The Best Fire Pit Tables: What to Look For

One of the things we do here at Patio Heat and Shade is to gather our experts together and have informal chats about life, the universe and everything – including emerging trends in the patio world. It’s not surprising to find that more and more of our customers are selecting fire pit tables for their outdoor entertainment centers… they’re compact, produce a great flame, and look amazing in the process.

When the discussion turns to what are the BEST fire pit tables though, the waters get a little murky. We found that some of our customers aren’t sure what to look for in a fire pit, and how to spot the differences that may matter to them in the long run.

As always, we’ve got your back on this. We’ve done the research, compiled the results, and are happy to share with you what you should look for when buying a fire table. Let’s go…

Add Both Heat and Light at Once

Liquid propane (LP) fire tables typically use 20 lb. propane tanks (like you see with many gas grills), stealthily hidden within themselves so only their natural beauty shines through. Once you’ve got a tank full of propane, all you need is the table to surround it. Here are some of the key things to consider when selecting your propane fire pit table:

Dimensions

Lay out your space (in your head, on paper, or like we do with cardboard that we set on the patio to see what size we like best) to include seating around the fire pit table and the table itself. Now you’ve got an idea of the rough size of the table you need.

Construction and materials

Just like the Three Little Pigs, the construction of your fire table makes a difference. We can all agree that straw or sticks make no sense, but the pig that used bricks may be on to something.

Modern fire tables are frequently constructed of aluminum, steel, wood and rattan, or even glass fiber reinforced concrete. Make sure that the construction of your fire table meets your needs (for instance, concrete fire tables are heavy, as much as 370 lbs., and need to be installed on a solid surface).

Shape

For those customers looking for round, square or rectangular fire tables, you’re in luck! Sadly, our customers (looking at you, Jerry…) in search of a trapezoid fire tables aren’t so lucky. Make sure that the shape of your fire table matches your layout.

Fuel Usage

As a surprise to absolutely nobody, the more heat (BTUs in the fire table world) and flame you get out of your fire table, the more fuel you use. Check the BTUs the fire table puts out, and consider that generally you can get about this much time at maximum output:

Is there any way to maximize this output? Yup… select a fire table that has a glass wind guard (see the next section).

By the way, if you live in a high altitude, you may need a fire table with a higher BTU output. Also, it’s only common sense but keep in mind that the higher the flames are the harder they will be to control safely.

Glass Flame Guard

Fire tables that feature a glass flame guard have a few advantages:

Ignition System

Fire pit tables look amazing – and they’re even better when they’re lit! Starting your fire pit can be done a few ways:

Durability

Fire pit tables are built to last – the aluminum, steel and concrete tables are built to last, giving your family years of faithful service. Fire pit tables made of less sturdy materials (like rattan or wicker) may need to be replaced earlier than others.

Best Fire Pit Tables