A fireplace is the visual focal point of a room. So, how do you ensure that it’s the right size? If it’s too small, it becomes lost in white space but too large, and it can swallow up a room.
A fireplace should be large enough to heat your room but not too large that it becomes a hindrance to space. First, consider your room’s square footage. A standard-sized fireplace heats 400 square feet, while an extra-large fireplace can heat 2,000 square feet. Next, choose a proportionate fireplace for your room, and avoid one that takes up visual space.
Choosing the right size of a fireplace is a delicate balance between aesthetic and heat output. This guide will help direct you in your decision-making.
How Large Should A Fireplace Be Compared To A Room?
Fireplaces come in many sizes; however, a traditional fireplace can heat 400 square feet. Aesthetics are another factor in sizing a fireplace. If the fireplace is too large, it will make the room look crowded and unbalanced. Instead, choose a wall that is large enough to accommodate your fireplace.
Choosing the best size can be simplified down to:
- Appearance.
- Heat Output.
When it comes to appearance, a fireplace’s visual appeal should not overshadow everything else in the room.
As a general tip, you can improve your room’s appearance by choosing a fireplace that’s slightly wider than the décor above. For example, with a gas fireplace, you can do that by hanging television above it (read this article for more information on how to do that safely!).
If you make sure the fireplace is slightly wider than the tv, you’ve got a sort of pyramid-like structure that’s very pleasing for the eye.
You can also balance the fireplace by centering it on a wall or using shelves and decorations to seamlessly blend the fireplace into a room.
Additionally, you can add a mantel. Mantels, also known as surrounds (although surrounds include all parts surrounding the fireplace), surround the fireplace, blending it more into the room. They typically also serve as a small shelf!
When it comes to heat output, different types of fireplaces have differing heating abilities. Some fireplace types are more efficient—such as a gas fireplace, but we will get into more details below. This section will discuss three different types of fireplaces and how their size affects both their look and ability to heat a room.
Wood Burning Fireplaces
Appearance: A wood-burning fireplace typically has the most prominent visual effect on a room because it needs a hearth, surround, and chimney. The brickwork on the chimney can be exposed, making the fireplace a full-wall statement piece.
Or, some of the brickwork can be hidden behind drywall, giving the fireplace a lower profile.
If you are adding a wood-burning fireplace to your space, consider whether the wall has enough room to accommodate the fireplace plus the masonry and mantel.
Also, keep in mind that the chimney, surround, mantel, and hearth will take up a considerable amount of square footage.
Heat Output: A typical wood-burning fireplace provides supplemental heat to a 150 – 300 square foot room. Additions like a blower, glass front, and a steel-plated fireback can improve the fireplace’s heating efficiency. However, wood-burning fireplaces are less efficient when compared to gas and electric fireplaces.
A typical wood-burning fireplace has the following dimensions:
- Width: 24 – 36 inches
- Height: 24 – 29 inches
- Depth: 16 inches
A wood-burning fireplace outputs 20,000 – 40,000 BTUs (British thermal units) at these dimensions. The BTU measurement helps determine how much space the fireplace will heat.
To define how many BTUs you need, you must first consider that a wood-burning fireplace loses heat to the chimney and only converts 15 – 30% of its BTUs to room heat. Additionally, your climate affects how efficiently the BTUs heat a room. Depending on the environment, you need 20 – 60 BTUs per square foot.
Also, different woods burn at different temperatures. Hardwoods tend to burn much slower and hotter than softwoods. Here is a brief overview of some of the most popular woods and how hot they burn.
| Ash, Elm, Beech, and Hornbeam | 1832 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Birch, Larch, and Oak | 1652 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Pine, Redwood, and Spruce | 1157 degrees Fahrenheit |
A fireplace with additions such as a fireback, glass panes, or a fan will boost efficiency and convert close to 70% of its BTUs, allowing it to heat more square footage.
Gas Fireplaces
Appearance: A gas fireplace is far more efficient at heating a room than a wood-burning fireplace, and you can play around with size a little bit more. Gas fireplaces naturally have a lower profile since they don’t need a large chimney—and some are ventless with no chimney or vent system.
