This Article has been approved by our on staff NFI Certified Specialists & Master Hearth Professionals

Picking out a fireplace grate doesn't have to be a daunting task. We have gathered some tips and tricks to insure you get the right size for your fireplace. One of the main factors to determining the size of your fireplace grate is quite literally the size of your fireplace. There are also other things to consider as far as what kind of grate and what size the gaps in the grate is going to work for you. If you are burning wood, you can do well with larger gaps in between, to where coal is going to require smaller gaps to stay on the grate. Keeping in mind what size logs you are generally going to be burning will also be a consideration, the larger the logs, the larger the gaps between the bars. Now, back to getting the size of your fireplace and measuring for your fireplace grate!

Tools you will need

• Measuring Tape
• Pen or Pencil
• Paper

How to Measure, Width and Depth of your fireplace

Measuring your fireplace for a fireplace grate can be a little bit of a dirty job, so be sure you are wearing clothes you don't mind getting a little soot on as well as a pair of gloves.

To start off, we are going to measure the front width, which is going to be the end closest to you from wall to wall, write this measurement down as your front width. In the chart below this is noted as the front "1".

Then, we will do the same thing for the back at the very end of the inside of the fireplace from wall to wall and writing it down as your back width. In the chart, this is noted at the back "1".

And finally, measure from front the front of the fireplace to the back, this will be your depth, go ahead and write this one down as depth. In the chart, this is noted as "2".

How Should a Fire Grate Fit and what size do I get?

Now that we have our measurements, subtract 6 inches from each one. Doing this will ensure that you get to have 3 inches of space around all sides of your fireplace grate, which is the recommendation to have a smooth, efficient burning fire and will be your maximum grate size. This will also make sure you get the correct function and proper air flow inside your fireplace, giving you the right size fireplace grate.

The front width will more than likely be a little bigger than the back width, but that's ok, most fireplaces tend to be larger on the outer end and then taper slightly in the further back it goes. This is just the typical size of fireplaces.

Having these measurements will give you what you need to get started on shopping for your new fireplace grate! It is also important to note that you will want your fireplace grate feet to stand at least 2 inches in height to allow proper air flow.

Adding a fireplace grate to your fireplace is a great option and will help keep the floor of your fireplace lasting longer along with providing a better burn and increase overall heat output.

What is the Best Heavy-Duty Fireplace Grate I can buy?

To get a little more in depth look into picking out the right fireplace grate for you, check out our article How to Choose a Fireplace Grate. We recommend purchasing a Lifetime Fireplace Grate.

We hope this helped and feel free to give us a call toll-free at 1-866-667-8454, if you have any other questions.