Hurricane lantern fuel: what a storm lantern can burn
Updated: 23 October 2026
You have a hurricane lantern, often a Feuerhand Baby Special 276, and you need hurricane lantern fuel the wick can lift. The lantern wants a thin, clear lamp oil or kerosene made for wick lamps, without dye or fragrance. None of the five bottles in the [lamp oil comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/lamp-oil) is Feuerhand's own oil. Peter F. updated this page on 23 October 2026. It applies that maker's fuel article to the bottles we kept. We did not time a burn. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Garden torches stay on the [citronella oil or lamp oil](/hub/diy-supplies/lamp-oil/sub/lamp-oil-citronella-or-paraffin) page.
You have a hurricane lantern, often a Feuerhand Baby Special 276, and you need hurricane lantern fuel the wick can lift. The lantern wants a thin, clear lamp oil or kerosene made for wick lamps, without dye or fragrance.
You have a hurricane lantern, often a Feuerhand Baby Special 276, and you need hurricane lantern fuel the wick can lift. The lantern wants a thin, clear lamp oil or kerosene made for wick lamps, without dye or fragrance. None of the five bottles in the lamp oil comparison is Feuerhand's own oil. Peter F. updated this page on 23 October 2026. It applies that maker's fuel article to the bottles we kept. We did not time a burn. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Garden torches stay on the citronella oil or lamp oil page.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Fuel type | Scented | Stated use | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  CUQOO CUQOO citronella oil, 6 x 1 L | Citronella n-paraffin | Yes, seller | Outdoor torches | 7.0 | about £25.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Clearell Clearell indoor paraffin, 5 L | C1 paraffin | No scent claimed | Heaters and lamps | 6.6 | about £19.95 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Generic Dheepam lamp oil, 1 L | Mineral oil | Not stated | Diyas and ceremonies | 5.7 | about £8.99 | View offer |
On this page
The lantern wants a thin clear fuel
A cotton wick works by capillary lift. The flame should burn vapour from the oil, not the cotton. If the liquid is thick or scented in a way that clogs the weave, the tip dries, the wick chars, and you smell burning fabric. Feuerhand describes its own lamp oil as colourless, with no dye or fragrance, a child-resistant cap, and the warning that it may be fatal if swallowed and enters airways. That is the reference liquid. It is not an amazon.co.uk row in this set.
UK shops have listed Feuerhand's own 1 litre around £5.99 to £6.52. Those figures are context, not a live check, and the maker's euro price is not a UK price. The maker claims up to about 20 hours from a Baby Special 276 on its own oil, from a tank of about 300 to 340 ml. That claim does not transfer to CUQOO, Dheepam, or Clearell.
The metal runs hot, so keep children off it, and repair a cracked glass or a hard wick stub before you blame the bottle. Several fuels in a lamp-oil search are exactly what this lantern is told not to take.
Fuels the maker tells you not to use
Feuerhand says to use lamp oil or kerosene meant for wick lamps, and to refuse petrol, methylated spirits, lighter fluid, fragrance oils, essential oils, cooking oil, plant oil, diesel, and heating oil. Petrol, spirits, and lighter fluid flare. Diesel and heating oil are the wrong weight for a small wick. Fragrance oils are named, which is why citronella is a poor default before you even read a review. Plant oil is named, which is why a pooja blend is a different lamp.
Dheepam's 1 litre, B0BR5Z5SKT, at about £8.99 is sold for diyas. The bullets say mineral oil, while two captured reviews mention a scented blend. Either way it is not Feuerhand lamp oil. The five-oil pack, B0DB1S7Y5T, at about £12.99 is a plant-based blend of unnamed oils, with one rating and no review text. Plant oil sits on the unsuitable list unless the lantern maker says otherwise. Ghee in a clay diya is a practice for that lamp. It is not a Baby Special 276.
Do not thin a rejected oil with kerosene. That mix is not Feuerhand's instruction. Empty a cold lantern into a marked container and refill with a fuel the instructions allow. The lamp oil buying guide separates the four families before you reach this lantern.
What the CUQOO reviews did in a Feuerhand
CUQOO citronella, B092FLZ886 at about £12.99 and B0BGLGD71W at about £25.99, is the oil in this set with direct Feuerhand complaints. Both listings show 4.3 from 2,148, one shared pool. Inside it, a Feuerhand wick burned down. Buyers call a later batch as thick as engine oil, while an earlier batch was thin enough to use. Bamboo torches failed in the same texts. Soot and a weak lemon smell are part of that record. The bullets still say the oil suits lanterns, after a 5-minute soak. A bullet is not a lantern approval, and 4.3 stars are not one either.
