The simulation of pool fires involving complex hydrocarbon fuels requires the development of a simplified surrogate with a limited number of compounds having known oxidation mechanisms. A series of six-component surrogates was developed for the simulation of JP-8 pool fires, and experiments were carried out with a 30-cm-diameter pool fire to allow comparison of the surrogate fuel behavior to that of the jet fuel. The surrogate was shown to simulate the burning rate, radiant heat flux, and sooting tendency of jet fuel under steady-state pool fire conditions. This study also illustrated the transient nature of batch pool fire experiments and highlighted the difficulties associated with formulating an appropriate surrogate to mimic jet fuel behavior over the lifetime of a batch pool fire. These difficulties were shown to arise from fuel compositional changes, with preferential destruction of lighter components and accumulation of heavier components during the course of the fire.