The first genuinely cold Friday night of autumn is when most Australians go looking for one. The outdoor setting is still there, the alfresco lights are still on, but nobody wants to sit out past about eight o'clock. A fire pit is the cheapest way to buy back three or four months of your backyard. In 2027 the choice runs from a $62 steel basket to a masonry fireplace you can cook a pizza in.
This guide walks through what is actually in the fire pits range right now, tier by tier, at live prices. It is written for the person still deciding how much to spend, so we have been blunt about where the cheap options stop being enough.
What you actually pay for as the price climbs
Every fire pit does the same basic job: it holds burning wood safely off the ground and throws heat at whoever sits nearby. What changes with price is mass, smoke control and whether it can cook.
Cheap units are thin, light and portable. That is a genuine feature if you rent, or if the fire pit lives in the shed for eight months of the year. The trade-off is that thin steel heats fast, cools fast and shows its age outdoors.
Spend more and you get mass. Heavier steel and masonry hold heat between logs, so the warmth is steadier and you feed the fire less often. Above about $1,000 you also start buying a chimney. That is the single biggest upgrade for anyone whose neighbours are close, because it lifts smoke up rather than sideways into the conversation.
The best fire pit picks for 2027, tier by tier
Entry level starts with the Fire Basket Black at $62. It is an open basket rather than a bowl, so it burns hot and clean and packs down when you are done. For a townhouse courtyard or a rental where nothing can be permanent, it is hard to argue with the price.
The volume seller is the Firepit 72cm at $299. This is the classic backyard shape — a round open bowl big enough for a proper fire and small enough to move with two people. If you have never owned one and want to find out how often you would really use it, start here rather than at the top of the range.
The step up is the El Fuego Chimenea at $1,099. A chimenea burns in an enclosed belly and vents through a flue, so smoke goes up and heat comes forward out of the mouth. That directional heat suits a deck or a narrow alfresco area where everyone is seated on one side. It is also far kinder to close neighbours than an open bowl.
At the top sit the masonry units. The Buschbeck St. Moritz Fireplace and Pizza Oven at $2,599 is a built outdoor fireplace that doubles as a pizza oven. The Buschbeck Rondo Pizza Pro Package at $3,649 bundles the round Rondo fireplace with the pizza gear to use it. These are for finished alfresco areas, where the fire is part of the architecture rather than something wheeled out in May.
Wood, gas or a pizza-oven combo?
Gas units exist in the wider market, and the appeal is obvious: instant on, instant off, no smoke, no ash. What you give up is heat and cooking. A gas flame is largely decorative, so it warms the people closest to it and little else.
Our current range is wood and solid fuel for that reason. Wood gives real radiant heat, it costs nothing to run if you have dry hardwood, and the same fire that warms the group can cook dinner. The costs are smoke, ash to clean out, and restrictions on days when open flame is not allowed.
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Fire basket (from $62) | Renters, small courtyards, packing away between uses | Radiant heat only, and it needs a level non-combustible base |
| Steel fire pit bowl ($299) | A first fire pit in a standard backyard | Open flame means smoke drifts wherever the wind sends it |
| Chimenea ($1,099) | Decks, narrow alfresco areas, close neighbours | Heat is directional — it throws forward, not all around |
| Masonry fireplace and pizza oven ($2,599–$3,649) | Finished alfresco areas where you also want to cook | Heavy and effectively permanent once positioned |
Fire pit rules change at the state and council line
This is the part people skip, and it is the part that gets a fire switched off. Rules for open fires in Australia vary by state and by council, and in many areas they vary by season too. A fire pit that is completely legal in one suburb may need a permit two councils over.
Two separate layers apply. The first is your state fire authority, which sets fire danger periods and total fire ban days. That means the NSW Rural Fire Service, the Country Fire Authority in Victoria, the Queensland Fire Department, the Country Fire Service in South Australia, and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services in Western Australia. Elsewhere it is the Tasmania Fire Service, ACT Rural Fire Service and Bushfires NT.
On a declared total fire ban day, a wood fire is generally off. Underneath that, your council sets the day-to-day rules: whether solid fuel fires are permitted at all, setbacks from fences and buildings, and what counts as a nuisance when smoke reaches a neighbour. Strata and body corporate by-laws add a third layer on apartments and townhouses. Check with your council and your state fire service before you light anything, every season.
Placement matters just as much as permission. Clearance from the house, the decking, the fence line and anything overhead is what keeps a legal fire a safe one. We go through it properly in our guide on where to put your fire pit, and it is worth ten minutes before you buy — placement often decides which size you can have.
Fire pits — frequently asked questions
How much should I spend on a fire pit?
Most Australian households are well served between $299 and $1,099. Under $300 buys a genuinely useful basket or bowl for occasional nights. The jump to a chimenea earns its money if you want a flue to manage smoke, or you sit outside most weeks through winter.
Do you sell gas fire pits?
Not at the moment — the current range is wood and solid fuel. If instant ignition and no smoke matter more to you than heat output, a gas patio heater is usually the better answer, and our heating and fire range covers those alternatives.
Can I use a fire pit on a timber deck?
Not directly on the timber, no. Any solid-fuel fire needs a level, non-combustible base beneath and around it. Many councils and strata schemes also restrict open flame on elevated decks entirely, so check locally before you commit to a spot.
What can I actually cook over one?
Anything you would cook over coals, provided the unit is designed for it. Open bowls and baskets suit skewers and camp-oven cooking once the flames die down. The Buschbeck masonry units are built as fireplace and pizza oven combinations from the start.
Which option is best for a small courtyard?
A fire basket or the 72cm bowl, in most cases. Both are movable, both suit a compact space, and neither commits you to a permanent structure — which matters if you rent, or if the courtyard is your only outdoor entertaining area.
Shop the range
The full fire pits collection runs from the $62 basket to the Buschbeck packages, with covers and accessories alongside them so the unit you buy survives its first winter outdoors. If you are still working out where everyone will sit around it, the outdoor lounge settings range is the other half of the job.
We deliver Australia-wide, delivery is free on orders over $100, and most orders are dispatched in 3–10 business days. Returns run 30 days with no restocking fee, and installation is available on request.
