What we dislike : Some users would have preferred that this item was made with cast iron, but the steel is still impressively durable. Allen Foster is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links. Skip to content. Since fireplace grates come fully assembled, installation is simply a matter of properly positioning the grate inside your fireplace. Considerations when choosing fireplace grates.
What is the purpose of a fireplace grate? What do I do with fireplace ash? Fireplace grates we recommend. Latest What to buy. The best budget gifts for your mother-in-law. At 4 inches tall, it has plenty of airflow to promote a good burn. With a durable construction, manageable weight, and dimensions that suit the most common fireplace sizes, the Amagabeli Black Wrought Iron Fireplace Log Grate is one of the best all-around grates for a wood-burning fireplace.
We considered several factors when choosing the best fireplace grates, including quality of construction, design, weight, and size. We chose only those grates constructed from a single piece of forged iron or steel models with bars at least 0. With regard to design, we featured grates with at least 3 inches of clearance from the hearth floor to ensure ample airflow. We also favored grates with curved tines that secured the logs while also helping feed them to the flames. Since moving the grates regularly to clean ash is a requirement, we chose grates that are heavy enough to provide a solid base for logs but not so heavy they would be difficult to maneuver for cleaning.
A fireplace grate for a wood-burning fireplace offers several advantages. Airflow is key to achieving a good burn in a wood-burning fireplace. Grates facilitate airflow by raising the wood off the hearth by 3 to 4 inches, allowing oxygen to circulate below the logs. Fireplace grates also reduce the amount of tending needed to keep the fire burning while making it safer.
The bars also help contain shifting logs, reducing the risk that a burning log can roll into the room. For shoppers wondering which material is best for a fireplace grate or how to maintain a grate, keep reading for answers to these and other burning questions about these fireplace accessories. Cast iron is the best metal for a fireplace grate. It consists of a single metal piece, eliminating the need for welds that can potentially fail. Cast iron also retains heat better than steel.
Fireplace grates are measured in length and depth. When measuring for a fireplace grate, remember that grates need about 3 inches of free space around all sides to promote proper airflow.
To clean a fireplace grate, remove any ash or soot buildup with a dry rag. Avoid using water, as it can cause rust.
Once a year, polish cast-iron grates with black grate polish to prevent rust and provide a like-new appearance. Periodically add a coat of heat-resistant black paint to steel grates. Yes, you can have a fire in a wood-burning fireplace without a grate. Fireplace grates are typically made from either steel or cast iron. Steel fireplace grates are typically more favorable for wood burning fires, while cast iron grates can be more favorable for use when burning either wood and coal.
Steel fireplace grates are typically designed for burning wood only. Steel grates are often found with spaced out bars along the length of the unit; ideal for holding logs but not so useful for holding coal as it will most likely fall through.
The bars are also commonly raised on the long sides of the grate to help logs fall into the middle of the fire and improve the burning experience thanks to less maintenance of moving the logs around. While steel grates are often made of individual bars with wipe gaps between them, cast iron grates provide a more enclosed space on which to burn wood or coal.
To help prevent coal and embers from falling through, cast iron grates typically provide more of a bowl-shaped design with raised ends on all sides, and wil usuallyl have smaller gaps between the slats. The image below shows our own cast iron fireplace grate that we use within our living room open fireplace.
This particular model is am Amagabeli fireplace grate. We bought it because we needed a new one to replace the run-down grate that came with the house, and it had good reviews and we liked the more modern design of it with square gaps. You can view the range of Amagabeli fireplace tools currently available here. This grate has a more traditional look compared to our new one. The best material for fireplace grates where only wood is being burnt is steel. The best fireplace grate material for when either wood or coal is being burnt is cast iron.
The material used for the construction of the grate will automatically come from deciding on the above. A self-feeding fireplace grate is a grate that has sloped or angled sides that allows logs to roll down into the middle of the grate once the logs at the center have burnt through. A self-feeding grate helps to reduce maintenance requirements for open fires.
You can check out the range of self-feeding fireplace grates available right now here , along with their reviews. A traditional flat fireplace grate should be bought when looking to raise a fire off the floor of an open fireplace, while a vertical grate should be bought when looking to keep a fire towards the back of a firebox. Steel grates are ideal for wood fires but cast iron grates should be used when coal is being burnt.
Traditional fireplace grates sit flat on the floor of a masonry fireplace. They hold the fuel within their basket-like shape and are raised slightly off the hearth on legs. Vertical fireplace grates differ from traditional grates in that they keep the fire pressed against the back wall of the firebox. All fireplace fireboxes are of different sizes read more about fireplace fireboxes here and in certain circumstances poor draft or poor fireplace design can lead to smoke coming into the room rather than leaving up the chimney.
While it may help to push a standard horizontal grate right to the back of a firebox, a vertical grate ensures that fires are pressed right up against the back of a fireplace. Many models of vertical fireplace grate also promote self-feeding which can aid in keeping fires burning for longer without adding further logs or moving them around. A fireback can be used in conjunction with a vertical grate to reflect some of the heat and help prevent premature damage of the firebricks.
There are hundreds of different types, made of different materials, and in many different models. Learning which grate will meet your needs is incredibly important because using the wrong grate may end up costing you more money than you save. The heavier the grate, the more durable it is.
How heavy of a grate we should buy should be determined by how often we plan on burning. For those of us who like to use a fireplace every now and then for those special occasions or birthdays, a lightweight grate is fine. This probably no more than once or twice a season.
If, however, we plan on burning more frequently, more than once a month, consider a medium-grade grate. Finally for daily burners, buy the thickest, strongest grate that you can possibly afford.
Furthermore, if you plan on burning hardwoods such as Oak, Maple, etc. Steel fireplace grates are often best used for wood. The bars of the grate are often spaced farther apart and can be impractical for coal-burning fireplaces. Furthermore, steel bar grates do not last as long as cast iron grates except in the heaviest varieties. They are also not as efficient as their cast iron brothers.
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