The Complete Guide to Fire Tables: Everything You Need to Know Before Buying

The distinction between fire tables and fire pits extends beyond semantics. Fire pits typically feature a deeper bowl or basin design focused primarily on containing the fire, with any surrounding ledge serving as an afterthought. They're positioned as standalone features requiring separate seating arrangements.

Fire tables are designed as furniture first. The flame sits within a recessed burner integrated into a table structure, leaving usable surface area around the perimeter. This design philosophy means your guests can rest a wine glass beside the dancing flames, eliminating the awkward reach to side tables that traditional fire pit arrangements demand.

The practical implications are significant. A fire table allows you to maintain the intimate scale of a conversation area without sacrificing the fire element. The flame becomes part of the furniture grouping rather than a separate destination.

Human beings have gathered around flames for millennia, and that instinct remains surprisingly powerful. Position a fire table at the centre of a modular lounge setting, and you create an instant social anchor. Guests naturally orient themselves toward the flame, facing inward and toward each other rather than scattering throughout the space.

The warmth radiating outward extends your entertaining season, allowing comfortable gatherings on cool autumn evenings or crisp spring nights that would otherwise drive people indoors. The flame itself serves as a natural conversation catalyst. Unlike television screens that compete for attention, fire provides gentle visual interest that enhances rather than dominates social interaction.

Here's where fire tables reveal a capability that surprises many homeowners: certain models can be used indoors as well as outdoors. This versatility depends entirely on fuel type, with bioethanol being the only option certified for indoor use.

Bioethanol fire tables require no flue, chimney, or permanent ventilation because they produce no smoke, soot, or harmful emissions. The combustion generates only heat, water vapour, and minimal carbon dioxide, roughly equivalent to burning two candles. This clean-burning characteristic opens possibilities that gas-fuelled options simply cannot match.

For indoor applications, specific safety components become mandatory. Compliant bioethanol fire tables include an Indoor Safety Tray and Efficiency Ring that must be installed before operation. These components ensure the appliance meets EN 16647 certification requirements for decorative bioethanol fireplaces.

Imagine a fire pit table in your living room, serving as both a coffee table and a captivating flame feature during winter evenings. Or consider a covered outdoor room where the same fire table transitions between seasons without complex permits or gas fitting. This flexibility represents a genuine advantage that distinguishes bioethanol fire tables from traditional options.

Bioethanol represents a fundamentally different approach to fire features. Produced through fermentation and distillation of plant sugars, typically from sugarcane, bioethanol burns with remarkable cleanliness. The combustion produces heat, steam, and carbon dioxide that's reabsorbed by plants during photosynthesis, creating a carbon-neutral cycle.

The practical benefits flow directly from this clean combustion. Without smoke or harmful emissions, bioethanol fire tables require no flue, chimney, or permanent ventilation system. This eliminates the most significant barriers to fire feature installation: costly construction modifications, building permits, and ongoing ventilation maintenance.

The flame produces a natural orange colour with gentle movement, resembling the organic dance of traditional wood fire rather than the uniform blue-tinged flames of gas burners. Many owners find this aesthetic more appealing in residential settings where ambiance matters as much as heat output.

Heat output ranges from approximately 12,860 BTU/h with efficiency components to 20,433 BTU/h at maximum settings, sufficient to warm indoor spaces over 60 square metres. Burn times of seven to thirteen hours mean a single fuel load sustains multiple evening gatherings without interruption.

The trade-off comes in the refuelling process. You'll need to extinguish the flame, allow the burner to cool, and manually refill with bioethanol fuel before relighting. For many users, this occasional pause represents a minor inconvenience easily offset by the installation simplicity and indoor capability that no other fuel type can offer.

Natural gas fire tables connect directly to your home's existing gas supply, providing flame on demand without fuel management. Turn a valve or press an ignition button, and the fire appears. This convenience appeals to homeowners who prioritise seamless operation above other considerations.

Heat output significantly exceeds bioethanol alternatives, with many models delivering up to 65,000 BTU/h. This higher output creates substantial warmth for larger outdoor areas, extending comfortable use into cooler temperatures.

However, professional gas fitting is mandatory, involving trenching for gas lines and potential permits. The fire pit table becomes a permanent fixture, its location determined by where the gas line terminates. Natural gas fire tables are certified for outdoor use only because combustion gases must dissipate into open air.

Propane offers a middle path between bioethanol's portability and natural gas's convenience. The fuel arrives in portable cylinders, providing substantial heat output without permanent infrastructure. Like natural gas, propane burners deliver impressive thermal performance, typically matching the 65,000 BTU/h output.

The practical advantage lies in repositioning flexibility. Unlike natural gas installations locked to a single location, propane fire tables can move with your entertaining needs. Host a gathering at one end of the patio this week, shift the fire table closer to the pool next month.

The limitation mirrors natural gas: propane fire tables are certified for outdoor use only regardless of ventilation arrangements.

