A good fire pit screen can protect you, your possessions, and the environment from unwanted sparks and ash.
Firepits are such great fun. We love gathering around ours with family and friends and enjoying some good food and drink.
However, the experience can be dampened if someone gets a burn hole in their clothing from a spark or ash in their glass of wine!
The best way to prevent sparks and ask leaving the fire pit is to cover it with a screen. These can be picked up in every shape and size imaginable so that you can find the right fit for your fire.
Best Fire Pit Spark Screens
Sunnydaze Outdoor Fire Pit Screen |
| View On AmazonView On Sunnydaze | |
Good Directions Fire Pit Cover |
| View On AmazonView On Home Depot | |
Square Spark Screen |
| View On AmazonView On Walmart | |
Solo Stove Shield |
| View On AmazonView On Solo Stove | |
SINGLYFIRE Fire Pit And Screen |
| View On AmazonView On Tractor Supply |
Everyone loves getting around a firepit and singing campfire songs on a serene summer or winter night. Enjoying a fire is relaxing, fun, and mesmerizing.
Of course, fire is dangerous. So to stay safe with your wood-burning fire pit, it’s a good idea to purchase a spark screen to keep the sparks from jumping out at you and your family and friends.
First things first, what are fire pit screens?
They tend to be a mesh dome that you’ve probably seen on a fire pit (as in the image above)!
Firepit safety screens are usually round but can come in square shapes as well. These spark screens protect you and others from ash, embers, flying sparks, or popping wood that occurs during most fire pit sessions.
They also protect your surroundings from accidentally catching an ember or spark and catching fire, causing damage to your home or yard and possibly other properties.
You want to use a spark screen especially if you have some nice fire pit chairs sitting around the fire pit!
We recently had a story in our local news about a house that was burned to the ground because a firepit was left untended.
You can read the full story here, but here is an excerpt:
There were a couple of possible ignition sources to investigate which he would eliminate one by one, as research was carried out, he said.
Mr Jillings had previously said ember transfer from a fire pit was one of the potential ignition sources being investigated.
It was later found out that the cause of the house fire was indeed the neighbor’s fire pit.
A fire pit screen top is a must-have if you’re using a fire pit regularly, so without further ado, these are the 10 best fire pit spark screens.
1. Good Directions Hinged Spark Screen
After the fire cover featured in the introduction, for practicality and basic use, this is one of the best.
It’s a powder-coated steel spark screen. It’s also one of the more affordable options.
This hinged spark screen is made of a durable material that’s woven tightly for the best protection against flying sparks and embers.
It’s also excellent for easy access to the wood you’re burning. You don’t have to lift the entire screen off your fire pit.
This particular hinged option comes in 5 different sizes: 20, 25, 30, 37, or 38 inches in diameter. Good Directions is a notable brand and has many different styles available to purchase.
This fire pit screen is at the top of the list because you get the most bang for your buck.
2. Good Directions Cheap Fire Pit Screen
This is the cheapest option if you’re only looking for a fire pit mesh screen.
Compared to the option above, this spark screen does not have a hinge. The plus side is that it also uses stainless steel. Most fire pit screen material is powder-coated steel.
Stainless steel is considered the best material for fire pit screens. It’s rust-proof, weather-resistant, stronger, and has a lower heat conduction rate than the original powder-coated steel.
While it sits low, it should not hinder effectively lighting the fire pit.
3. Masterflame Large Fire Pit Screen Covers
These high-grade carbon steel spark screens weigh from 25 to 65 pounds and can cover up from a 24-inch to a 60-inch round fire pit.
They have a lot of different sizes available, some of which would even suit the likes of the large Titan fire pits.
This safety screen also has a hinge in its construction, allowing you to raise one side of its dome design and have easy access to manipulate or add more wood.
These Masterflame spark screens are the easiest way to get a screen that fits the exact size of your fire pit, whether it’s a fire pit you purchased or a fire pit that you made.
Measure your fire pit to know the size you need and get a spark screen roughly 3 inches to 5 inches bigger in diameter to make sure it will be fully covered.
4. Sunnydaze Outdoor Fire Pit Screens
Weighing in at 7 pounds, this option is a sleek, stainless steel round fire pit screen that will take care of those dangerous embers and ash.
It has a collapsible handle at the top to stay out of the way when you don’t need to pick it up.
It’s available in 3 sizes depending on the size firepit you have: 24, 30, and 36 inches.
It is not as heavy as some of the other fire pit covers we lift here, which can be a good and a bad thing.
Good because it’s easy to lift off and get access to the fire, and bad because it’s a little more flimsy. Also, it could be picked up by a strong wind.
Nevertheless, for the right situation, the Sunnydaze brand is popular in firepit circles and can be relied upon.
5. Solo Stove Fire Pit Cover
This spark screen is particularly unique in the fact that it comes in two pieces.
It’s round at the base and round and flat at the top. The top is a separate piece that can come off for that easy access to put more wood or fuel into the fire pit.
It has a few grooves on its edge for your skewers to securely rest on and comes only in a 30-inch size. Its primary purpose is to accompany a Solo Stove Yukon with Stand Fire Pit.
The Solo Stove fire pits vary in price depending on the size you’re looking for and can be used for cooking as well.
They are a very popular brand of smokeless firepit, serving those who want something with a little more quality.
6. Sunnydaze Square Fire Pit Cover
This square fire pit screen consists of black coated steel.
