How to light a wood burner with kindling
Updated: 22 October 2026
A cold log burner that smokes into the room is usually a lay problem, a fuel problem, or both. You need dry kindling, a firelighter or a small amount of paper, and the air path your stove was built with. This page follows the stove manual first. Where the manual is silent, it uses the counted top-down method published by HETAS, then says where other UK guides disagree. It is not a product ranking. Prices and packs are on the [kindling comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/kindling). A qualifying purchase through our amazon.co.uk links can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
A cold log burner that smokes into the room is usually a lay problem, a fuel problem, or both. You need dry kindling, a firelighter or a small amount of paper, and the air path your stove was built with.
A cold log burner that smokes into the room is usually a lay problem, a fuel problem, or both. You need dry kindling, a firelighter or a small amount of paper, and the air path your stove was built with. This page follows the stove manual first. Where the manual is silent, it uses the counted top-down method published by HETAS, then says where other UK guides disagree. It is not a product ranking. Prices and packs are on the kindling comparison. A qualifying purchase through our amazon.co.uk links can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Product type | Pack stated | Main use | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Log Barn Log Barn wood-wool firelighters, 200 | Firelighters | 200 | Stoves, BBQs, pizza ovens | 9.2 | about £12.99 | View offer |
 Certainly Wood Certainly Wood kindling box | Kindling wood | 1 box, 2.5–3.5 kg | Stoves, open fires, pizza ovens | 8.5 | about £8.99 | View offer | |
| Best value |  KEPLIN KEPLIN firelighters, 200 | Firelighters | 200 | Stoves, BBQs, pizza ovens | 8.8 | about £11.99 | View offer |
On this page
What you need before a match
Lay the fire with dry sticks. If kindling sizzles, it is wet, and no arrangement will behave like kiln-dried wood. A firelighter, or two sheets of newspaper crumpled to about cricket-ball size, is there because a stack of sticks is awkward to light once you have built it. HETAS uses a firelighter, kindling and firewood for both the traditional lay and the top-down lay. You also want heat-proof gloves and a working carbon monoxide alarm to BS EN 50291 where solid fuel is in use.
Read the manual before you copy a web method. The plate on your appliance outranks this article. In a smoke control area, wood is allowed only in a Defra-exempt appliance, and only the fuel that manual permits. What dry means on a label is on the kindling buying guide. Keep petrol and paraffin out of the firebox. Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue says those liquids are dangerous and that kindling or firelighters are the materials to use.
Top-down lay
HETAS describes a top-down fire so the flue warms before you open the door. Put two small logs on the grate. Lay five pieces of kindling across them, then four more at 90 degrees. Tuck two firelighters into the gaps and add five more pieces on top. Set the air control to the lighting position in your manual, light the firelighters and close the door. Leave it until the top of the stove is warm, then close the primary air. The kindling is meant to fall between the logs as it burns.
That stack is about fourteen kindling pieces and two firelighters. Certainly Wood says 4–6 sticks with that brand’s own lighters. Log Barn says one lighter on the kindling, or two or three if you light kiln-dried logs without kindling. Those are seller instructions, not a correction of HETAS or of your manual. If the booklet gives a number, use it. If it says nothing, the fourteen-piece lay is the public method with a source. Keep the lighting air open while the flue is cold. More logs go on at glowing embers, not at the first flicker.
Traditional lay, and where the guides disagree
The traditional lay puts the flame underneath. HETAS allows a firelighter or two tabloid sheets crumpled to about cricket-ball size, then small dry kindling in a triangle or a loose crib, then your logs. Loose paper can light the sticks. Paper packed tight smoulders. The air control is the manufacturer’s lighting setting, usually more open than the hot-stove setting.
UK guides then disagree. HETAS says close the door after lighting. Stovax uses about 6–8 kindling pieces and also says close the door. Scan asks for about 15–20 thin pieces and maximum air. Homebuilding has described leaving the door ajar, which is not the HETAS instruction. Follow the manual. An ajar door on a stove designed to light closed can pull smoke into the room. A door forced shut on a stove that needs a crack of air can stall the flue. Finger-thick is a rule of thumb, not a figure on these bags. Refuel on embers. Crack the door, pause, then open it slowly. HETAS says not to leave a stove slumbering overnight on thin wood.
When it fails, and the smoke-control limit
If the kindling will not take, change the fuel before you change the ritual. Damp sticks sizzle and smoke. Thick pieces sit there while the lighter finishes. Rebuild once with dry thin wood, the lighting air open, and the door position your manual names. A second failure with dry fuel is not a reason to buy a different brand tonight.
In a smoke control area you must not emit chimney smoke. Defra’s practical guide gives an England range of £175–£300 for chimney smoke and up to £1,000 for buying unauthorised fuel for a non-approved appliance. GOV.UK has put the smoke penalty up to £300 as well. Wood goes only on an exempt appliance, and it goes on dry. If smoke continues with dry fuel and a correct lay, or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, stop and call a HETAS registrant or a sweep.
Common questions
Should I use top-down or a traditional lay?
Use the method in your stove manual. If it is silent, HETAS publishes both. Top-down warms the flue before you open the door. Traditional puts a firelighter or loose paper under dry sticks. Neither overrides the plate on the appliance.
How many kindling pieces and firelighters?
HETAS’s counted top-down lay uses about fourteen kindling pieces and two firelighters. Stovax cites about 6–8 pieces. Scan cites about 15–20. Follow the manual if it gives a number. If it does not, use the HETAS count.
Door shut or ajar?
HETAS says close the door after you light the firelighters. Some other UK guides say leave it ajar. Your manual decides. An open door on a stove meant to light closed pulls smoke into the room.
When do I add another log?
Add wood when you are down to glowing embers, not while kindling is the whole fire. Crack the door, wait, then open it slowly. Leave the stove off an overnight slumber on kindling alone.
What if the kindling is damp?
Damp sticks sizzle and smoke. A different stack will not dry them. Use a drier bag and keep nets off a wet floor. One saved order was metered well above 20%.
Can I use petrol or paraffin to start it?
Fire and rescue guidance says not to light a stove with petrol or paraffin. Use kindling and firelighters. If dry fuel and a correct lay still fail, call a sweep or a HETAS registrant.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for Ready to Burn, smoke control and lighting. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 20 October 2026.
- GOV.UK, smoke control area rules (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, selling wood for domestic use in England (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Ready to Burn, consumers (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HETAS, how to light a fire (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HETAS, using a wood burner responsibly (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Woodsure, woodfuel schemes (retrieved 20 October 2026)