You may be surprised to find that the production of charcoal dates back thousands of years!

As far back as 30,000 BC, charcoal can be found in European cave paintings.

Then about 3,500 BC there is evidence that charcoal was being used for fuel in southern Europe and the Middle East.

The Egyptians figured out how to smelt iron using charcoal around 2,500 BC.

Around 2,000 BC charcoal was readily used to smelt tin and copper together to produce bronze, which was a very hard metal and easy to cast into weapons, tools and jewelry.

The wide use of charcoal for smelting and as a fuel meant that a large proportion of forests in Europe had been cleared by 1,000 BC.

About 500 BC the growing and clearing of forests for charcoal production had begun to be managed.

In Roman times, up to the 4th century AD, iron was produced in large scale, so that large areas of forests were managed to supply the iron works.

Charcoal was not only used for fuel. For example wood tars produced were used for caulking ships, dyes and charcoal posts were used for construction in wet areas.

Between the 4th and 19th century, charcoal demand continued to increase, leading many countries to introduce restrictions to protect the clearing of mature trees. During this time charcoal was used to make gunpowder.

In the 18th century, the production of coke from coal was discovered and the importance of charcoal declined.

In the 20th century, charcoal was not used readily for fuel, but many other uses were identified, such as for filtering gasses and liquids, animal feed and pharmaceuticals.

Today, charcoal has become a fuel of choice for BBQs, due to the consistent heat it provides and slight hint of smokey taste.

Through thousands of years, people have found many interesting uses for charcoal.

Fuel

The use of charcoal for fuel is the most common use for charcoal through the ages. Though the last couple of centuries alternatives have become available so that charcoal is no longer a main source of fuel.

BBQs

This is by far the most common use of charcoal. With the discovery of the production of high density briquettes, charcoal has become a favourite for cooking. Not only does it give a high, consistent heat, but it also adds a very pleasant smokey flavour.

Pigment

Back as far as 30,000 BC we can find traces of charcoal in European cave paintings.

Since then it has been used by many cultures to obtain dark pigment for material and paints.

Art

Charcoal drawings are a very popular use for charcoal.

Charcoal can be wrapped in paper to create a pencil, where the paper is unwound as the charcoal gets used up.

Purification

Charcoal can be used to filter and purify gasses and liquids. For example, charcoal is used in gas masks, and in water filter systems.

Construction

Many centuries ago, where water could easily rot wood, charcoal posts were used to hold up structures.

Smelting

Charcoal became very popular many centuries ago, as it could produce fires hot enough to melt all metals and glass.

Fibers

Charcoal is used to produce some fibers, with unique features such as insulating warmth without trapping moisture.

Pharmaceuticals

Charcoal is a component of some manufactured pharmaceutical products.

Charcoal is made by burning wood in an environment low in oxygen, which would remove the moisture and gasses. The charcoal produced burned longer, steadier and was around a quarter of the weight. Originally this was done by piling wood in a mound and covering it with dirt or turf (more recently kilns were used instead). Air holes were set up around the bottom of the mound leading to a chimney at the top. The wood was set on fire and burned slowly. When ready the holes were covered which killed the fire and allowed the charcoal to cool down.

The retort is an alternative method for producing charcoal developed in the 1900s, involving passing wood through a series of ovens in a continuous process.

Charcoal’s popularity as a BBQ fuel kicked off in the 1920s when Henry Ford discovered how to produce the charcoal briquette. The briquette is made up of charcoal, coal, starch binding agent, an accelerant and an ash-whitening agent (to indicate when briquettes are ready for cooking).

The charcoal briquette ingredients are blended together before being pressed using rollers into the briquette casts. The briquettes are then heat dried before being cooled and packed.

For instant light briquettes, a flammable solvent is sprayed on prior to packaging.

In some cases, small bags are made from combustible material (such as paper) so that it can be set on fire without having to take out the briquettes first.