Ferro rods are an essential piece of gear for anyone who enjoys hiking or camping. They have also become an increasingly popular survival tool in recent years. But what is a ferro rod? This article will teach you everything you need to know – what ferro rods are, when you need one, how to use them. All the tips and tricks you need in your arsenal to start a fire, stay warm, have light and cook. Whether you’re camping, hiking or preparing for emergencies, you’re going to need a ferro rod in your kit – here’s why.

What is a ferro rod and what are its uses?

Ferro rod is short for ‘ferocerrium rod’. Ferro rods are used with ‘strikers’ to throw a spark and start a fire.

They’re commonly used where typical fire starting implements, like matches and bics (lighters) are not suitable. Or they are a back up when these implements fail or run out.

Humans have always needed fire to survive. The ability to make fire keeps us alive outdoors, whether it’s for recreation or in emergencies.

Most survival kits have matches and a lighter in them. But both of these have a shelf life. Both will run out eventually. On the other hand, if you know how to start a fire without matches or a lighter, you’ll be prepare for all scenarios.

Having multiple fire starting methods up your sleeve is survival skills 101.

You make fire with a ferro rod using a striker and dry tinder. Strikers are a small piece of hard metal with sharp corners and a handle. They’re used to scrape the ferro rod when starting a fire.

You can also use a hard metal knife with a ferro rod instead of a striker. Be sure to use the spine of the knife (it’s edge) and not the blade. The knife needs to be made of extremely hard metal (like a carbon steel) and have sharp 90 degree edges on its spine.

The benefits of using a knife are that you can get more leverage as the knife has a bigger handle than a striker.

Leverage helps with a firm grip needed to apply pressure when you strike or scrape the ferro rod. Without pressure, you won’t generate enough friction to cause combustion and sparks.

What is a ferro rod made of?

A ferro rod is made of a metal alloy called ferrocerium. It’s a man-made metal alloy that combines other metals like cerium. The other metals in the alloy can vary, but they are usually magnesium, manganese, or titanium. This combination of metals makes for a very hard and durable rod.

The cerium in the metal allows the rod to easily throw a spark when struck with a harder material (metal). Cerium ignites at really low temperature (170 degrees). The metals in a ferro rod cause sparks to fly by creating mini explosions on the rod’s surface when they are struck. The sparks thrown are hot enough to start a fire when used with dry tinder like wood shavings, paper, bark or leaves.

The striker used to scrape the rod is made of carbon steel.

How does a ferro rod work?

The multiple pyrophoric metals that make up the ferro rod will combust when combined with oxygen. A spark is formed when you scrape the ferro rod due to:

1. fuel from the metal on the rod (cerium for example)
2. friction from striking the rod with pressure
3. oxygen in the air, which causes combustion.

How long does a ferro rod last?

A ferro rod, like most other tools, has a shelf life. But with proper care, it can last an entire lifetime of camping and use.

According to manufacturers, the rod and striker can last 12,000 strikes. That’s more than you will probably every need to start endless campfires in your lifetime.

What comes in a ferro rod kit?

When you buy a ferro rod, it usually comes with a few accessories:

• the rod
• a holster
• a striker
• paracord.

You can use the paracord to make a lanyard for your striker, and hang around your neck.

Some ferro rod kits also come with a whistle to attract attention in an emergency.

When might you need a ferro rod?

A ferro rod has both recreational and emergency uses. This is what makes it a great tool – you can use it for lots of activities and it’s unlikely to run out.

Recreational uses:

• Camping
• Backpacking
• Fishing
• Hiking
• Hunting
• Biking

Emergency uses:

• Warmth – to start a fire to keep warm during an emergency
• Light – a fire can also produce light at night and help with signalling resuers
• Cooking and purifying water – if you can start a fire, you can prepare meals, boil water to purify it.

We recommend including a ferro rod as your fire starting kit in the following emergency kits:

• Bug out Bag
• Get Home Bag / car emergency kit
• Bush Survival kit
• INCH bag

These are all kits that you might need to sleep rough and survive in an emergency or natural disaster.

Why use a ferro rod versus other fire starting tools

We’ve already talked about the shelf life of matches and lighters. Ferro rods are popular fire starting tools because they don’t have the same limitations:

• they are durable, reusable, never run out of spark and last for years if used properly. Tools such as matches and lighters are not infinitely reusable and need to be replenished.
• they are reliable and work in all weather conditions – they work in the rain and at high altitude. This is because they throw a molten hot spark of 3000 C (5,500 F). Matches get wet. Lighters fail.

The trade off for all of these benefits is that there is some technique involved in using a ferro rod. Once you have this down, they’re a superior fire starting tool for any emergency kit in our view.

To help with that, let’s take a look at how to use a ferro rod to start a fire. You don’t need any specific skills – it’s all in the technique!

