Fire pits and fire tables from 1000 mm
Large Corten steel fire pits for gathering round the fire
Once a fire pit reaches a metre across, it stops being an accessory on the patio and becomes the centre of the whole seating area. Our large formats burn wood or bioethanol, in Corten steel finished with our signature patina.
Large fire pits and fire tables: our formats of 1000 mm and over
Four of our models reach or exceed 1000 mm. Hélios is a round wood-burning fire table in 3 mm Corten steel, 280 mm high. Vesta is a wide, low fire bowl for wood. Héphaïstos is the square counterpart of Hélios, also in 3 mm steel and also 280 mm high, and it also comes as a 1500 × 800 mm rectangle (70 kg, £1,270) for a longer, narrower layout. Nyx is a square basin that sits almost at ground level, crossed by a bioethanol flame.
At the same width, a fire table costs more than a Vesta bowl: it carries a broad steel top around its hearth and weighs several times as much. Nyx sits apart, a heavy, architectural piece designed for a flame without logs.
| Model | Dimensions (mm) | Fuel | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hélios | Ø 1000 × H 280 | Wood | 44 kg | £1,160 |
| Hélios | Ø 1250 × H 280 | Wood | 59 kg | £1,400 |
| Vesta | Ø 1000 × H 143 | Wood | 13.3 kg | £890 |
| Vesta | Ø 1200 × H 170 | Wood | 19.2 kg | £940 |
| Vesta | Ø 1500 × H 205 | Wood | 29.9 kg | £1,090 |
| Héphaïstos | 1000 × 1000 × H 280 | Wood | 60 kg | £1,200 |
| Héphaïstos | 1200 × 1200 × H 280 | Wood | 76 kg | £1,320 |
| Héphaïstos | 1400 × 1400 × H 280 | Wood | 96 kg | £1,490 |
| Nyx | 1200 × 1200 × H 300 | Bioethanol | about 95 kg | £8,990 |
| Nyx | 1500 × 1500 × H 350 | Bioethanol | about 140 kg | £10,590 |
What size of large fire pit for how many guests?
Think in terms of the whole footprint rather than the fire alone. Around the fire you need a clear walkway to the seats, then the depth of the seats themselves, often 70 to 90 cm for an outdoor armchair. With a metre of walkway, a 1400 mm Héphaïstos ringed with armchairs takes up a square of about 5 m a side. In a town garden, mark that square out on the patio with canes or string before you settle on a size: it is the quickest way to see whether the fire will leave room to move.
A bigger fire does not warm a small group any better: the flame stays in the centre and the seats furthest away receive less heat. For four to six people, an 800 mm Vesta is enough, and it is the size we would suggest for a compact patio. The large formats make sense beyond that, when the fire has to hold a wider circle together.
- 1000 to 1250 mm: a seating area for six to eight, around Hélios, a Vesta or a 1000 mm Héphaïstos.
- 1400 to 1500 mm (Vesta, Héphaïstos, Nyx): two sofas facing each other or a large corner sofa; check that the warmth reaches the seats furthest from the fire.
Large fire pits
Our large Corten steel fire pits
Vesta, Héphaïstos and Nyx also come in smaller sizes: each card shows the model's starting price across all its sizes, while the table above gives a selection of formats of 1000 mm and over. Every product page lists all the formats and their prices.
Log length and hearth size in a large fire pit
Hélios and Héphaïstos set their hearth in the centre of a wider top, so the hearth is smaller than the overall size of the table: ask us for the hearth dimension of the format you have chosen before you order your wood, and favour short, well-seasoned logs. Logs are sold in several lengths, so check yours against the fire before you buy. In the Vesta bowl, wide and shallow (143 to 205 mm high in the large formats), logs of 33 or 50 cm lie flat without rising above the rim; in the 1000 and 1200 mm sizes, a metre-long log would overhang and burn outside the fire.
Nyx does not burn wood at all: its slot holds a bioethanol flame, with no embers and no ash. Bioethanol is poured only when the fire is out and the piece is cold, never into a hearth that is still warm. Neither bioethanol nor wood is supplied with our fire pieces.
