Wood-Burning Fire Pits
The oldest and cheapest version of this, and still the best fire. Ranked on metal and dimensions, with the firewood and clearance questions answered properly.
Start hereThe pit is the cheap part. What you burn in it matters more than which one you buy.
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A wood-burning fire pit is a steel or cast-iron container that keeps a fire together and off the ground. There is no mechanism to fail and nothing to run out of. The three real decisions are the metal it is made from, whether it fits inside your local recreational-fire limits, and whether it comes with a spark screen.
| # | Product | Best for | Key spec | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SunnydazePhoto via Amazon Sunnydaze Fire Pit Ring Insert, 36 inA 2 mm steel liner for a hole in the ground. The cheapest real fire pit there is, and the shape the recreational-fire definition was written around. | An in-ground fire pit | 30 in | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | SunnydazePhoto via Amazon Sunnydaze 24 in Cast Iron Fire Pit BowlCast iron with handles, oxidized rather than painted. It will outlast every powder-coated bowl at this price, and it weighs what cast iron weighs. | Above-ground, no assembly | Cast iron, oxidized finish | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Fireside OutdoorPhoto via Amazon Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit, 24 in7 lb, folds flat, and holds the fire on a mesh above the ground, which is exactly what a leave-no-trace or elevated-fire rule requires. | Leave-no-trace camping | 7 lb | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 | SunnydazePhoto via Amazon Sunnydaze 24 in Steel Fire Pit BowlA 24 in steel bowl that ships with the spark screen, poker and grate. The screen is the reason to pick it, because it is what many local rules actually require. | A spark screen in the box | Steel | Check price on Amazon |
| 5 | SunnydazePhoto via Amazon Sunnydaze Fire Pit Ring Insert, 42 inThe 36 in ring's bigger sibling, with 36 in of usable interior — which is exactly the width at which many jurisdictions stop calling it a recreational fire. | Large in-ground pits | 36 in | Check price on Amazon |
| 6 | Fireside OutdoorPhoto via Amazon Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit Ultra LiteThe same 24 in design at 3.2 lb. It gives up frame rigidity to get there, and the listing still rates it to hold 80 lb of firewood. | Carrying it far | 3.2 lb | Check price on Amazon |
Prices are pulled live from Amazon. Where no live price is showing, the button reads “check price” rather than a number we cannot stand behind.
Sunnydaze Fire Pit Ring Insert, 36 in
SunnydazeA 2 mm steel liner for a hole in the ground. The cheapest real fire pit there is, and the shape the recreational-fire definition was written around.
A 2 mm steel liner for a hole in the ground. The cheapest real fire pit there is, and the shape the recreational-fire definition was written around.
- Nothing to break. It is a rolled steel band
- Contains the fire and stops the pit walls collapsing inward, which is the actual job
- Costs a fraction of any manufactured pit of the same diameter
- No smoke reduction of any kind. This is an open fire
- Painted carbon steel will rust, so plan on replacing it eventually
- At 30 in of interior you are within inches of the 3 ft recreational-fire threshold
A yard with room to dig, and someone who wants an open wood fire and nothing else.
You have neighbors close enough to care about smoke, or you live where open burning needs a permit.
We have not burned this unit. These are the things a specification sheet cannot answer, listed rather than glossed over.
- How many seasons the high-temperature paint survives. The listing does not say
#ad how we are funded · no live price right now
Sunnydaze 24 in Cast Iron Fire Pit Bowl
SunnydazeCast iron with handles, oxidized rather than painted. It will outlast every powder-coated bowl at this price, and it weighs what cast iron weighs.
Cast iron with handles, oxidized rather than painted. It will outlast every powder-coated bowl at this price, and it weighs what cast iron weighs.
- Cast iron does not burn through the way thin sheet steel does
- An oxidized finish has nothing to flake, unlike paint
- Handles on both sides, which sounds trivial until you move a hot pit
- 5 in of depth is shallow, so embers and ash spill more readily than in a deep chamber
- Cast iron will surface-rust in any climate. That is normal and it is also permanent
- No published warranty term
Someone who wants an above-ground wood fire with no assembly and no coating to fail.
The pit sits on a surface that cannot take rust marks.
We have not burned this unit. These are the things a specification sheet cannot answer, listed rather than glossed over.
- Wall thickness, which Sunnydaze does not publish for this bowl
#ad how we are funded · no live price right now
Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit, 24 in
Fireside Outdoor7 lb, folds flat, and holds the fire on a mesh above the ground, which is exactly what a leave-no-trace or elevated-fire rule requires.