Citronella is a fragrance oil in ordinary language, and fragrance oils are on the refuse list. The review pattern, taken on its own, is a wick that burns because the oil does not climb. Some garden-burner reviews are content with CUQOO. Those reviews do not transfer to a tank of about 300 ml with a flat cotton wick and a close glass. Skip both packs. The 6-pack's price of about £4.33 a litre does not change the viscosity texts. A torch that liked a previous bottle is not evidence for this lantern, because reviewers themselves split old batch from new.
C1 paraffin is a question for the manual
Clearell, B0DTYZH29P, is a stated 5 litres at about £19.95, about £3.99 a litre, BS 2869 Class C1, for heaters and lamps. It is unscented on the seller's claim. One reviewer says not to use it in indoor oil lamps or candles because of the smell, while heater users describe a short smell and then a burn. Do not treat every C1 can as heating oil, and do not clear this one for a 276 on that basis. Crown Oil's C1 sheet mentions wick-fed lamps and a minimum flash point of 43°C for the grade it sells. That is not a measurement of this can. Barrettine's premium C1 is sold as not for lamps or torches. If the lantern manual says only the maker's lamp oil, skip Clearell. You still do not have a test of this ASIN in a Baby Special.
Leave air in the tank, soak until the wick looks wet, and extinguish by lowering the wick. The order is on how to fill an oil lamp. The 20-hour figure applies to Feuerhand's own oil, not to these five bottles.
Common questions
What fuel does a Feuerhand take?
Lamp oil or kerosene meant for wick lamps: colourless, and without dye or fragrance, which is how Feuerhand describes the oil it sells. The Baby Special 276 tank is about 300 to 340 ml, and the maker claims up to about 20 hours on its own fuel. Those figures do not transfer to the five amazon.co.uk bottles here. Petrol, spirits, lighter fluid, fragrance oils, plant oil, diesel, and heating oil are on the refuse list.
Can I pour CUQOO citronella into it?
The captured reviews say no. In the shared 4.3 from 2,148, a Feuerhand wick burned down and a later batch was compared with engine oil. Citronella is scented, and fragrance oils are on Feuerhand's refuse list. Garden-torch reviews of the same oil are a different lamp. The 6-pack's lower price per litre is not a reason to try it in the lantern.
Is Class C1 paraffin the same as Feuerhand lamp oil?
No. C1 is a BS 2869 grade, often sold for flueless heaters. Clearell's title adds lamps, and reviews argue about the smell. Feuerhand's bottle is a colourless unscented lamp oil, and it is not this can. Some C1 suppliers mention wick-fed lamps and others say keep their C1 out of lamps. Read the lantern instructions before you treat a 5 litre heater can as a yes.
Can I use diya oil or ghee?
Not in this lantern. Dheepam's bottles are sold for diyas, and the twin pack is a plant-based blend. Feuerhand lists plant oil and cooking oil as unsuitable. A clay lamp that burns ghee is a different job. Mineral-oil wording on the 1 litre still does not make it storm-lantern fuel, and that sample is 13 ratings, including one text that says it does not burn.
What if the wick burns instead of the oil?
The cotton is dry at the tip, usually because the fuel is too thick, the wick was not soaked, or the flame is outrunning the oil. In this set, that is the CUQOO pattern in a Feuerhand. Put the lantern out, let it cool, and empty the thick oil rather than thinning it. Refill with a clear lamp oil the maker allows.
Is heating oil acceptable in a pinch?
No. Heating oil is on Feuerhand's refuse list. In the UK that phrase often means a heavier grade than lamp oil, and it is the wrong liquid for this wick. Class C1 is not a nickname for every heating oil, so do not turn a no into a yes by swapping the words. If you are unsure which can is in the shed, leave it for the heater and buy a fuel labelled for wick lamps.
What do I do if someone swallows the fuel?
Do not induce vomiting. Call 999 if they are unwell, unconscious, or cannot breathe properly. Call NHS 111 if you are not sure. Sucking the wick is part of the same warning: a sip may cause life-threatening lung damage. Move the lantern and the bottle out of reach once you are on the phone. There is no home remedy on this page.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shelf prices are from the stored captures, not a live re-check on 21 October 2026. Updated 23 October 2026.
- Business Companion: candles, diffusers and oil heaters (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: kerosene general information (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- SI 1999/2084 decorative lamp fuels (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- HSE: biocides scope (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- NHS: poisoning (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Scottish Fire and Rescue Service: oil lamps (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Barrettine indoor lamp oil label (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Barrettine premium paraffin (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Feuerhand: fuel for a storm lantern (retrieved 23 October 2026)