy extra wood "just in case"?
A little cushion is reasonable, since running out mid-evening is more common than having leftovers. Dry firewood keeps fine in storage, so a small surplus isn't wasted — just don't transport it home across a restricted area.
Does damp wood really need 50% more?
Poorly seasoned or wet wood burns far less efficiently because energy goes into evaporating moisture instead of producing heat and flame, so yes — this calculator applies up to a 50% increase for poorly seasoned wood versus fully dry, seasoned wood.
How many logs is one bundle of firewood?
It depends on log size, but a typical 0.75 cu ft bundle of split logs (roughly 16 inches long) works out to about 18-20 pieces. This calculator's "approximate pieces" figure uses that same rough sizing.
Do I need more wood if I'm cooking over the fire?
Yes, somewhat — maintaining a bed of coals for cooking on top of a social fire uses extra fuel. Check the "using the fire for cooking" box above to add that allowance to your estimate.
What if my campground only sells wood by the "face cord" or "rick"?
Those units vary regionally, but a face cord is typically around 64-85 cubic feet of stacked wood (depending on log length). Convert your local unit to cubic feet, or adjust the "average bundle size" field to match, and the calculator will do the rest.
How do I know if there's a burn ban in effect?
Check your campground's posted rules, the managing agency's website (state park, national forest, or county), or a local fire-danger dashboard before your trip and again on arrival — burn bans can change quickly during dry spells. See our disclaimer for why this tool can't check that for you.