Ground, weight and space around a large Corten fire pit
A large fire pit needs a stable, level, non-combustible base: compacted gravel, paving slabs, a concrete pad or natural stone. Avoid timber decking, composite boards included, and lawn, which the heat radiating from a metre-wide fire will eventually scorch. Plan a non-combustible area that extends well beyond the fire on every side, at a good distance from the house, from trees and from anything above that could catch, including a covered pergola or a shade sail. On a roof terrace or a raised balcony, have the load checked before choosing a heavy model such as Nyx.
Weight decides where the fire goes. Hélios (44 to 59 kg) and Héphaïstos (60 to 96 kg) need two or three people to move and a spot chosen in advance. A 1500 mm Vesta weighs 29.9 kg, so two people can move it when it is cold and empty. Nyx, at about 95 to 140 kg depending on the format, is placed once and for all, level, on a base able to carry it.
The usual rules of any open fire apply: an adult present while it burns, water or an extinguisher within reach, no lighting in strong wind, and respect for any local restrictions during dry spells. On the fire tables, the rim of the hearth gets hot: keep children away until everything has cooled completely.
Ash, rainwater and the patina of a large fire pit
The bigger the fire, the more ash it leaves. Clear it out once the fire is out and cold, before a shower turns it into a paste that holds moisture against the steel. After rain, tip out the water that has collected in the bowl or hearth and let the steel dry.
Our fire pieces arrive in the Cortenys signature patina, applied in our workshop, and stay in that bare patina, the only finish suited to the heat of a fire. In the first months, rain carries a little oxide off the steel: on pale stone or light paving, set the fire on a gravel area or on slabs you are happy to see take on a rust tone. Our guide to Corten steel care, cleaning and rust stains explains how to look after the steel and which products to avoid.
Large fire pit, compact fire pit or fire table?
For a small circle on an average patio, Vesta in 600 or 800 mm is enough: you will find those sizes, with the rest of the collection, on our Corten steel fire pits page. If what you want above all is a surface for glasses and plates around the flame, or a longer fire in front of a sofa, compare our Corten steel fire tables. Our guide, Corten steel fire pit or fire table, sets the two side by side.
Cortenys
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest Cortenys fire pit?
In diameter, Hélios goes up to 1250 mm (£1,400) and the Vesta fire bowl reaches 1500 mm, at £1,090. In surface area, the Héphaïstos fire table comes in sizes up to 1600 × 1600 mm, and the Nyx fire pit up to 1500 × 1500 mm, at £10,590. Each product page lists every format with its price.
Which large Corten fire pit is the least expensive?
Among the formats of 1000 mm and over, Hélios at Ø 1000 mm costs £1,160, the 1000 mm Vesta £890 and Héphaïstos at 1000 × 1000 mm £1,200. The 1000 mm Vesta is therefore the most affordable way to a large fire; the two fire tables add a broad top for glasses and plates around the flame.
Can a large fire pit stand on timber decking?
We advise against it: heat radiates down towards the ground and an ember can fall outside the fire. Keep a non-combustible area that extends beyond the fire on every side and, on a roof terrace or a raised deck, have the load checked for a heavy model such as Nyx.
What log length suits a 1000 mm fire pit?
For Hélios and Héphaïstos, ask us for the size of the central hearth before buying your wood. In Vesta, logs of 33 or 50 cm lie in the bowl without rising above the rim.
How many people fit round a 1200 mm fire pit?
With a metre of walkway and armchairs 70 to 90 cm deep, a 1200 mm Vesta seats six to eight people in a circle of about 4.6 to 5 m. For more, or for two sofas facing each other, move up to 1400 or 1500 mm.
Do your large fire pits burn wood or bioethanol?
Hélios, Vesta and Héphaïstos burn wood. Nyx burns bioethanol only, poured when the fire is out and the piece is cold. Neither wood nor bioethanol is supplied with our fire pieces.
Will a large Corten fire pit mark a pale stone patio?
It can: in the first months, rain carries a little oxide off the steel and onto the ground around it. On pale stone, stand the fire on a gravel area or on slabs you are happy to see take on a rust tone, and clear ash and standing water after rain.
A particular project in mind?
A dimension, a finish, a word of advice. The House is by your side, with the care it brings to every one of its pieces.