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Methylated spirits for a Trangia

Updated: 23 October 2026

The burner is on the groundsheet, and the bottle in your hand might be violet meths or a 96% can that never mentions a stove. For a Trangia-type spirit burner in Britain, the fuel the maker names is methylated spirits. This page is that job only: which alcohol, how the cup is filled, and which of the nine amazon.co.uk bottles actually say stove. Our [denatured alcohol comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/denatured-alcohol) is the table. Prices were stored on 21 October 2026. Peter F. did not run these burners. If you buy through a link, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The burner is on the groundsheet, and the bottle in your hand might be violet meths or a 96% can that never mentions a stove. For a Trangia-type spirit burner in Britain, the fuel the maker names is methylated spirits.

Our top picks

B2C B2C denatured ethanol 96%, 6 litres

Best overall

B2C B2C denatured ethanol 96%, 6 litres
7.6/10about £34.98
View offer
Barrettine Barrettine mineralised methylated spirit, 500 ml

Rank 2

Barrettine Barrettine mineralised methylated spirit, 500 ml
9.0/10about £6.13
View offer
Bird Brand Bird Brand methylated spirits, 500 ml

Alternative

Bird Brand Bird Brand methylated spirits, 500 ml
6.6/10about £8.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The fuel Trangia names for Great Britain
  2. 2.Fill, light, and put out
  3. 3.Barrettine, Bird Brand, and the rest
  4. 4.Fuels that do not go in the cup

The fuel Trangia names for Great Britain

Trangia's fuel list names methylated spirits for Great Britain and asks for an alcohol fuel of at least about 70%. It rules out petrol, diesel, kerosene and lamp oil. Excise Notice 473 allows completely denatured alcohol for heating. It does not allow industrial denatured alcohol for heating, and it does not override a manual that names another fuel. Barrettine's 500 ml at £6.13 names meths burners, and its own 167 reviews mention a Trangia. Bird Brand's 500 ml at £8.99 names Trangia. The other seven listings do not.

Fill, light, and put out

Fill to about two thirds, which Trangia describes as about 100 ml, after you decant into a fuel bottle. Scouts factsheet FS120348 says not to pour from the shop bottle at the stove. Light with a long lighter, and fit the simmer ring first if the stove is built that way. Do not refill until the metal is cold. A pale flame in daylight is still a flame. Smother the stove. Do not blow across the cup, and do not run it in a sleeping tent. One Barrettine review mentions soot after water was added. That mix is not in Trangia's guide. Wash a splash off. Do not burn it off.
B2C B2C denatured ethanol 96%, 6 litres

Testsieger

B2C B2C denatured ethanol 96%, 6 litres
7.6/10about £34.98
View offer

Barrettine, Bird Brand, and the rest

Barrettine is the conditional pick for this job: bullets and reviews both mention burners, on that ASIN's own file. The limit is about £12.26 a litre. A weekend bottle that names a stove still fits better than a can that never does. French polish is a different choice, on best methylated spirits. Bird Brand's five texts include a leaking cap. The B2C packs print 96% and do not name a stove. Their shared reviews are about brushes, not a Trangia. 2BM, LaFerr and Alcopro do not name a burner.

Fuels that do not go in the cup

Petrol, diesel, kerosene, lamp oil and white spirit stay out of the cup. So does bioethanol when the stove asks for meths, and meths when a fireplace asks for bioethanol. Isopropyl was removed from this comparison because it is not denatured ethanol. The class rules are on the denatured alcohol buying guide.

Common questions

Can you run a Trangia on methylated spirits in Britain?
Yes. Trangia’s fuel list names methylated spirits for Great Britain, and the burner guide asks for an alcohol fuel of at least about 70% alcohol. It excludes petrol, diesel, kerosene and lamp oil. Completely denatured alcohol may be used for heating under Excise Notice 473. That does not clear industrial denatured alcohol, which the notice says must not be used for heating, and it does not clear a fuel your own stove manual forbids.
How full is the burner, and what do you light it with?
Fill to about two thirds, which Trangia describes as about 100 ml, after you have decanted fuel into a fuel bottle. Do not pour from the shop bottle at the stove, which is the Scouts’ rule as well. Light with a long lighter or a taper so your hand is not over the cup, and fit the simmer ring before lighting if that is how the stove is built. A brim-full cup spills as soon as the stove is moved.
Can you top it up while it is warm?
No. Wait until the burner is cold. A flame that is hard to see in daylight is still a flame, and the metal holds heat after the light has gone. Scouts’ factsheet says never pour into a warm burner. Bring the fuel bottle back only when the cup is cold and there is no flame. Refilling from the shop bottle while the stove sits in a tent is the opposite of both rules.
Which bottles in this set actually name a stove?
Barrettine’s bullets name special meths burners, and reviews mention a Trangia and a camping stove. Bird Brand’s bullets name alcohol burners, camping stoves and Trangia, with a leaking-cap review in a file of five texts. The B2C listings ask about fuel and do not answer. 2BM, LaFerr and Alcopro do not name a burner. A 96% figure on its own is not a stove claim.
Is 96% denatured ethanol the same decision as a meths bottle?
Not in this set. The B2C titles print 96%, which clears a 70% alcohol floor as a number, and the pages still do not name a stove. The 6 litre denaturant line is not the UK CDA recipe. Reviews in the shared pool talk about brushes and dyes, not about a Trangia. Barrettine is the listing where both the bullets and the review texts mention burners, with the small-bottle price left as the limit.
When does a fireplace manual overrule the word heating?
When the appliance specifies the fuel. Notice 473 allows CDA for heating. It does not let you pour meths into a bioethanol fireplace, or bioethanol into a Trangia that asks for methylated spirits. IDA is excluded from heating by the same notice. If the manual and the tax wording seem to point different ways, follow the manual for that burner and keep the other fuel for the appliance that names it.

Related pages

How to use methylated spirits

Denatured alcohol

Best methylated spirits: top pick and who should skip

Denatured alcohol buying guide: class, dye and recipe

Denatured alcohol vs isopropyl: which bottle is which

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shelf prices in the product files were stored on 21.10.2026.

  1. HMRC, Excise Notice 473 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. Denatured Alcohol Regulations 2005, schedule (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. HMRC, DNALC1150 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. Bartoline methylated spirits safety data sheet (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. Priory Polishes methylated spirit (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. Smith & Rodger clear methylated spirit (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. Trangia fuel list (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  8. Scouts, FS120348 meths burning stove (retrieved 21.10.2026)