Today we want to give you a step-by-step on How to Make Charcoal at Home. This is a skill that few know and one may rarely need but it is a good skill to have just in case. If you know How to Make Charcoal at Home, you will always have the ability to provide heat and cook.

Making your own Charcoal is actually fairly simple. There is some special stuff you need to have, buy, or make to get the job done but the process is pretty straight forward.

To Make Charcoal at Home you will need to start with two barrels/drums. The sizes of the barrels/drums depend on you. We used a 50 gallon drum and a 20 gallon drum. Make sure you are using metal barrels/drums, that may seem obvious but just in case it is not. Plastic will melt if you try to use it for this project. Things will go bad and you will have a mess. Use metal drums.

Both drums will need a lid. The lid does not have to seal but it does need to sit down on the drum snug like.

Popi made a “stack” for the top of the larger drum from a metal pipe. This is a fairly large pipe, not sure the measurement on it. As you can see in the picture, it looks like a smoke stack because that is what it is.

Make a couple of small holes in the larger drum near the bottom. This gives the fire inside the larger drum air so it can do it’s job. One hole at the bottom of the drum needs to be larger for fire access.

There will be two kinds of wood needed for this project, one kind to burn to make the heat and one kind to not-burn to make the charcoal.

For the not-burn wood he split oak limbs. Be sure to get the pieces small enough to fit into the smaller drum.

Here Popi used wood strips that were left over from another project for the to burn wood.

Here is the over view of the steps on: How to Make Charcoal at Home.

1. Place smaller drum inside the larger drum.

2. Fill the smaller drum with the wood to become charcoal.

3. Fill the empty space between the drums with the wood to burn.

4. Place lids securely on the smaller drum.

5. Fill the rest of the larger drum with to burn wood.

6. Lite the fire in the larger drum.

7. Place lids securely on the larger drum.

8. Wait until the fire has died and the metal drums have cooled off.

9. Open the lid on the larger drum.

10. Open the lid on the smaller drum.

11. Enjoy your homemade charcoal. Be sure to store charcoal in a dry place until you need it.

There are a few things to make note of that will be helpful to you when you make your charcoal.

1. When you are setting up your drums be sure to place them on solid ground, away from anything that may be too hot and catch on fire around them.

2. Be sure your drums are metal, not plastic.

3. Lite the fire in the larger drum. Light it from the top with some kind of starter fluid. Once you get a piece started it will burn from the top down. Which is Eco-Friendly and produces very little smoke or carbon dioxide.

4. Secure the stack on the larger drum’s lid so it can not fall off or slide down in the drum.

5. Use good dry wood for both burning and not burning. But not treated wood.

6. Wait until the drums are totally cool before you try to open them. If you open the inside drum while it is still too hot, the charcoal may start to burn and burn up.  If your charcoal starts to burn, put the lid back on to cut off the air and kill the fire. Then, again, wait until it is totally cool.

7. As with all charcoal, store it in a dry place until you need it.

If you are not sure how this works, the best way we can say it is that the wood inside the smaller drum is baked inside a can rather than cooked with a flame. The heat “cooks” it into charcoal. That is, of course, not a scientific explanation.

And there you now know How to Make Charcoal at Home.

Do note, this is not activated charcoal like you use for health and beauty products. This is the kind you grill with and start fires with. If you have no grill, this charcoal can be used in any kind of out-doors stove or even a hole dug into the ground to cook on.

This is a little know skill and one you may never need but it is also a skill that if you need it and do not have it, you will be unable to figure it out for yourself after you need it. As with most skill, it is best to learn it before you need it, not wish you knew it after you could have used it. Sometimes, better late than never is just too late, especially in survival situations and self-sufficiency.

If you are interested in other self-sufficiency skills like this one, please check out the ones below.

How to replace a broken tool handle

How to make homemade butter

How to Make and Use Cast Iron Skillet Seasoning Oil

We hope you have enjoyed this step-by-step on How to Make Charcoal at Home. Even if you do not think you will ever use this skill, you will have the knowledge just in case you need it.

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