Can you burn charcoal on a multi-fuel stove or woodburner?

If you’re got some charcoal left over from a barbecue, you might be wondering whether it’s safe to burn it on your woodburner.

Stove manufacturers usually give a detailed run down of what fuels it is safe to burn on their woodburners. Something that is often missed out is charcoal.

Given that charcoal is so readily available and often packaged in the form of handy charcoal briquettes, we’re increasingly being asked whether you can burn charcoal on a logburner.

The short answer is that, no, you should not burn charcoal on a wood-burning stove. In this article, we’ll look at the key reasons why you shouldn’t burn charcoal on your stove.

What is charcoal made from?

Charcoal does originally come from wood, which perhaps explains why many people think you ought to be able to burn it on a wood-burning stove.

The wood is heated in a low-oxygen environment, leaving the lightweight black carbon residue that we know as charcoal.

Many modern variants, such as the charcoal briquettes commonly sold for use in barbecues, also contain other additives, accelerants or fuels, such as coal.

So, is it safe to burn charcoal on a woodburner?

No, it isn’t safe to burn charcoal on a woodburner. Burning charcoal on a stove risks damaging both your health and your stove. Given the health risks and the financial impact of having to replace your stove or buy stove spares, it’s not worth burning charcoal.

Why you shouldn’t burn charcoal on a woodburner

There are a few reasons why it’s not a good idea to burn charcoal on your woodburner. They include:

High carbon dioxide levels

Charcoal is more commonly used outdoors, particularly as a popular fuel for barbecues. But it emits a high amount of carbon dioxide – far higher than fuels typically used indoors on woodburner or multi-fuel stoves.

With that in mind, burning charcoal on a wood-burning stove could create harmful and unsafe levels of carbon dioxide in your home. This would potentially have very dangerous consequences for you and your household.

Potential damage to your stove

Charcoal burns at a very high temperature of up to 1,100°C. Most stove manufacturers will strongly warn you against burning a fuel like pet coke on your woodburner because it burns at such a high temperature – and charcoal burns at an ever higher temperature than that.

That means burning charcoal on your stove for even a short period of time can cause irreparable damage. The charcoal will cause your woodburner to operate at too high a temperature. This could cause the internal stove parts, or even the stove body itself, to melt, warp or deteriorate.

Your stove manual will probably contain your stove manufacturer’s recommended maximum operating temperature – and it’s likely to be significantly lower than 1,100°C.

You should only burn logs on a woodburner

If your stove is a wood-burning stove – rather than a multi-fuel stove – then another reason not to burn charcoal is that you should only be burning well-seasoned logs on your stove. This is wood with a moisture content of less than 20%. 

Aside from the reasons we’ve already mentioned for why you shouldn’t burn charcoal on a stove, you shouldn’t use it on a logburner because these are designed to burn wood and wood alone. 

A woodburner typically has a raised grate, while a multi-fuel stove usually has a raised grate with an ashpan below it. Find out more about the difference between a wood-burning stove and a multi-fuel stove.

What can you burn on a wood-burning stove if not charcoal?

As we’ve already discussed, if you have a wood-burning stove you should only burn dried logs on your stove. If you have a multi-fuel stove and reading this article has scuppered your plans to burn charcoal, explore some alternatives ideas of what to burn on a stove instead.

MORE: Find out why you shouldn’t burn household coal in a multi-fuel stove.

What can you burn safely on a wood-burning stove?

To avoid causing damage to your stove, you should only burn well-seasoned logs or, if you have a multi-fuel stove, smokeless fuels, such as anthracite.

To limit harmful emissions from your stove, you should buy an Ecodesign stove for your home. Ecodesign stoves are engineered to be high efficiency, low emission appliances. 

They are built to Ecodesign standards, which sets requirements for how efficient they must be and limits the amount of particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide, nitrous dioxide and other harmful gases that can be released.

This is in contrast to the high levels of harmful gases emitted when you burn charcoal.

Benefits of Ecodesign stoves

There are many benefits of getting an Ecodesign stove, including:

• Emissions from Ecodesign stoves are at least 55% less than minimum requirements for DEFRA exempt stoves.

• All Ecodesign stoves must be at least 65% efficient – and many have efficiency ratings far above that.

• Ecodesign stoves offer the peace of mind that they have been tested to ensure they meet the requirements of Ecodesign legislation.

• Ecodesign stoves reduce emissions by 90% in comparison to an open fire. 

• Ecodesign stoves reduce emissions by 80% compared to an old stove.

Find out how Ecodesign stoves are different from other stoves.