Fixed-bed combustion in a tube reactor is a useful procedure to exploit a large variety of biomasses obtaining accurate in-bed data. In this paper, the ignition front propagation velocity is experimentally studied in a counter-current process for eight different biomass fuels with a wide range of origins, compositions and packing properties. Air mass flow rate is the main operative parameter and clearly distinguishes three stages of combustion (oxygen-limited, fuel limited and cooling by convection). The impact of the excess air ratio is also analyzed. This parameter confirmed that the maximum front velocity is achieved under sub-stoichiometric conditions, where the cooling effects of excessive air are minimized. Other variables with a major influence on the ignition front velocity are moisture and ash content. Finally, an uncertainty analysis is included to determine the accuracy of the entire measurement process. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.