For most UK gardens, the outdoor fireplace that makes the most sense is a freestanding steel piece in the £220 to £280 band, and the BonFeu BonCarré Outdoor Fireplace at £219.50 is the one we point people to first. It is a tall steel fireplace that throws heat forwards from an open chamber and frames a corner of the patio, a different proposition from a fire pit bowl that loses heat up into the sky. Above it sit the architectural Corten pieces from Adezz from £645, and the handmade Portuguese fire features from Glamm Fire beyond £3,800. This guide covers what counts as an outdoor fireplace, the three honest price tiers, and how to choose between wood-burning steel and clean-burn bioethanol.
What is the difference between an outdoor fireplace and a fire pit?
An outdoor fireplace is an upright structure with the fire held in a chamber above ground level. A fire pit is a low bowl you look down into. The distinction matters for how the heat behaves and how the piece reads in a garden.
A fireplace throws heat forwards, towards the people in front of it, because the back and sides of the chamber reflect warmth across the seating area. A fire pit loses most of its heat upward, which is why an open bowl can feel cooler than its flame suggests on a still autumn evening. The upright form also frames a space: set against a fence or in a corner, a fireplace gives a patio a focal point, where a bowl sits in the middle of the floor as an object to gather around.
Neither is better in the abstract. For a sociable 360-degree fire that several people circle, a bowl wins. For directed warmth and a piece that anchors one end of the garden, the fireplace is the right tool.
Which outdoor fireplace should you buy in 2026?
Three buying patterns cover almost everyone, and they map cleanly onto three price tiers:
- Entry, £220 to £280: a BonFeu steel fireplace. The BonCarré at £219.50 and BonTino at £219.95 are the slim options; the BonPyra at £279.50 steps up to a broader pyramid.
- Mid, £645 to £1,245: an Adezz Corten fireplace. The Stig opens the range at £645 in Corten, and the Enok runs from £745.
- Premium, £1,425 and up: the sculptural pieces. The 360-degree Adezz Digna at £1,425 sits mid-patio, and the handmade Glamm Fire bioethanol range opens at £3,800 for a smoke-free, architect-grade piece.
If you only buy one and your budget is open, the Adezz Stig is the piece buyers least regret: heavy enough to feel permanent, with a double-walled firebox and a Corten finish that settles into a garden rather than shouting at it.
Best outdoor fireplaces under £300: the BonFeu range
BonFeu makes the most sensible entry-level outdoor fireplaces we stock, sitting between £219.50 and £279.50 in single-size form. Each is a slim steel tower with an open fire chamber raised to roughly chest height, so the flame is at eye level when you are seated and the heat carries forwards.
- BonCarré at £219.50: a clean square-shouldered profile, the most understated.
- BonTino at £219.95: a narrower, taller silhouette for tight corners.
- BonBono at £224.95: a rounded-top variant with a softer line.
- BonGiro at £269.95: a curved drum-fronted body that reads as more contemporary.
- BonPyra at £279.50: a broad pyramid that holds a larger fire.
The honest framing on price: a £219.50 BonFeu is not the same product as a £50 supermarket steel fireplace, even though both light a fire. Thin-gauge budget pieces buckle and scorch through within a season or two as the steel thins under repeated heat. BonFeu uses heavier steel that holds its shape across years of use, which is the difference between a fireplace you replace every other summer and one you do not.
Mid and premium: Adezz Corten outdoor fireplaces
Step above £600 and the proposition changes from a steel tower to garden architecture. The Adezz Stig at £645 in Corten, or £925 in black coated steel, is built from 3mm steel with a double-walled firebox and a log compartment in the base. It is designed to anchor a corner of a patio, not to be moved around.
The Enok runs from £745 and is the most compact freestanding fireplace in the range, with a wall-mounted variant for narrow courtyards. For a sculptural centrepiece, the Digna at £1,425 is a 360-degree panoramic fireplace meant to be viewed from every side, so it lives in the middle of a space rather than against a wall.
Corten is the thread through the range: a weathering steel that forms a stable rust layer sealing the metal underneath, rather than corroding through. In a British garden the colour moves from factory grey through orange to a settled russet within roughly 8 to 12 weeks outdoors. One caveat worth naming: rust runoff in the first weeks can stain pale paving, so stand a new Corten piece on gravel or choose the coated-steel finish if your patio is light stone.
Steel vs bioethanol outdoor fireplaces: which is right for your garden?
Almost every outdoor fireplace decision comes down to wood-burning steel against clean-burn bioethanol, and the two suit different gardens.
Wood-burning steel pieces, the BonFeu and Adezz ranges, give you a real fire: the crackle, the scent, the act of building and tending it. The trade-off is smoke, ash to clear, dry logs to keep on hand, and a sensible distance from fences and branches.
Bioethanol changes the equation. The Glamm Fire Lira at £3,800 is a compact, hand-built Portuguese piece with a 2-litre tank that delivers four to six hours of flame on a single fill, with no smoke, no ash and no flue. That makes bioethanol the answer for a covered loggia, a balcony, or a courtyard where a wood fire's smoke would trouble neighbours. For Glamm Fire craftsmanship with a real wood fire, the Solace at £4,995 is an open-sided Corten piece sized for standard split logs.
The honest trade-off with bioethanol is heat and cost: a clean-burn flame is gentler than a roaring wood fire, and at £3,800 the Lira costs more than seventeen times the BonFeu BonCarré at £219.50. You pay for hand-finishing, smoke-free convenience and a sculptural object, not for warmth.
How outdoor fireplaces compare on price
Put the tiers side by side and the gaps are clear. The BonFeu BonCarré at £219.50 and the Adezz Stig at £645 sit roughly a factor of three apart, and the Glamm Fire Lira at £3,800 is a different category of purchase again. The right tier is the one that matches how you will use the fire, not the most expensive you can afford. For deeper brand-level reads, see our walk-through of the BonFeu fireplace and fire pit range for the entry tier, and our guide to the Adezz Corten collection for the mid and premium architecture.
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Frequently asked questions
Q: What is the difference between an outdoor fireplace and a fire pit?
A: An outdoor fireplace is an upright structure that holds the fire in a raised chamber and throws heat forwards, while a fire pit is a low bowl you look down into that radiates heat upward. The fireplace frames a corner and directs warmth at seated guests; the bowl suits a 360-degree gathering.
Q: How much should I spend on a good outdoor fireplace in 2026?
A: A BonFeu steel fireplace from £219.50 is the sensible entry point and will last years, where a £50 supermarket piece tends to scorch through within a season or two. Adezz Corten fireplaces from £645 add architectural design and heavier steel for a permanent centrepiece.
Q: Are bioethanol outdoor fireplaces worth the extra cost?
A: Only if you need a smoke-free, flue-free fire for a balcony, covered loggia or close-neighbour courtyard. The Glamm Fire Lira at £3,800 burns cleanly with no ash, but gives gentler heat than a wood fire and costs many times more than a steel BonFeu.
Q: Does Corten steel rust through and need replacing?
A: No. Corten forms a stable oxide layer that seals the steel beneath and stops corroding, settling to a russet brown within 8 to 12 weeks in a UK garden. The one watch-point is rust runoff staining pale paving in the first weeks, so stand a new piece on gravel or choose coated steel.
Q: Can an outdoor fireplace heat a patio through a British autumn?
A: A wood-burning fireplace such as the Adezz Stig throws useful heat forwards from around 2 metres and suits a seating circle into early autumn. It is not a radiator replacement; for deep winter, pair it with an overhead patio heater.
Browse the full outdoor fireplaces collection to compare the BonFeu, Adezz and Glamm Fire ranges side by side.
