Do I Need a Fire Ring for a Fire Pit? (Guide with Pictures)

Many people tend to overlook fire rings when thinking about building a fire pit, but that is a unwise thing to do. A fire ring is the foundation of any good fire pit.

If you want to make a permanent fire pit you will need a fire ring. But if you want to make a temporary fire pit, a fire ring is not necessary, but it can be a good addition.

The main purpose of a fire ring is to provide structural integrity, so this makes it a must have for all permanent fire pits. But even if you don’t want a permanent fire pit my advice to you is to still get one, as there are many other advantages that fire rings provide.

Now let’s take a look at the other advantages of a fire ring.

The Purpose of a Fire Ring

One very important thing that fire rings do is that they are protecting the inside of the fire pit from the intense heat. Even if stones, bricks and concrete don’t seem affected by fire, they actually are. The fire inside the pit can easily reach temperatures over 2,000 °F (1,000 °C), and over time cracks will appear if there isn’t anything between the flames and the walls.

If you want a temporary fire pit you probably don’t have to worry about this since you probably won’t be using it that much. But a fire ring might still prove useful, since you could use the fire ring as a fire pit. Why bother with stones or bricks when you could simply place the fire ring on a safe surface and you are done.

One other advantage of a fire ring which can benefit you whether you want a permanent or temporary fire pit is that it’s a lot easier to construct around a fire ring. If you use the fire ring as a base you can easily obtain a perfect round shape without any effort.

Those are just some of the advantages a fire ring brings to the table. There are quite a few more that I could list, but the overall general idea is that fire rings have only advantages, so there is no reason why you shouldn’t get one.

Now that we covered the purpose of a fire ring, let’s see what you should look at when choosing one.

Choosing the Right Fire Pit Ring

As you might expect not all fire rings are created equally. The market is full of overpriced junk, which will provide almost no benefit. So let’s see what kind of fire ring you should get.

Gauge of the Steel

The first thing that you should look at is the gauge of the steel. The overall idea is that the lower the number, the better the steel. But this increase of quality will also come with an increase in price, so you ideally want something in the middle.

From my experience a 10 gauge fire ring should be more than enough for most people. If you want a more complex shaped fire pit you can go as low as 7 gauge, anything higher than that is usually just pointless.

Most fire rings usually come with a gauge between 7 and 20. The gauge is not a measuring unit similar to inches, and can differ from metal to metal, but here is a table showing the approximate measurements.

The Number of Pieces

The next important factor is the number of pieces. In short you want as few as possible.

Most fire rings on the market come with 2, 4, 6 and 8 pieces, very rarely you will find one piece fire ring. Even if one piece is better, most people that buy fire rings don’t know this, and they are tempted by how flexible and easy to transport are the ones with multiple pieces.

Most multi pieced fire rings come with pre-drilled holes that don’t line up well with the other pieces and have fiting issuese, particularly where the lip of the fire ring sits on the rim of the fire pit opening.

So if you have the option buy a one piece.

Cuts

The last thing that you should take into account is the model on the fire ring.

Most fire rings come with different shaped cuts in the fire ring, which can look quite nice, but in reality they are not practical at all.

Those cuts basically make the fire ring useless, since fire can get through it. A fire ring with cuts in it is almost like not having one at all.

So don’t buy fire pits with holes or any kind of cuts in them.

Final Thoughts

So the best fire ring that you can buy is made out of as few pieces as possible, has no hole hole in it, and has a gauge of at least 10.

In the last five years I’ve been using the Pleasant Hearth Solid Steel fire Ring, which has a 10 gauge, no holes or shapes cut in it. The only disadvantage is that it comes in 4 pieces, but the fact that all the holes line up properly and there are 20 screws to secure it properly, makes up for the fact that it doesn’t come in only one piece. So if you are looking for a good and solid fire ring you should check out the Pleasant Hearth Solid Steel fire Ring.

Common Questions

How do I prevent rust from appearing on my fire pit? In order to prevent rust you can:

• Move the fire pit in a dry room, or any place with a roof should prevent most rust from appearing.
• Cover your fire pit using a metal or wooden lid, or a synthetic cover. But make sure that the fire pit has cooled off before you cover it.
• Removing the ash from the fire pit is also very important, as ash absorbs a lot of humidity from the air.
• The most important thing that you can do is to regularly clean and inspect the fire pit.

How do I remove rust from a fire pit? To remove rust from a fire pit you can use:

• Vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Soft drinks
• Baking soda
• Potatoes
• A mix of them
• Commercial products like: WD-40 and CLR

After you remove the rust you should get some Sandpaper, Spray Sealant, Spray Paint. After that you should remove all the paint using a coarse grit sandpaper, then use a finer sandpaper and remove all scratches. Apply a thin coat of sealant, after it dries apply the pain, and then another coat of sealant. Make sure that you try to make the coatings as even as possible, otherwise the paint will come off.

How long do fire pits last? A fire pit can last anywhere from one year to a lifetime. It all depends on how well you maintain it.

In the case of wood burning fire one of the most important things that matter is what you are burning. Things like magazines contain chemicals that can damage the fire pit. Wood that has been painted or treated in any way will also damage the fire pit. So only burning firewood will increase the lifespan of your firepit.

Removing the ashes is also very important. Ashes absorb humidity from the air, so letting them sit in the fire pit for long periods of time is like having your fire pit filled with water.

In the case of gas fire pits it’s extremely important to dust them off. Dust doesn’t only leave an unpleasant smell but over time it can damage the interior of the fire pit.

For both types of fire pits it is also extremely important how you store them, leaving them uncovered year round, will drastically reduce their lifespan. 

What is the best wood for a fire pit? The best wood for a fire pit is hardwood, which one you choose is up to you. If you choose one from this list you shouldn’t go wrong:

• Oak
• Ash
• Mapl
• Walnut
• Mahogany
• Hickory
• Beech

Just make sure that the wood you choose is seasoned and not green, if you get green wood you will have to leave it to season for at least 6 months.

While softwood is not a great choice for a fire pit, it can be a great addition as you can use it to light the fire or add pleasant smell.

And remember to stay away from driftwood, construction wood, wood with things grown on it and vines.

How can I successfully start a fire pit every time? Every successful fire is built using 3 layers:

• Tinder – burns quickly and ignites the kindling
• Kindling – the middle layer that will will get ignited by the tinder, and will help 
• Firewood – the wood that maintains the fire

The tinder is what will start the hole fire up. As tinder you can use newspaper, tree bark

fatwood or leaves. The tinder doesn’t have to burn for long periods of time. It just has to burn long enough to light the kindling.

The kindling is the part that makes or breaks the fire. Most unsuccessful fires don’t light up because they lack kindling. Softwood is usually a good choice for kindling, some of the best and most common options are: Pine, Poplar, Cedar and Spruce.

Tinder on it’s own doesn’t have the ability to light the firewood, this is why you want to use kindling which can light up firewood, but can’t maintain a fire pit on its own.

Firewood is what you use to maintain the fire in the fire pit. Hardwood is the best choice for firewood. Just make sure that what you are getting is seasoned wood, not green wood. Green wood is wood that has been recently cut, so it still has a lot of moisture inside of it. Seasoned wood has been chopped up and left to dry for 6 to 12 months, which makes it perfect for any fire.