3 DIY Ways to Make Charcoal

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Take your grilling to the next level with homemade charcoal

Co-authored by Anthony Porter and Amy Bobinger, BA

Last Updated: February 19, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Bonfire or Fire Pit
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• Two Drums
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• Earth Pit
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• Video
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• Q&A
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• Tips
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• Warnings

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Lump charcoal is made by burning wood until all impurities are removed, leaving only the coal. It’s an excellent choice for outdoor grilling, but buying lump charcoal at the store can get expensive. Luckily, making your own is a cheap and simple solution, and we’re showing you three easy ways to make charcoal yourself—in a fire pit, with two steel drums, or in an earthen pit!

How do you make charcoal?

1. Drill a vent hole in the lid of a metal container.
2. Fill the container with hardwood.
3. Place the container in a fire pit.
4. Stack wood around the container and light it on fire.
5. Let the fire burn for several hours.
6. Wait until the container is cool to open it.
7. Remove the charcoal.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Making Charcoal in a Fire Pit

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1. 
   1
   Locate an area where you can build an outdoor fire. You may be able to do this in your backyard, or you may need to secure a different site with a permit. Outdoorsman and survival expert Anthony Porter suggests checking your city's ordinances on outdoor fires before you get started.

   • Porter adds that a bonfire should be constructed on bare dirt or in a designated fire pit area.
2. 
   2
   Drill a vent hole in the lid of a metal container. Choose any size container, as long as it’s metal and has a lid. Drill a small hole in the top so gases can escape while the wood is burning. The size and number of vent holes are largely determined by the container you’re using.

   • For a large container, some people prefer a single vent hole about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) in diameter, while others prefer several smaller holes. For a small container, a single hole in the center of the lid is probably fine.
   • Good options for containers include repurposed steel drums, outdoor trash cans, and paint cans without a sprayed-in liner.
   • Heavier containers tend to perform better—thinner metal may not hold up for several hours in a fire.
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3. 
   3
   Cut dry hardwood into even-sized chunks. Cherry, oak, or hickory all work well. Check around to see if people in your area have wood for sale, or pick up some at a home and garden supply store. You'll need enough to fill up your drum to the top. Chop the wood into chunks that measure about 4–6 in (10–15 cm).

   • Avoid using wet wood—the center may not fully dry in the fire, preventing it from turning into charcoal.
   • Do not use treated wood. It has chemicals that are harmful when burned.
   

   Simplify off-grid living preparations. "Concerned about government overreach, I’m exploring self-sufficient bush living. This guide’s simple visuals on transforming abundant live oak into lump charcoal make grasping another survival skill incredibly straightforward." - Ani N.

   Reduce long-term charcoal costs. "With space constraints, the setup seems excessive for one small batch. But properly curing oak logs from my land into quality charcoal over time would let me recoup equipment costs through sizable savings versus storebought." - Leslie B.

   Streamline metalworking fuel supply. "Needing copious charcoal to smelt aluminum, I almost resorted to heavy digging for a clay mound kiln. Opting for the drum method instead tremendously simplified acquiring abundant, customized fuel." - Bill B.

   Gain survival insights from clear communication. "I appreciated how this article presented complex concepts in wonderfully relatable graphics. If only more vital subjects like disaster prep and relationships came with such intuitively digestible visuals to broaden understanding." - Peter W.

   Have a story our readers should hear? Share it with 1 billion+ annual wikiHow users. Tell us your story here.
4. 
   4
   Fill the metal container with the hardwood. Pack the container tightly with wood, and fill it all the way to the top. Put the lid on the container.

   • Seal the lid tightly, and lock it if you can.
5. 
   5
   Put the drum in the fire pit and surround it with wood. Gather enough extra wood to make a bonfire that will burn for 3–5 hours. Put the drum in the fire pit, then surround it with the firewood.

   • Have extra wood on hand in case the fire dies down too soon.
6. 
   6
   Burn the bonfire for several hours. Light a bonfire and keep it going for at least 3 hours, more if you're using a large drum packed with wood. Pay attention to the smoke coming out of the ventilation holes. It will go through several stages in a process called pyrolysis:

   • Stage 1: White smoke will exit the vents. This is the moisture in the wood evaporating.
   • Stage 2: Volatile organic compounds will begin to burn off. You may see a flame shooting out of the lid, and you may hear a sound similar to a jet engine.
   • Stage 3: The intensity of the jet flame will die down to a regular flame.
   • Stage 4: You won’t see any flames, and you may see a little or no smoke. This indicates the process is finished.
7. 
   7
   Let the fire burn out completely and cool before opening the drum. Either extinguish the fire, let it burn out naturally, or carefully remove the drum from the fire (like with a long-handled shovel). Let it cool until the drum is cool enough to touch with your hands—it’s usually a good idea to leave it overnight.

