FREE Shipping! With Grate Sizing Guide. Dozens of quality fireplace grates to fit from the smallest zero clearance fireplaces to mansion fireplaces, Fire Pits and
Fireplace grates are available in rectangular, round, tapered, and hexagonal shapes.
Fireboxes that are the same width at the front and the back use rectangular grates.
Roundgrates and hexagonalgrates are generally used in fire pits.
Taperedgrates
are used with fireplaces that are narrower at the back than they are at the front.
See-through fireplaces can use either rectangular or hexagonal grates.
Construction and Durability
Welded steel fireplace grates
are made of steel bar that may be square or rectangular in shape. Looking at the end of a piece of bar stock, you can measure diagonally from one corner to another. The length of this diagonal dimension is directly proportional to the strength of the steel bar stock. This measurement gives you a rough estimate of how durable your fireplace grate will be in light, moderate, or heavy use.
Diagonals for some common sizes are:
Dimensions of Bar Stock
Length of Diagonal
Durability
1/2" by 1/2" (.5" by .5")
.71"
Light Duty
5/8" by 5/8" (.625" by .625")
.88"
3/4" by 3/4" (.75" by .75")
1.06"
Medium Duty
1/2" by 1" (.5" by 1.00")
1.12"
Heavy Duty
3/4" by 1 1/8" (.75 by 1.125)
1.83"
Extra Heavy Duty
13/16" by 1 1/8" (.812 by 1.125)
1.93
Cast iron fireplace grates are made by heating iron to the melting point and forming it in molds.
The decorative grates we carry combine two techniques: The main part of the grate is welded steel and
the decorative front is cast iron.
Welded steel grates and cast iron grates are similar in terms of durability.
Ember-retaining grates have a mesh panel at the center of the grate bed to keep hot coals, or embers, from
falling through the grate. This feature prevents the loss of warmth from the embers and keeps them available to re-ignite the fire when you add more wood.
Fire pit and fireplace grates made of stainless steel are ideal for outdoor use, as they will resist rust.
Fireplace grates can be more than merely functional fireplace accessories:
Decorative fireplace grates have a cast iron element that functions as the front tines of the grate. This added component adds to the visual appeal of your fireplace even when the
fire is not lit.
What Size Grate Do I Need?
For Fireplaces
Measure the width of your firebox at the front and at the back.
Measure the depth of the firebox from front to back.
If there is anything that sticks up from the floor of the firebox, like a gas burner, measure its
height.
Select a fireplace grate that is
about 6" narrower than the firebox and
about 3" less than the depth of the firebox.
with tall enough legs to clear any item installed on the firebox floor.
For Fire Pits
To appropriately size fire pit grates,
Measure the diameter of the fire pit.
Select a grate with a diameter that is at least 2" smaller than the fire pit.
Using these guidelines for measuring and selecting grates will ensure that your
fireplace or fire pit will have proper air supply.
