Sparks from a tinder fire

Tinder is a material that is used to start fires easily when lit with a match.Some materials commonly used as tinder are:

• Dry pine needles, leaves or grass
• Birch bark
• Dead, standing (usually one season old) goldenrod
• Cloth, lint, or frayed rope (if made from plant fibers and not treated with fire retardant)
• Char cloth
• Cotton swabs, tampons
• Paper, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.
• Punk wood (in the process of rotting) or charred wood
• Some types of fungus (best known is the amadou or horse's hoof fungus)
• Bird down
• Small twigs (poor tinder but commonly available)
• Fine-grade soap-coated steel wool
• Shaved magnesium or other alkaline earth metals