Quality fire pit tables carry multiple certifications from recognised testing laboratories:

UL 1370 is the American standard for unvented alcohol fuel burning decorative appliances. Products listed to this standard have undergone rigorous testing for fuel containment, heat emissions, combustion characteristics, and structural integrity.

EN 16647 represents the European standard established by the British Standards Institution. This certification requires compliance with specific operational parameters including maximum fuel capacity and mandatory safety components for indoor use.

ACCC Safety Mandate compliance ensures products meet Australian Competition and Consumer Commission requirements.

For gas fire tables, look for ANSI Z21.97-2017 and CSA 2.41-2017 certification. European and UK markets require Gas Appliance Regulation 2016/426 compliance, indicated by CE and UKCA markings.

These certifications aren't marketing embellishments. They represent substantial investment in third-party testing and ongoing quality control that budget manufacturers simply cannot match.

Premium fire tables incorporate multiple safety systems working together:

Dedicated Filling Points on bioethanol models separate the refuelling location from the burner opening. A designed spout rests on a plate within the filling point, preventing overfilling while eliminating splashing.

Interlock Systems prevent filling point access while the burner slider is open, ensuring flame extinction before refuelling.

Top Trays protect against heat transference while collecting spillage.

Efficiency Rings increase operational efficiency while stabilising flame behaviour, becoming mandatory for EN 16647 indoor compliance.

Proper positioning protects both people and property:

Side Clearances to fixed furniture must maintain minimum 600mm from the flame.

Overhead Clearances require 2000mm from moveable items like curtains or branches, and 1829mm minimum to fixed ceilings.

Airflow Requirements demand positioning on hard, flat surfaces allowing circulation beneath the unit. Most fire tables feature adjustable articulating feet maintaining the minimum 12.5mm air gap.

Minimum Room Sizes for indoor bioethanol operation vary by burner capacity. Standard AB8 burners require minimum 116 cubic metres room volume.

Fluid Concrete technology combines concrete aesthetics with characteristics suited to fire furniture. The material is surprisingly lightweight given its visual density, simplifying delivery and repositioning. A stain and impact-resistant barrier protects against environmental weathering and UV exposure. Available in Natural, Graphite, and Bone colourways.

Premium Teak represents the traditional choice for enduring outdoor furniture. Regarded as the strongest commercially available hardwood, teak contains natural oils providing inherent resistance to moisture, insects, and decay. Over time, exposed teak develops a distinctive silver-grey patina, or periodic oil treatment maintains the original golden colour.

Grade 304 stainless steel has become the industry standard for quality burners, offering excellent corrosion resistance and structural stability under repeated heating cycles.

Burner finish options include polished stainless steel for contemporary schemes or black ceramic coating that visually recedes, allowing the flame to command attention. Decorative black glass charcoal, made from tempered glass, covers the burner interior while withstanding heat cycling without discolouration.

Consider visual weight when selecting scale and finish. Heavy modular lounges pair naturally with larger Fluid Concrete fire pit tables. Lighter furniture groupings may suit teak's organic warmth or compact model proportions.

Height coordination matters more than many buyers recognise. Standard coffee table heights work with deep lounge seating, while dining or bar heights suit upright chair arrangements. Outdoor furniture collections from Blinde Design are specifically designed to coordinate with fire table aesthetics and proportions.

A fire table measuring one metre square requires approximately 2.2 metres square of floor space when including required clearances. Consider traffic flow patterns and passage widths after accounting for both fire table and surrounding seating.

Low Height (250–340mm): Functions as coffee table with deep lounge seating.

Chat Height (595mm): Raises flame closer to seated eye level for intimate viewing.

Dining Height (745mm): Serves as centrepiece for outdoor meals with surrounding chairs.

Bar Height (1045mm): Pairs with standing or bar stool seating for casual entertaining.

Bioethanol fire tables deliver 12,860 to 20,433 BTU/h, providing comfortable supplementary warmth within a two to three metre radius. Gas fire tables deliver up to 65,000 BTU/h, reaching further into larger outdoor areas.

Neither fuel type is intended as primary heating. They provide supplementary warmth and ambiance rather than replacing heating systems for indoor spaces.

Modern fire tables require remarkably little maintenance compared to wood-burning alternatives. No ash removal, no chimney sweeping, no firewood management.

Fluid Concrete surrounds require simple wiping with a damp cloth. Teak benefits from seasonal cleaning with mild soap, followed by optional oil treatment. Bioethanol burners can actually be washed in hot water, even placed in a dishwasher, allowing complete fuel residue removal.

Stainless steel components should be wiped periodically, particularly in coastal environments where salt accelerates deterioration. Protective all-season covers prevent dust accumulation, water intrusion, and UV degradation during storage.

The glass cover plate deserves special attention because it fundamentally changes year-round usability. During warmer months, it transforms the fire pit table into elegant outdoor furniture serving everyday purposes. Place it beside your lounge as a coffee table during spring afternoons. Use it as a serving surface for summer barbecues.

This convertibility distinguishes fire tables from dedicated fire pits. You're investing in adaptable furniture rather than a fire feature sitting idle for half the year.