   • Do not open the drum until it is completely cooled. If the charcoal is exposed to oxygen while it’s still hot, it could ignite, and your charcoal will burn up.
   • When you open the lid, you'll see a fresh batch of pure lump coal!
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Section 2 of 3:

Making Charcoal with Two Drums

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1. 
   1
   Buy a small drum and a larger drum. The small drum must fit in the larger one with plenty of room to spare. Using a 30 gallon (113.6 L) drum inside a 55 gallon (208.2 L) drum works well.
2. 
   2
   Drill vent holes in both drums. Drill about 15–20 ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) holes in the bottom of the larger drum. This will allow air into the larger drum, which will feed the fire. Then, drill one ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) vent hole in the lid of the smaller drum. This will allow gases to escape without letting the wood combust.
3. 
   3
   Fill the small drum with hardwood. Chopping cherry, oak, or hickory wood into 4 in (10 cm) pieces is ideal. Pack the drum tightly, then put the lid on top. Be sure the lid is on securely—you can even crimp the edges slightly with a hammer or pliers to ensure it stays on.
4. 
   4
   Make a stand in the larger drum. Place two bricks flat in the bottom of the big drum, one on each side. Stand two more bricks on their long edges on top of the flat bricks. This stand keeps the smaller drum from touching the bottom of the bigger drum, allowing for better air flow, which will keep the fire burning.
5. 
   5
   Place the smaller drum on the stand and surround it with firewood. Ensure it fits well within the larger drum; if it doesn't, use smaller bricks or stones to create a smaller stand. Then, pack more wood into the space between the larger and smaller drum.

   • Be sure to use dry firewood for this to ensure it burns well.
   • Some people prefer to cut a fuel hole in the bottom of the larger barrel, then cover it and feed firewood into it from the bottom.
6. 
   6
   Build a fire inside the big drum and let it burn for 7–8 hours. Use wood and kindling to make a fire, then let it go. If it starts to die down too much, add more wood between the two drums.

   • After 7-8 hours, the impurities, moisture, and gases will have burned out of the wood, leaving pure charcoal behind.
7. 
   7
   Let the fire burn out, then remove the charcoal. Let the fire burn out and the entire contraption completely cool before you approach it. Empty the small drum into a container and store the charcoal for later use.
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Section 3 of 3:

Making Charcoal in an Earth Pit

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1. 
   1
   Dig a pit about 1 m³ (35 cu ft) deep. Ideally, it should be relatively soft soil to make digging easier. Make sure you pick a location away from flammable structures, trees, brush, or anything else that could catch fire.

   • This primitive method may not be as efficient as using a drum—the charcoal likely won’t be uniform, and some of the wood will burn into ash. But it’s simple and inexpensive, and it could prove useful in a survival situation.
2. 
   2
   Start a small fire at the bottom of the pit, then add the hardwood. Layer the bottom of the pit with small sticks, grass, and other kindling. Then, ignite it and wait for it to catch fire.

   • Once the starter fire is going, carefully layer your hardwood pieces on top of the flames. Take care not to burn yourself during the process.
3. 
   3
   Cover the hardwood with leaves and earth. Spread a thick layer of leaves—about 20 cm (7.9 in)—across the hardwood to form an insulating layer. Then, spread earth across the leaves. This layer should be about 20 cm (7.9 in) thick, as well.

   • Don’t pack the earth too firmly, or air won’t be able to get into the pit to feed the fire.
4. 
   4
   Uncover the pit after about two days. Wait at least 48 hours for the fire to finish burning out. Then, use a shovel to remove the layer of earth and leaves from the top of the pit. The hardwood layer inside should now be charcoal.

   • Have water on hand as you excavate the pit—charcoal can ignite when exposed to oxygen.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  Does burning charcoal create noxious gas or poisons of any kind?

  

  Community Answer

  All fires produce gases which can be dangerous to inhale, but charcoal burns more cleanly than wood as it is mostly carbon and produces little smoke.

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• Question

  How do I make charcoal without a drum? Would digging a hole in the ground with the bonfire on top of the wood that's to be turned into charcoal work?

  

  Community Answer

  Yes, dig a conical pit. Start a good fire in it with bushy material. Then layer your wood into the flame, keeping a good flame going till the pit is full of charcoal. The flame provides the heat, burns the smoke, and stops air getting at the charcoal. At the end, add only smaller wood that chars more quickly, and after the last small wood wait for the flaming to stop then either quench thoroughly with water or cover with clayey soil and let cool.

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• Question

  How much charcoal can be gained by following the steps of the bonfire?

  

  Community Answer

  This would depend on the size of the drum. Cured wood loses approximately 75% of the weight when turned to charcoal. This is approximate because there is a variable amount of water content in the wood, the density of the wood being used, and how completely the wood has been converted to char.

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Tips

• Be patient; the process of “outgassing” takes many hours.
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• Avoid using softwood, like pine, which burns quickly and produces lower-quality charcoal.
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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

• Don't panic if the charcoal isn't made completely—it takes a few tries to find the right seal for the drum! If you make it and see that the wood still shows and isn't charcoal black, reseal the drum and stack 1.5 hours worth of fuel.

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Warnings

• Don't burn yourself; keep flames and hot objects away from children.
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• Never make or burn charcoal indoors, in tents, or in garages. Charcoal produces high levels of carbon monoxide (CO), which can cause severe headaches, dizziness, and even death.
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