Logs, levels and what a line of fires gets you
Firemaking is the simplest skill to plan because every log has one fixed xp value. Burning in a straight line at the Grand Exchange or Varrock east bank, a practised player lights roughly 1,485 logs an hour, which is where the hourly figures below come from. Expect a bit less on willows and teaks, where failed lights still happen.
| Log | Level | XP each | Line burning xp/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logs | 1 | 40 | Campfire only is sensible here |
| Oak logs | 15 | 60 | Campfire or firelighter logs |
| Willow logs | 30 | 90 | About 107,000 |
| Teak logs | 35 | 105 | About 138,000 |
| Arctic pine logs | 42 | 125 | About 185,000 |
| Maple logs | 45 | 135 | About 200,000 |
| Mahogany logs | 50 | 157.5 | About 234,000 |
| Yew logs | 60 | 202.5 | About 300,000 |
| Magic logs | 75 | 303.8 | About 450,000 |
| Redwood logs | 90 | 350 | About 520,000 |
The counts get large quickly. Going from 75 to 90 on magic logs takes 13,614 of them, and 90 to 99 on redwoods takes 21,966. With the full pyromancer outfit those drop to 13,282 and 21,431. The cost column is the number to watch, because at these levels you are buying thousands of logs that someone else spent hours cutting.
Wintertodt works on a different formula
Logs give the same xp at level 50 as at 99. Wintertodt does not. Every action there is worth a multiple of your current Firemaking level: lighting a brazier pays 6 times your level, each bruma root 3 times, each piece of kindling 3.8 times, and subduing the boss with 500 or more points adds 100 times your level on top. A round at 90 is therefore worth close to twice what the same round paid at 50.
That is why a log count makes no sense for Wintertodt. Plan it in rounds instead. From 50, roughly 500 rounds without fletching (around 40 hours) or about 600 with fletching gets you to 99, with rates climbing from about 161,000 xp an hour at 50 to about 320,000 at 99. You need 50 Firemaking to enter, the roots are free, and every 500 points earns rolls on the reward cart, which replaced the old supply crates. Since October 2024 the cold drains a warmth meter instead of your Hitpoints, and rejuvenation potions top it back up.
Cost per xp and when burning makes sense
Burning bought logs always loses money. The gp per xp column tells you how much, and it moves with the log market, so it is worth a look before you buy a stack.
If you cut your own logs, the sum changes. Every log you burn is one you did not sell, so the real cost is the price you gave up. The woodcutting calculator gives you the other half of that trade. For the AFK route, the Forester's Campfire pays the same xp per log as line burning but uses them more slowly, so your count stays the same while the hours stretch out. Left to tend itself it runs at well under half the line-burning rate, in return for almost no clicking.
Bonuses that change the count
The pyromancer outfit comes from the Wintertodt reward cart. The hood gives 0.4%, garb 0.8%, robe 0.6% and boots 0.2%, and wearing all four adds a 0.5% set bonus for 2.5% in total. The bonus applies to all Firemaking, not only at Wintertodt. Quests are the other shortcut: rewards from quests such as Making Friends with My Arm and Enakhra's Lament add up to about 54,000 Firemaking xp, though several of them ask for a fair Firemaking level before you can start. The 1-99 Firemaking guide shows where to fit them in.