What Is Kingsford Lighter Fluid Made of

Charcoal Lighter Fluid

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Charcoal Lighter Fluid

Charcoal Lighter fluid has been used in the United States since the 1950s as a convenient and fast way to light barbecue grills. One of the early brands of charcoal lighter fluid was Gulf Lite® Odorless Charcoal Lighter which is now owned by Royal Oak. Other brands emerged over the decades such as Kingsford® Odorless Charcoal Lighter by Clorox. In past decades, there have been over 100 brands of charcoal lighter fluid marketed by companies such as Exxon, Phillips 66, Shell Oil, Duraflame, Char-Broil, and Weber. Many private brands of charcoal lighter fluid are available branded by stores such as; Safeway, The Home Depot (Embers), HEB, and Walmart. The majority of charcoal lighter fluid sold today are private label brands. According to a recent survey by the Hearth Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBA), charcoal lighter fluid is the most common way people start their BBQ grills with 37% of Americans using it as the preferred method to light charcoal.

Charcoal lighter fluid has historically been produced from petroleum. The makers of charcoal lighter fluid use a light refined grade described as Isoparaffinic Hydrocarbon which is a light grade of kerosene. This substance is a clear liquid that has been highly refined to include a phase of naphtha and has been improved over the years to be low emission and have a milder odor. Charcoal Lighter fluid is relatively safe to transport by road and exempted from Hazmat provisions defined in 49 CFR 173 because it has a flash point level and categorized at combustible rather than flammable. In recent years, other non-petroleum derived natural charcoal lighter fluids such as Smarter Starter Fluid® and EcoGreen Charcoal Lighter™ have emerged and are typically made from a mixture of vegetable derived esters and alcohol. Royal Oak, a venerable and one of the largest charcoal producers in the US has launched their own brand of natural charcoal called "Royal Oak All Natural Clean Fuel." It is only a matter of time when a large proportion of the charcoal lighter fluids sold will be plant-based instead of petroleum based.

In the United States, Charcoal lighter fluid is regulated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District or (SCAQMD) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which has the potential to cause air pollution. SCAQMD was established in the 1970s to try and fix the smog problems of southern California that had been increasing in the region through the 50s and 60s. Under SCAQMD rules, emissions of smog-forming fumes (volatile organic compounds) from barbecue-lighting products must be limited to 0.02 pounds per start. Up to four tons of such VOCs are emitted on an average summer day and about two tons daily during the winter just in the four-county greater Los Angeles area. Four tons is as much as a medium-sized oil refinery emits daily.

The market for petroleum-based charcoal lighter fluids has not grown significantly in the past ten years due to a proliferation of other ways to light charcoal such as plant-based lighter fluids, metal chimneys and, instant light charcoal. Internet search interest in Charcoal Lighter Fluids has grown steadily since 2004 according to Google Trends (see graph above to the right). Manufacturers expect demand for lighter fluids to remain steady and will continue to the be the most popular way to light charcoal.

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What Is Kingsford Lighter Fluid Made of

Source: https://escogo.com/charcoal-lighter-fluid/

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