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I was reading the answers at Can I place a Dutch oven directly into/next to a camp fire? and recalling a recent TV episode about forging iron (coal fire) where they said the coals were hotter then the flame.

I looked around the web, but am not finding anything that clearly shows what ranges of temperature I might expect to find in a normal campfire.

What temperature do different parts of a wood fire produce?

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  • It's not similar to a candle. – Beanluc Mar 21 '18 at 18:27
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Finding a clear answer to the temperatures of a wood burning fire will be difficult because each type of wood will burn at different temperatures. Softwoods are going to burn hotter than hardwoods because they are less tense. An AAAS research project found that the mean temperature of pine was about 505 degrees Celsius.

Another important consideration is aluminum vs cast iron dutch ovens. Aluminum ovens, with a melting point around 660 degrees Celsius, have the potential to melt especially when touching hot coals, whereas cast iron ovens won't with a melting point of over, 1200 degrees Celsius.

https://www.aaas.org/abstract/flame-temperatures-wood-burning-fires-hardwood-vs-softwood

https://www.onlinemetals.com/meltpt.cfm

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  • Welcome to TGO and thank you for your answer. – James Jenkins Sep 13 '18 at 9:52
  • While iron will not melt in a normal fire, the properties of the iron can change, and prolonged direct contact with hot coals can degrade the iron until it falls apart. That is not likely to happen in a cast iron Dutch oven on a camp fire, but I mention it since this question itself isn't just about Dutch ovens. – Loduwijk Sep 13 '18 at 22:28

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