Fire Pit vs Fire Bowl vs Fire Table: Differences Explained

The fire pit vs fire bowl vs fire table comparison starts with shape: all three are outdoor fire features powered by gas or wood. A fire bowl has the flame in the middle and no ledge. A fire table has a flat top around the burner for drinks and food. Fire pit is the broad name for all of them, including the wood burning kind.

What a fire pit is

Our whole fire pit collection holds 298 models, including propane, natural gas and wood burning options. Bowls and tables are shapes within it. In everyday use, a fire pit usually means a low, open fire feature you gather around, often round or square and 15 to 24 inches tall.

The Outdoor Plus Harbor 72 is a rectangular gas fire pit measuring six feet long, 28 inches deep and 20 inches tall. It puts out up to 65,000 BTU and comes in 15 powder coat colors.

The Outdoor Plus Sedona with a wide ledge is round concrete, 48 or 60 inches across, in 18 colors. The square Gallaway from The Outdoor Plus comes in powder coat, stainless steel, hammered copper or Corten steel, a steel that rusts to a stable finish.

What a fire bowl is

A fire bowl is a bowl or dish with a flame in the center and no ledge. You choose it for the look or a pool edge. Our fire bowls include 90 models, ranging from 24 to 48 inches across.

The Outdoor Plus Cazo in GFRC concrete, a glass-fiber concrete, comes in 24 to 48 inch sizes and 18 colors. The Outdoor Plus Luna is a deep concrete half-sphere, 30 or 38 inches across.

The American Fyre Designs Marseille dishes span 24 to 48 inches. The smallest is just 6.5 inches tall, while Chat bowls sit at chair-side height. Materials also include hammered copper, stainless steel, powder coated steel in 15 colors and wood-grain concrete.

A fire and water bowl spills water over its rim for a pool or spa. The 40 inch Marseille has a 16 inch star burner rated around 65,000 BTU. The 48 inch Marseille, Round and Chat bowls hide a propane tank inside.

What a fire table is

A fire table puts a flat top around the burner for drinks and dinner. Our fire pit table collection holds 103 models. Choose the height to suit your seating:

• 14.5 to 16 inches: The Legend, Contempo, Imperial 15, Fremont 15 and Coastline 16 suit lounge seating.
• 18 to 20 inches: The Olympus is 18 inches tall. The Legend LP Select is 20 inches tall and holds a standard 20 pound propane tank inside.
• 24 to 25 inches: The Cosmopolitan, Outback, Coastline 24 and Outdoor Plus Fremont 24 sit at coffee-table or chat height. The Fremont hides the propane tank. The Fiesta chat table is 25 inches tall.
• 28 to 29 inches: The American Fyre Designs Fiesta Dining Firetable is 54 inches round and 28 inches tall. The American Fyre Designs Cosmo Square Dining Table is 60 inches square, 29 inches tall and seats eight. Its 16 inch star burner produces up to 75,000 BTU.
• 32 inches: The Tall Milan sits at counter height.

Sizes range from the 36 inch square Voro to the 144 inch long Outdoor Plus Newport. Most burners produce 60,000 to 75,000 BTU, with 100,000 on the Legend Long. See our ranked propane fire pit tables to compare options.

Fire pit vs fire bowl vs fire table, side by side

Fire pit	Fire bowl	Fire table
Height: 15 to 24 inches	Height: 6.5 to about 20 inches	Height: 14.5 to 32 inches
Top: a ledge on some	Top: no ledge	Top: a full tabletop
Fuel: gas or wood	Fuel: propane or natural gas	Fuel: gas
Best for: the campfire circle	Best for: looks and pool edges	Best for: drinks and dinner

Gas or wood

Every fire bowl and fire table we sell runs on propane or natural gas. You light it with a match at a key valve, or with an electronic ignition. Lava rock or fire glass covers the burner.

Our propane fire pits keep the tank inside the base or beside it. Our natural gas fire pits connect to a gas line, so you do not refill a tank.

For a real campfire, choose wood, with dry firewood, ash and a spark screen. Our 23 wood burning fire pits include six smokeless models by The Outdoor Plus. Their double wall helps burn off most of the smoke. The Outdoor Plus Helix is a 22 or 36 inch steel cube in Corten or stainless steel.

Read how a smokeless fire pit works and compare our ranked list of the best smokeless fire pits.

Which one to choose

Choose a fire table when the fire should also hold drinks. Choose a fire bowl when the flame is the point, beside a pool or in a modern yard. A classic gas fire pit suits a circle of chairs. Choose a wood burning fire pit when the campfire ritual matters more than convenience.

Plan seats 5 to 7 feet from the flame, with 3 feet of walkway behind them. Our fire pit seating ideas can help you plan. Follow the manual’s required distances from structures and branches. Have a licensed installer connect the gas.

Questions people ask

What is the best fire pit for outdoor use?

It depends on how you want to use it. Choose a fire table for drinks and dinner, a fire bowl for looks and pool edges, or a classic gas fire pit for a circle of chairs. Choose wood for the campfire ritual. Gas offers no smoke and push-button ease with electronic ignition.

What is the safest outdoor fire pit?

A gas fire pit leaves no embers or ash and turns off with the valve. Every fire feature needs the maker’s listed distances from structures and branches. Wood fires need a spark screen and a surface that cannot burn. Have a licensed installer connect the gas.

Do you put anything in the bottom of a fire pit?

On a gas fire pit, fire bowl or fire table, lava rock or fire glass covers the burner. This material protects the burner and spreads the flame. A wood burning fire pit burns on its own floor or grate. Shovel out its ash once it has cooled.

Choose your fire pit, fire bowl or fire table around how you want to gather outside. Our fire pit buying guide covers the wider choice. My Cozy Outdoors is an authorized dealer for The Outdoor Plus and American Fyre Designs, with the full manufacturer warranty. Call us to talk through size, height and fuel.