Charcoal Amount Calculator
Calculate how much charcoal you need for your BBQ based on grill size, cooking time, and target temperature.
Charcoal Needed
Charcoal amount depends on grill size, target temperature, and cooking duration.
Base rule: About 30 briquettes for a standard 22" kettle grill at 350°F for 1 hour.
Temperature guidelines:
- Low & slow (225–275°F / 107–135°C): 15–20 briquettes per hour
- Medium (300–375°F / 149–191°C): 25–35 briquettes per hour
- Hot searing (400–500°F / 204–260°C): 40–60 briquettes per hour
Briquette vs lump charcoal:
- 1 briquette ≈ 0.07 lbs (32g)
- Lump burns hotter and faster — use ~30% more by weight
- 1 lb briquettes ≈ 14–15 briquettes
Grill size scaling:
- 18" kettle: 0.7× standard amount
- 22" kettle: 1.0× (baseline)
- 26" kettle: 1.4×
- Offset smoker: 1.5–2.0×
Charcoal per pound of meat: Roughly 1 lb charcoal per 1 lb meat for smoking.