Char cloth

Char cloth (or charcloth) – also called charpaper – is a swatch of fabric made from vegetable fiber (such as linen, cotton or jute) that has been converted via pyrolysis into a slow-burning fuel of very low ignition temperature. It can be ignited by a single spark that can in turn be used to ignite a tinder bundle to start a fire.^[1][2] It is sometimes manufactured at home for use as the initial tinder when cooking or camping and historically usually provided the "tinder" component of a tinderbox. It is often made by putting cloth into an almost airtight tin with a small hole in it, and cooking it in campfire coals until the smoking slows and the cloth is properly charred.

Char cloth ignites with even the smallest spark, and is therefore commonly used with a flint and steel.

See also

• Charring
• Fire piston

References

Firelighting
Campfire Bonfire Glossary
Components	Ember Fire triangle Firewood Spark Tinder Wood ash Wood fuel
Topics	Autoignition temperature Combustion Friction fire Minimum ignition energy Smouldering
Early starters	Burning glass (Solar Spark Lighter) Fire piston Fire plough Fire-saw Fire striker Flint Hand drill Bow drill Pump drill
Modern starters	Match Chisquero Black match Electric match Ferrocerium Lighter Blowtorch
Other equipment	Char cloth Feather stick Fire pan Fire pit Fire ring Matchbook Matchbox Punk Tinderbox Torch Chuckmuck
Related articles	Arson Control of fire by early humans Native American use of fire Outdoor cooking Firem'n Chit Pyrolysis Pyromania Survival skills
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