How to use a ferro rod

Technique is important because you’re trying to throw a spark strong enough to cause combustion with tinder. So let’s take a look at the best techniques to use a ferro rod.

How to use a ferro rod to start a fire

There are two main ways to strike a ferro rod so that you get enough spark for fire:

Strike down method (right handed)

Use this for when you have wood shavings scraped from a piece wood like a tree branch.

1. Gather the shavings into a pile on a large pile of timber (branches) on the ground. Have your kindling read to add to the fire once you have a flame.
2. Holding the rod in your left hand, place the tip of your rod on the timber close the the wood shavings. You’re holding the rod upright at an angle, touching the shavings. Anchor the rod firmly to the timber.
3. Holding the striker or knife in your right hand, scrape quickly down the rod with pressure. Avoid striking or hitting the rod. Instead, create friction by connecting the striker with more of the rod’s surface. Use pressure first, then speed. Strike down. Reset. Strike down. Reset.

This is technically the easiest method to master. But success depends on what kindling and tinder you have.

Pull up method (right handed)

Use this method when you have a made up a ‘birds nest’ of dry bark, small twigs and leaves.

1. Gather together your tinder to form a birds nest. Place it on a piece of timber on the ground as a base.
2. Rest your left foot flat on the edge of birds nest, to avoid it blowing away. You need to be wearing a protective boot for this method to work.
3. With the rod in your left hand, anchor your left fist on top of your boot so that you’re holding the rod upright with it’s tip pointing down towards and above the birds nest.
4. Holding the striker or knife in your right hand, place it below the ferro rod and pull up along the rod’s surface. Pull quickly, with pressure so that you maintain contact with the rod from tip to handle. Pull. Reset. Pull. Reset.
5. Sparks will fly downwards into the birds nest

How to use a ferro rod with a knife – tips

If you’re using a knife instead of a striker, follow the same steps above. Here are some tips to make it work more easily:

• Use the spine of the knife to strike the rod.
• Scrape the sharp corner edge of the spine along the ferro rod not the flat edge of the spine.
• If you have a SOFT rod requiring a HARD strike, make contact with the ferro rod at the top of the knife, near the handle. This will give you enough leverage to apply HARD pressure as you scrape and cause friction.
• If you have a HARD rod requiring a SOFT strike, make contact with the ferro rod at the tip of the knife and use your finger to guide the knife as you scrape it down the rod.

Tips for using a ferro rod in emergencies

Emergencies are stressful and you can get a bit freaked out. Maybe its dark out. Maybe you need to get warm by a fire but can’t seem to get the darn thing to start, using your ferro rod. Don’t panic. Instead, follow these three tips:

1. Slow down and maintain control when striking. Don’t strike quickly and continuously. Instead, reset your arms and shoulders between each strike. Strike. Reset. Strike. Reset.
2. Stability is key. Always anchor the rod against a base to keep your arms stable. Make sure you anchor the rod at its tip to keep it stable and get enough pressure and friction to throw a good spark. If you can’t get a spark, its likely because you are trying to strike the rod in mid air.
3. Use pressure! Throwing a good spark is more about pressure than speed. Start slowly, anchor your rod to the ground or timber, and scrape your knife or striker down the rod. You should see shavings of metal left on the ground (not powder). If you don’t see shavings, you’re not using enough pressure. Practice slowly until you do. Once you see shavings, speed up your strike (same pressure).

How to store a ferro rod

To store and extend the life of your ferro rod:

• store it in a cool, dry place – a ferrro rod is best kept in a holster to avoid chips, knocks and damage
• use it only for fire starting – do not strike it on concrete or other hard surfaces (this can damage the rod)
• use the striker that came with the kit (or the spine of a knife with a similar hardness). You need sharp corners to the striker, to get friction.

Tips on buying the best ferro rod

A good ferro rod is thick, long and requires a soft strike (softer pressure to get a spark).

The length of the rod gives you more contact surface, making it easier to cause friction and create a spark. Look for a rod at least 5 inches of 12.5 cm long.

Thickness makes a ferro rod durable. We recommend at least 8mm in diameter.

Ferro rods require firm pressure to get a spark, but manufacturers use different blends of metal to make them. As a result, some are HARD (requiring a soft strike) and some are SOFT (requiring a hard strike).

If you’re worried about being able to get a spark, look for a HARD rod requiring SOFTER pressure. You should be able to shave off some of the ferrum metal to form a pile. This will help with ignition if your tinder is not super dry.

Light My Fire rods are examples of HARD rods.

Conclusion

Recap: what is a ferro rod? A ferro rod is an essential backup fire starter kit for anyone who wants to be prepared for any emergency. With this simple tool, you can make fire for warmth, light, cooking and sterilising water. It’s also super handy for recreational activities like camping, hiking and bushwalking. Make sure you add one to your bug out bag, bush survival kit, get home bag or INCH bag today. And don’t forget – practice using it before you need it!