A gas fireplace should be slightly wider than the décor above (i.e., a TV or painting) and appears best when centered on a wall.
Heat Output: A gas fireplace is an efficient way to heat your home. Depending on its size, a gas fireplace typically puts out anywhere from 8,000 – 60,000 BTUs. The smaller gas fireplaces with fewer BTUs can heat around 400 square feet. Of course, the ceiling height, quality of insulation, and the climate you live in will affect how well the fireplace warms your room.
Electric Fireplaces
Appearance: Electric fireplaces are arguably the most versatile as they can be free-standing, wall-mounted, or inserts. Because of this, you have the freedom to play with the size. A free-standing unit appears best when it matches similar furniture around it.
An entertainment console electric fireplace looks best centered on a wall and a few inches wider than a TV placed on top.
Look for a slightly wider fireplace than the TV or décor hung above for wall-mounted units.
As for inserts, they should fit snugly into the firebox without gapping.
Heat Output: Generally, electric fireplaces are considered supplemental heat sources for a room, producing roughly 5,000 BTUs. These units can heat about 400 square feet. However, infrared electric fireplaces can heat up to 1,000 square feet of space using radiant light technology.
What Is The Standard Size Of A Fireplace?
The standard measurement for a wood-burning fireplace is 24–36 inches wide, 24–29 inches high, and about 16 inches deep. Gas and electric inserts sit inside the firebox and are slightly smaller. Wall-mounted gas and electric fireplaces come in various sizes, with a typical measurement don’t –60 inches long and a linear fireplace measuring anywhere from 3 feet to 21 feet long.
Standard Dimensions For Wood-Burning Fireplaces
The standard size for fireplaces refers to wood-burning fireplaces built into the wall with a firebox and chimney.
The fireplace may be wider if the space allows for it; however, most fireplaces fall within a width of 24 – 36 inches.
Standard Dimensions For Electric And Gas Fireplaces
An electric or gas insert is slightly smaller than the firebox because it needs to fit inside. However, you can be more flexible with sizing when you have a wall-mounted or free-standing unit.
Typically, gas and electric fireplaces range from 20 – 60 inches long.
The length you choose depends on the size of the room and the look you want to achieve. For example, many gas and electric fireplaces don’t need a chimney. You can choose a larger fireplace because you don’t need to account for the space a high-profile masonry chimney uses.
How Do I Choose The Right Size Fireplace?
A fireplace should be large enough, with adequate BTUs, to heat the room that it’s in. It should also not overshadow everything else in the room. Factors that affect how you choose the best size fireplace include room size, room layout and insulation, climate, and heat output.
Unfortunately, choosing the correct size fireplace is not as simple as picking a small, medium, or large fireplace. Rooms are generally more nuanced than that, but here are a few steps to help you choose the best fireplace for your space.
1. Consider your room.
The room’s layout plays a considerable role in how efficient your fireplace will be. For example, a large, open-concept space with tall ceilings is more challenging to warm than a smaller, enclosed space.
Also, does your home have good insulation? Or, does the room have large windows? A room with large windows and poor insulation will lose heat to the outdoors, making it harder for the fireplace to heat the space well. In that case, you will need a bigger fireplace to accommodate a larger room.
2. What climate do you live in?
A warmer climate means that the fireplace doesn’t have to work as hard to heat a space. On the other hand, a cooler climate requires more BTUs to heat a room because the cold, outdoor temperatures will pull heat away from the house. Therefore, you’re better off choosing a larger fireplace or a fireplace with excellent heating efficiency.
3. What type of fireplace are you using?
Gas and electric fireplaces are more efficient than wood-burning fireplaces. As such, you can get more heat with a smaller but more efficient fireplace than you might get with a standard wood-burning fireplace.
Unfortunately, a wood-burning fireplace loses a lot of heat through the chimney, but you can reduce this inefficiency with mechanisms that increase heat output (firebacks, glass panes, and fans).
4. Determine how many BTUs you need.
Generally, it takes about 20 – 60 BTUs per square foot to heat a room. The number of BTUs per square foot depends on the climate you live in. A colder climate requires a greater BTU output. Multiply the BTU per square foot by the room’s square footage to define the minimum number of BTUs your unit needs.
