Fire Pit Coffee Table

What Is a Fire Pit Coffee Table?

A fire pit coffee table is a low outdoor table with a gas burner set into the middle of it, built at roughly the same height as an indoor coffee table. That height is the whole point: it sits level with deep seating, so people sink back into a sofa or lounge chair rather than perching at dining height.

It is the format to choose when the fire is there to be looked at and gathered around rather than eaten over. For a table people will dine at, a dining-height model works better.

Why the Lid Matters More Than Anything Else

Most of these tables take a rigid burner cover, and it is the single feature that decides whether the piece earns its footprint.

With a lid fitted, the burner disappears and you have a flat, usable coffee table surface: somewhere to put drinks, a tray, a book. Without one, you have a fire feature with a permanent hole in the middle that nobody can set anything on. Given a coffee table sits in the center of a seating group all day and is only lit for part of the evening, the daytime state is the one you live with most.

Lids are model-specific and not always included, so confirm one is available for the table you like before ordering.

Propane or Natural Gas

Propane runs from a standard cylinder, usually concealed in the base behind an access door. No gas line means nothing to install and no permanent commitment to one spot, which suits a deck, a rental, or a patio you may rearrange. The tradeoff is refilling it. Browse the propane fire pit tables.

Natural gas connects to a permanent line and never runs out, which suits a table that stays put and gets used constantly. It needs a licensed professional to run the line. See the natural gas fire pits.

Shapes, and How They Sit in a Lounge Group

• Round has no head and no ends, so everyone sits an equal distance from the flame. It works with chairs arranged in a circle and is the most forgiving when the seating is not fixed. See the round fire pit tables.
• Rectangular follows the line of a sofa or sectional instead of fighting it, and gives a run of flame rather than a single point.
• Square suits a symmetrical four-chair arrangement and tucks into a corner more neatly than a round of the same capacity.

Materials, and How Each One Ages Outside

• GFRC and concrete. Glass fiber reinforced concrete keeps the panel thin and strong, so you get the mass of concrete without the bulk of a solid cast piece, and a crisper edge. It also takes a texture, which is how some tables are cast to look like timber while still being concrete.
• Aluminum. Light enough to reposition on your own, and naturally rust-resistant, which matters on a piece that gets moved around a deck.
• Powder-coated and stainless steel. The thinnest profile of the three, so a steel table reads lighter in a small seating group. Stainless resists corrosion on coastal and commercial installations.
• Reclaimed and composite wood. Warmth that a manufactured finish does not copy, suited to rustic and cabin settings, in exchange for more upkeep.

Whatever the body is made from, the burner should be stainless steel. Anything else rusts.

Using One on a Deck

A coffee-height table on a wooden deck is a common setup and a safe one, provided the model is rated for a combustible surface. Follow the manufacturer's clearances, check overhead as well as around, and remember that a low table puts the flame closer to soft furnishings and throws than a dining-height one does.

What to Confirm Before You Order

• Decorative media is required and usually sold separately. Fire glass or lava rock spreads the flame and shields the burner, and the quantity scales with the size of the table.
• Confirm the lid. See above. It is the difference between a table and a fire feature.
• Check the tank fits if you are buying propane. Not every base takes every cylinder.
• Measure with the furniture in place, not the empty deck. A coffee table sits inside a seating group, so the clearance that matters is to the sofa, not to the railing.

Explore Related Fire Pit Styles

Looking for something else? Browse the rest of the range:

• Fire Pit Dining Tables, for eating around the flame rather than lounging
• Fire Pit Tables, every height and fuel in one place
• Gas Fire Pit Tables, propane and natural gas together
• Small Fire Pit Tables, for balconies and compact decks
• Fire Bowls, sculptural pieces rather than furniture
• Fire Pits, the full range across every format and fuel