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Wind Guards for Fire Pits, What Size Do I Need?

Fire Pit View

Wind Guards for Fire Pits are by far the top-selling fire pit accessory, and there is an excellent reason for that. They are a simple and very effective solution to the problem of a windblown flame.

Wind Guards for Fire Pits

They also look pretty good too. Many customers, when submitting product reviews, comment that the glass wind guard improves the look of their fire feature.

Here are just a few examples of customers comments on their Wind Guards for Fire Pits:

  • Bought this thinking it would just be ‘functional’ (wind and safety) but it actually dresses the fire feature out nicely. It is a better looking product with it. Major thumbs up.
  • The wind fence is a must in my opinion. It adds so much to the look of the table as the fire reflects off of the glass. It really does keep the wind from blowing the flame sideways too.
  • Without the guard, the flames would go all over the place to the point of being a safety concern to anyone standing close to the fire pit. Now that we have the guard, the flames go mostly straight up and are more pleasant to look at.

If you already have a fire pit, you will know how even a small amount of breeze can blow the flame off-center, and a much stronger breeze can blow the flame out.

Ultimately this can result in it being slightly ‘uncomfortable’ on one side of the fire pit, to not being able to use it at all because the wind is too strong.

Your wind guard must be manufactured from tempered glass, which makes them very durable and able to withstand high temperatures. Generally, they are 6 inches tall, although some brands provide models that are 8 inches. Most are produced from 3/16 inch thick glass.

There is no need for brand loyalty when selecting wind guards for fire pits, but if you do choose one from the same manufacturer as your fire pit tray, then you can be certain that it will fit correctly. If not, be sure to select the correct size carefully.

Wind Guards for Fire Pits, What Size Do I Need?

Wind guards for fire pits are manufactured in the same shapes as fire pit trays. You would use a round wind guard with a round fire pit tray, a square wind guard with a square tray, etc.

To select the correct size for your fire pit, you need to follow two rules:

  1. Wind guards for fire pits are designed to fit outside of the fire pit tray. They straddle over it and should never be located in the fire pit tray/burn area
  2. Allow a minimum of 2 inches on all sides from the edge of the fire pit tray to the inside of the wind guard.

The minimum size of wind guards for fire pits ( dotted line ) must be 2 inches (orange arrows) larger than the fire pit tray on all sides.

Some of the larger sizes have two pieces of glass on the long sides, and the kit consists of 6 pieces of glass, the rest of the range consists of 4 piece kits.

Wind Guard with Two Panel Long Side

Some of the largest size wind guards have two panels on the long side

(Be aware that some brands use the fire pit tray size that the guard is designed for in the part number, which can be a little confusing. For example American Fireglass part number FG-LCB-30 refers to a wind guard to fit a 30 x 6 Linear tray ( hence the ’30’ ). However, when assembled the wind guard will actually measure 35.5 x 11.5 inches, because as we have already mentioned the wind guard should have at least 2.5 inches clearance on all sides.)

For square, rectangular or linear fire pits measure the length and width of the fire pit and add 5 inches to both dimensions, that will be the minimum size that your wind guard needs to be.

For round fire pits measure the diameter of the fire pit and add 5 inches.

Installation of these kits is easy. Just connect the tempered glass pieces with the included brackets and support feet then set on the outside of your fire pit opening.

Most of the leading Brands also supply fire pit lids which are designed to cover the fire pit tray while fitting within the wind guard. This means you can cover and uncover your fire pit without having to remove the wind guard every time.

For specific size and prices of wind guards for fire pits click on the links below:

For more information about the sizes of Round Wind Guards

For more information about the sizes of Square Wind Guards 

For more information about the sizes of Rectangular Wind Guards

For more information about the sizes of Linear Wind Guards

If you would like to learn more about Tempered Glass check out this article on Wikipedia.

For more information about flame guards take a look at our Fire Pit Wind Guards page.