7 lb, folds flat, and holds the fire on a mesh above the ground, which is exactly what a leave-no-trace or elevated-fire rule requires.
- The mesh floor keeps the fire off the ground, which is the whole point where ground fires are banned
- Airflow from underneath burns hotter and leaves less unburned material
- 7 lb and flat, so it goes where a bowl cannot
- The heat shield is a separate purchase, and you need it on any surface you care about
- Mesh is a consumable and will eventually need replacing
- It is a camp tool, not a backyard centerpiece
Campers, tailgaters and anyone on a site where elevated fires are the only fires allowed.
This is your only pit and it lives at home. Buy something that stays put.
We have not burned this unit. These are the things a specification sheet cannot answer, listed rather than glossed over.
- Mesh service life, which Fireside does not publish in hours or burns
#ad how we are funded · no live price right now
Sunnydaze 24 in Steel Fire Pit Bowl
SunnydazeA 24 in steel bowl that ships with the spark screen, poker and grate. The screen is the reason to pick it, because it is what many local rules actually require.
A 24 in steel bowl that ships with the spark screen, poker and grate. The screen is the reason to pick it, because it is what many local rules actually require.
- A spark screen is a stated condition in many local fire rules, and it is included here
- The grate lifts the fire so it draws air from beneath and burns cleaner
- Light enough to move seasonally
- Painted steel, so plan on the finish going before the metal does
- No smoke reduction. The screen catches embers, not smoke
- No published warranty
A wood fire in a yard where ember control is the constraint, which is most suburban yards in dry months.
You want a pit that still looks new in five years.
We have not burned this unit. These are the things a specification sheet cannot answer, listed rather than glossed over.
- Steel gauge, unpublished
#ad how we are funded · no live price right now
Sunnydaze Fire Pit Ring Insert, 42 in
SunnydazeThe 36 in ring's bigger sibling, with 36 in of usable interior — which is exactly the width at which many jurisdictions stop calling it a recreational fire.
The 36 in ring's bigger sibling, with 36 in of usable interior — which is exactly the width at which many jurisdictions stop calling it a recreational fire.
- A genuinely large fire for very little money
- The same simple construction as the 36 in
- 36 in of fuel area is at the recreational-fire limit, so read the rules page before you dig
- More fire means more clearance, and 25 ft from a structure is not negotiable in most codes
Acreage, a rural lot, or a property where the nearest structure is a long way off.
You are in a subdivision. This size is where permit questions start, and the answer is often no.
We have not burned this unit. These are the things a specification sheet cannot answer, listed rather than glossed over.
- Paint longevity, unstated on the listing
#ad how we are funded · no live price right now
Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit Ultra Lite
Fireside OutdoorThe same 24 in design at 3.2 lb. It gives up frame rigidity to get there, and the listing still rates it to hold 80 lb of firewood.
The same 24 in design at 3.2 lb. It gives up frame rigidity to get there, and the listing still rates it to hold 80 lb of firewood.
- Less than half the weight of the standard Pop-Up
- Still rated for a serious fuel load
- A lighter frame means less rigidity over rough ground
- Heat shield still separate
Anyone carrying the pit any real distance from the vehicle.
The pit lives in a truck bed. Buy the sturdier 7 lb version.
We have not burned this unit. These are the things a specification sheet cannot answer, listed rather than glossed over.
- How the lighter frame holds up against the standard model over time
#ad how we are funded · no live price right now
A ring, a bowl, or something that folds
These are three different products for three different situations, and the price differences between them are mostly not quality differences. A fire ring is a rolled steel band that lines a hole in the ground or sits above it. It is the cheapest real fire pit there is, it has nothing to break, and it produces the largest fire per dollar by a wide margin. It also requires a yard you are willing to dig in and a permanent commitment to the spot.
