Between July 1, 1984, and December 31, 1991, 27 consecutive patients required admission to the Grady Memorial Hospital Burn Unit for care of hot tar burns. This group represented 1.4% of all admissions to this burn unit. Injuries occurred at the workplace and occurred mostly during the summer. They most commonly involved the patient slipping while carrying a bucket of hot tar. Ninety-six percent were male. The mean age was 33.7 years. Mean burn size was 13.1% total body surface area. Burn topography centered on the upper extremities and hands. Forty-one percent required a surgical procedure for their burn. Mean hospitalization time for survivors was 16.6 days. The survival rate was 92.6%. Both of the patients who died had large burns and/or preexisting medical problems. Hot tar burns occur under predictable circumstances, appear to be preventable, and have accounted for only a small fraction of all admissions to this burn unit.