Each side is 25 inches long, and a handle on top makes it easy to lift off your fire pit.
Square fire pit screens are not as common as their round counterparts, so finding a deal like this is good.
Most propane fire pits are square, but of course, they don’t need covers like this, but sometimes require wind shields.
One thing to keep in mind is if you can’t find a good square spark screen for your fire pit, you still have the option of purchasing a larger round cover that will cover the entirety of your fire pit.
7. Masterflame Round Fire Pit Safety Screen
The price is daunting, but if you have the right size fire pit and use it often, this may be the best buy for you.
This 48-inch fire pit dome will outlast any other safety screen its size, so it could be a one-time purchase.
It uses 304 stainless steel with a black high-heat temperature powder coat. It’s heavy in material and weighs about 50 pounds, so you don’t ever have to worry about it blowing away.
It’s weather-resistant, rust-resistant, and has two hinged doors on either side of the dome for easy access. It’s expensive, but for those requiring the highest quality, this is it.
In my opinion, this type of screen really suits stone fire pits.
8. Replacement Fire Pit Spark Screens
Like the first pick in this article, this mesh spark screen from Good Directions has all the same capabilities.
It includes the hinged side for easy access to your burning wood and the tightly woven mesh to keep embers and sparks from escaping the pit.
The most significant difference is that this particular safety screen is made from stainless steel, giving it a more durable finish and better defense against natural elements. This spark screen comes in 25-inch and 30-inch options.
Whether or not you choose a black powder-coated cover or a stainless steel cover, will depend on your preference. You will also need to factor in your outdoor color theme (if you have one).
My wife loves stainless steel everything, so that’s the finish we go for every time – it will especially suit a stainless steel fire pit!
9. Decorative Firepit Covers
Coming in a 25-inch and 30-inch size, this Good Directions spark screen is as decorative as it gets, boasting a full artisan design on the dome.
This spark screen still uses a tightly woven mesh underneath the design to protect you from the burning embers and sparks your fire pit might expel. It also creates a stylish look for your fire pit.
This spark screen is sure to mesmerize while protecting you and your loved ones. Once it gets dark enough outside, start your fire, and you can see the story through the light of the flames shining through the artfully handcrafted designs.
This is an easy way to make your fire pit the statement of the room or yard. If you like this and haven’t yet bought or built a firepit, you might like to check out The Blue Rooster Chimineas. These are beautifully designed fire pits.
10. Sunnydaze Fire Pit Cooking Grate
This is the best of both worlds.
It protects from and prevent sparks and embers, and you can cook on it at the same time. It’s a fire pit grill and cover!
Sunnydaze’s cooking grate has a tight enough mesh to prevent embers and ash from escaping the burning wood while cooking up some delicious food.
This cooking grate is ideal if the main reason you use your fire pit is for cooking, but it can also just be used as a spark screen, versatility at its finest.
It’s certainly been a popular option having many sales and great reviews.
DIY Fire Pit Screen
Are you asking, ‘how to make a fire pit screen?
You might find it financially beneficial to make one yourself – depending on your level of handiness (whenever I try to DIY it takes twice as long as I expect and costs twice as much as buying it)!
Keep in mind it will merit some work to be done, but if you’re willing, you can make it your own and save some money in the process. Maybe this is how you prefer to do things because the setup of your fire pit is just that unique.
It’s also beneficial to know how to DIY in case you’re thinking about replacing your current spark screen. You could save a pretty penny simply by replacing the steel mesh with a new mesh.
In Layman’s terms, all you have to do is:
- measure your fire pit
- create the frame
- wrap the mesh around the frame
- secure it
- and coat it with high heat-resistant paint
Of course, you also need the tools and other materials to get the job done, but in the end, it could be worth it to save some money.
Alternatives To A Spark Screen
There are other covers and screens for fire pits that do not stop embers or ash, but they can help in other ways.
They guard your flames, preventing wind from picking up and tossing around these dangers. In turn, if the flames in your fire pit can stay stable and calm, there is little cause or worry for sparks and embers.
One option is tempered glass flame guards like this Celestial Fire Glass.
These glass guards bring a sleek and high-class look to your fire pit while still preventing wind from aggravating your flames. Glass flame guards are usually intended for gas fire pits but also work for wood burning fire pits as well.
Another option is a heat deflector like this one from VEVOR.
This heat deflector can also protect your flames from wind gusts along with pushing the heat from the fire down and out, increasing the heat given off from your fire pit.
Heat deflectors can also cover your fire pit when it is not in use and help to put the fire out.
Best Fire Pit Screen
Fire pit screens are a necessity for avid fire pit users.
They not only protect you and others from flying sparks, embers, and ashes, but they protect your surroundings from catching fire as well.
The last thing you want is your patio fire pit furniture getting holes from sparks!
The list above is just some of the many options available to you, so take your pick and happy wood burning.
You can consider Amazon’s round-up of their best-selling fire pit domes. You will see most of the options we’ve listed here, plus a few others.
At the end of the day, the best fire pit screen for you will depend on:
- Your budget
- The size of your fire pit
- The style of cover that you want
- Your preferred construction material
Whatever you do, don’t delay getting one.
Use your firepit safely by keeping it covered today. Whether you have a copper fire pit, portable fire pit, cast iron fire pit, or anything else – there’s a cover out there for you!
Don’t some fire pits come with screens?
Yes, many of them do – you can see plenty of examples on Amazon here. However, many of them don’t!