Vertical firewood racks: tall Corten steel columns for your woodpile

We call a firewood rack vertical when it is taller than it is wide. Four of our designs come in such formats. The vertical 2-tier column has one to three compartments depending on its height, and the vertical 3-tier column always has three, divided by two shelves; both are 2 mm Corten steel with a solid back. The rack without legs, also 2 mm, is one open space with no divider. The frame on legs, in heavier 3 mm steel, raises the wood off the ground.

The volume column multiplies the three outside dimensions, so treat it as a ceiling, not a capacity: walls, shelves, legs and the air between logs all take their share, and the firewood you actually stack will be less.

If you are short on floor space rather than height, the columns are the answer: both sit on a 500 × 380 mm (20 × 15 in) footprint, about 2 sq ft, whether they stand 800 mm (31 in) or 2,000 mm (79 in) tall. The only wider column is the 3-tier at 600 × 380 × 1,800 mm (24 × 15 × 71 in). The frame on legs, 39 in wide, suits a wall rather than a gap.

At US prices, a column is the least expensive way to store wood upright: the 2-tier column starts at $3,030 in 500 × 380 × 800 mm (20 × 15 × 31 in), and at 1,500 mm (59 in) tall it costs $3,590, slightly less than the rack without legs at the same height and width ($3,650). The column also gives you shelves, so this week's logs stay apart from the reserve.

• Beside a back door or on a porch: a 20 in column, 47 or 59 in tall, that keeps the day's wood at hand height.
• In a narrow side yard or between two windows: a 2-tier or 3-tier column at 71 or 79 in, three compartments high.
• Along a wall, for a large rack that still stands upright: the rack without legs at 39 in wide, or the frame on legs at 1,000 × 550 × 1,800 mm (39 × 22 × 71 in), the biggest volume in this table.

Depth decides which logs fit. The columns and the rack without legs measure 380 or 385 mm (15 in) overall, so logs cut to 10 or 13 in (25 or 33 cm) sit inside without sticking out. A standard 16 in split is slightly longer than that depth and will poke out past the front, and a 20 in log would overhang by about 5 in. The frame on legs comes 350 or 400 mm (14 or 15¾ in) deep for 10 to 13 in logs, and 550 mm (22 in) deep, the only depth here that takes 16 and 20 in wood without any overhang.

On a 71 or 79 in column, the top compartment is loaded at shoulder height or above, so keep the top for a light reserve and most of the wood on the lower levels, refilling them from your main woodpile as you burn.

The columns and the rack without legs have a solid back, made to rest against a wall, and an open front that lets air pass through the stack. Set them on firm, level ground: a 79 in column only 15 in deep is more than five times taller than it is deep, and once it is full, a slight slope is enough to tip it forward.

Our product pages do not mention a wall-anchoring kit. If your spot seems to call for one (a sloping patio, a windy corner of the deck, kids playing nearby), talk to us before you order rather than drilling the steel or adding makeshift brackets.

On a balcony or an elevated deck, add the weight of the rack (53 to 128 lb, 24 to 58 kg, for the columns) to the weight of the wood, which is far greater once a column is full, and have a contractor or structural engineer confirm the load if you are unsure. Near a wood stove, a fireplace or a Corten steel fire pit, keep to the clearances in the appliance's manual: a steel rack does not stop the logs inside it from catching fire.

If you were hoping for a tall firewood rack with doors or a cover, ours are open at the front by design, and we do not sell doors, lids, covers or wheels for them. An open front lets air move through the wood so it keeps drying instead of trapping moisture. To keep driving rain off the front, set the rack under the eaves, beneath a porch roof or in a sheltered corner.

We design these racks for outdoor use. Using one indoors, next to a wood stove for example, has to be agreed with us before you order: moisture from the logs and from mopping the floor makes Corten release oxide, which marks hardwood floors and light stone. For indoor use we apply the protective varnish in the workshop; it cuts rust runoff sharply but does not rule it out, and even varnished the column can still stain the floor, so set it on a tray or on pads suited to your flooring and check them regularly.

The varnish option adds $30 to the 31 in column ($3,060) and $70 to the 79 in 3-tier column ($4,090); either way, varnished Corten can still stain a light floor or pavers, so keep a drip tray, small feet or shims under it and wipe up any runoff quickly.

Outdoors, each piece arrives with the Cortenys signature patina, applied in the workshop. Rain running down the steel can tint light pavers or concrete at the foot of a column, so a gravel strip or darker pavers make a good base. Now and then, clear the sawdust and damp bark out of the bottom compartment. Our guide to Corten steel care and rust stains explains how to deal with a mark.

A vertical format saves floor space, but at the same height it holds less than a wider tiered or compartment design. For a big reserve along the house, such as a grid with four, six or nine compartments, browse all our Corten steel firewood racks and storage. On light pavers, the same columns come in powder-coated aluminum, which leaves no rust marks: our metal firewood racks page compares both metals size for size. And if the rack is as much a feature as storage, see our decorative firewood racks.