A bowl sits above ground on legs. It moves seasonally, it needs no groundwork, and it is what most people mean by a fire pit. The trade is depth: most bowls are shallow, so ash and embers escape more readily than from a ring, which is why a spark screen matters more here. A packable pit — a mesh floor on a folding frame — is camping equipment. It keeps the fire off the ground entirely, which is precisely what a leave-no-trace or elevated-fire rule demands, and it is useless as a backyard centerpiece.
| Format | Fire size | Moves | Groundwork | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire ring | Largest | No | Digging, usually | You own the yard and the spot is permanent |
| Bowl | Moderate | Seasonally | None | You want a fire pit without a project |
| Packable | Small | Constantly | None | Camping, tailgating, elevated-fire rules |
The metal question, briefly
A wood fire at the base of a pit runs hot enough to destroy thin sheet steel over a few seasons, and hot enough to burn off any coating you put on it. That leaves three honest options: thick steel, cast iron, or a metal that does not need a coating. Cast iron does not burn through the way sheet does and its oxidized finish has nothing to flake — it will surface-rust everywhere, permanently, and that is normal rather than a defect. 2 mm rolled steel in a ring is thick enough to last years, and cheap enough to replace when it does not. Painted sheet is the option to be suspicious of, and the tell is that the listing will not tell you the gauge. The full explainer on gauge and alloy is the page every product write-up on this site links back to.
Size is a legal question before it is a taste question
The International Fire Code defines a recreational fire as one with a total fuel area of 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height. Below that threshold you are in the category most jurisdictions permit without a permit; above it, you are conducting open burning, which usually is not. A 36 inch fire ring has a 30 inch interior and sits comfortably inside the definition. A 42 inch ring has a 36 inch interior and sits exactly at the line.
- Decorative mesh-sided 'fire pit tables' in painted steel
Thin painted sheet over a burn chamber, usually with no published gauge. They look fine for one season and then the coating goes. If the listing will not state the metal thickness, that is the answer.
- Copper fire bowls
Beautiful and structurally poor. Copper's melting point is well below what a hardwood fire reaches at the base, and thin copper bowls deform. Buy one as an object, not as a fire pit.
- Any pit over 3 ft of fuel area if you live in a subdivision
3 ft of fuel-area diameter and 2 ft of height is the code definition of a recreational fire. Above it you are in permit territory. What a recreational fire is.
- Metal and thickness where it is published. 2 mm steel, cast iron and 16-gauge sheet are different products. Most of this category refuses to publish a number at all, and we say so per product.
- Published dimensions, checked against the 3 ft recreational-fire threshold. A pit that crosses it changes your legal position, not just your fire size.
- What ships in the box. A spark screen is a stated condition in many local rules, so a pit that includes one is meaningfully cheaper than one that does not.
- Weight and portability, which decide whether the pit is furniture or equipment.
- What we did not do: burn anything, or measure heat, burn time or durability.
We have not burned any of these units, and we do not claim to have. The full method, including what it cannot tell you.
What you burn matters more than what you burn it in
A well-chosen pit burning wet pine will smoke, spit and disappoint. A cheap ring burning seasoned oak will not. Wood moisture is the dominant variable in every fire you will ever build, and it is entirely within your control: what to burn and what never to burn covers seasoning, the softwood question, and the short list of things that are genuinely dangerous to put on a fire. If you plan to cook, cooking over a fire pit covers which of these pits can take a grate and which cannot.
And when the evening ends, put it out properly. A wood fire's remains stay hot enough to reignite for far longer than most people expect, which is why putting out a fire pit is a real procedure and not just a bucket of water.
Common questions
What is the best wood to burn in a fire pit?
How big can a backyard fire pit be?
Do I need a spark screen?
How far should a wood fire pit be from the house?
Is a fire ring better than a fire pit bowl?
Can you put a wood fire pit on grass?
Everything under this section
8 pages: the comparisons, the guides and the model write-ups that sit behind the picks above.
Steel Gauge and Alloy in a Fire Pit
What 304 stainless, corten and coated carbon steel actually do, and how to read a gauge number.
Corten vs Stainless
Weathering steel against 304 stainless on lifespan, staining, weight and where each belongs.
The Best Wood to Burn in a Fire Pit
Species, seasoning, the 20 percent moisture threshold, and the do-not-burn list with reasons.
How to Start a Fire in a Fire Pit
Top-down, teepee and log cabin — and why the top-down lay smokes least.
The Best Fire Pits for Cooking
Grate-over-flame, rim searing and coal-bed cooking, and which pits take which.
The Best Fire Pit Rings and Inserts
Steel ring inserts ranked on thickness and interior diameter, with the 3 ft legal threshold marked.
The Best Portable Fire Pits for Camping
Packable mesh-floor pits ranked on weight and rated load, for elevated-fire rules and leave-no-trace sites.
Fire Pit Rust and Maintenance
Why ash is what actually kills a fire pit, and the short routine that matters, by material.
Prices come from Amazon and change without notice. Where no live price is showing, the buttons read “check price” rather than a number we cannot stand behind. How this site is funded.