You’re thinking about fitting a wood-burning stove and you’ve got the perfect space set aside for it. But have you left enough space? Deciding how much room to leave around the woodburner is influenced by two main factors: 1. The law Building regulations dictate that your stove must be positioned three times the diameter of the uninsulated flue pipe away from combustible materials. So, if you have a 6-inch flue, that’s at least 450mm (18in) from combustible materials. You can reduce this to one-and-a-half-times the diameter away from non-combustible materials by using a heat shield. If your stove is being placed within 300mm of a wall, and will sit on a hearth that abuts a wall, then the wall must be non-combustible to at least 300mm above the appliance and 1.2m above the hearth. There is no legal restriction on how close you can place the stove to a non-combustible surface, such as brick. However, that might be restricted by… 2. The manufacturer’s guidelines Your stove manufacturer will often give guidance on how far away the stove should be positioned from combustible materials to the front, back and side. This information can usually be found on the back of the appliance and in the stove manual. You might also find additional recommendations on how much space should be left from non-combustible surfaces. If no information is given by the manufacturer, a space of at least 80mm is advisable in order to allow air and heat circulation away from the stove. Struggling for space? If you’re finding it difficult to meet the minimum clearance recommended by a particular stove manufacturer, a possible solution is to fit a cassette stove or inset stove. These are designed to slot snugly into a recess and generally need much less space around them than traditional wood-burning stoves.

You’re thinking about fitting a wood-burning stove and you’ve got the perfect space set aside for it. But have you left enough space?

Deciding how much room to leave around the woodburner is influenced by two main factors:

1. The law

Building regulations dictate that your stove must be positioned three times the diameter of the uninsulated flue pipe away from combustible materials. So, if you have a 6-inch flue, that’s at least 450mm (18in) from combustible materials.

You can reduce this to one-and-a-half-times the diameter away from non-combustible materials by using a heat shield.

If your stove is being placed within 300mm of a wall, and will sit on a hearth that abuts a wall, then the wall must be non-combustible to at least 300mm above the appliance and 1.2m above the hearth.

There is no legal restriction on how close you can place the stove to a non-combustible surface, such as brick. However, that might be restricted by…

2. The manufacturer’s guidelines

Your stove manufacturer will often give guidance on how far away the stove should be positioned from combustible materials to the front, back and side. This information can usually be found on the back of the appliance and in the stove manual.

You might also find additional recommendations on how much space should be left from non-combustible surfaces. If no information is given by the manufacturer, a space of at least 80mm is advisable in order to allow air and heat circulation away from the stove.

Struggling for space?

If you’re finding it difficult to meet the minimum clearance recommended by a particular stove manufacturer, a possible solution is to fit a cassette stove or inset stove. These are designed to slot snugly into a recess and generally need much less space around them than traditional wood-burning stoves.
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Stove Specialists Ltd
Unit 1C, Chetwynd Lodge Chester Road Newport, Telford TF10 8AB
+44-1902-519089