Stone outdoor fireplace with a timber mantel and chimney on a backyard deck at dusk

October 4, 2026

What is an outdoor fireplace called?

Short answer: usually just an outdoor fireplace. Alfresco fireplace and patio fireplace mean the same thing: a fire burning in a firebox, with a chimney or flue to carry the smoke up and away. A chiminea, brazier, fire bowl, fire pit or fire table is a different product; each name describes how the fire is held.

The terminology matters when you shop, because two listings that both say fireplace can describe a rendered masonry kit with a tall chimney or a steel bowl on legs. The table below sorts them out, then the sections that follow explain where each one suits an Australian backyard.

What makes something an outdoor fireplace?

A firebox, a chimney and a hearth. The firebox contains the fire; the chimney or flue draws the smoke upwards and away from the seating; the hearth protects the ground immediately in front from embers. If a product is missing one of those three components, you are usually looking at something sold under a different name.

Ochre Living and Buschbeck, the two fireplace manufacturers on our site, build them quite differently. Ochre Living's FAQ says its kits are made from volcanic pumice, which it describes as a natural insulator that holds temperature better than other products, with firebricks inside the fire chest giving an intense radiant heat. The kit is assembled on site; Ochre Living quotes one customer's installation at 1.5 hours for the main body, 1 to 2 hours for the firebricks and 2 hours of rendering.

Buschbeck's FAQ describes its models as the outdoor fire, barbecue and pizza oven all rolled into one, fuelled by charcoal, wood, logs or briquettes. Each arrives on a single pallet of about ten sectional components weighing up to 600 kg, so freestanding here means placed, not portable.

An Ochre Living Hotham Complete Fireplace Kit with under log store, a wood fire burning in the firebox below a rendered chimney, set against a timber slat fence.

What do the other names for an outdoor fire mean?

Most of the alternatives describe the container rather than the fire itself. The table shows how each term is normally used alongside the practical difference from a fireplace with a chimney.

Term	What it describes	How it differs from an outdoor fireplace
Outdoor, alfresco or patio fireplace	A firebox with a chimney or flue, usually masonry	The reference point
Chiminea	A hollow structure for holding a fire outside, usually clay or metal, with a narrow top for the smoke	Smaller and freestanding, with the chimney part of the body
Brazier	A metal container for burning coal or wood, for warmth or cooking	Open at the top, with no chimney
Fire pit	An open, contained fire in a bowl, ring or sunken pit	Open to the sky, so smoke goes wherever the wind does
Fire bowl	A smaller, usually elevated bowl	The same open fire in a different shape
Fire table	A burner set into a table-height surround	Built for sitting around rather than facing

Is a chiminea a fireplace?

Close, but smaller. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a chiminea as a hollow structure for holding a fire outside, usually made of clay or metal, with a narrow top where smoke can escape. How it compares with an open fire, including the durability question for clay, is covered in fire pit versus chiminea.

What is the difference between a fire pit and a fire bowl?

Mostly shape and scale. A fire bowl is the smaller, raised version; a fire pit is wider and lower. The full breakdown sits in fire bowl versus fire pit, so it is not repeated here.

Where does a fire table fit?

A fire table sets the flame into a surround at table height, so drinks and plates rest around it. The fire tables we range are EcoSmart models that burn bioethanol; EcoSmart says bioethanol burns without smoke, soot or ash. That makes a fire table the practical choice for positions close to outdoor seating, where smoke from an open wood fire would otherwise drift across the conversation. Our guide to the difference between a fire pit and a fire table compares the two formats directly.

What is a small backyard bonfire called?

Usually just a fire, or a fire pit fire once it burns in a contained bowl. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a bonfire as a large fire made outside to burn unwanted things or for pleasure. The first half of that definition is precisely the part councils such as Brisbane prohibit.

Brisbane City Council's local law says nobody can burn waste, including green waste, in a backyard. On a total fire ban day, the NSW RFS rules stop any barbecue or pizza oven burning wood, charcoal or heat beads from being used outside. A wood-burning fireplace falls on the wrong side of that line too.

What are the traditional words for parts of a fireplace?

Three older words describe particular parts of the fireplace itself. The hearth is the area around a fireplace, or the floor in front of it; people often use the word for the whole fireplace. In building rules it has a precise meaning: NCC 2022 Part 12.4 requires the hearth of an open fireplace in a home to extend at least 300 mm in front of the opening and 150 mm beyond each side.

An inglenook is a partly closed space beside a large open fireplace, built so people can sit close to the fire. The mantelpiece is the shelf above the opening, usually part of the decorative frame surrounding it; the word sometimes stands in for the fireplace as a whole.

A Buschbeck Rondo outdoor fireplace, barbecue and pizza oven lit on a concrete patio at dusk, with lanterns on the outdoor dining table in front.

Which kind of outdoor fire suits your space?

Choose by what the fire has to do, not by the name on the listing. If you want a chimney, a focal wall and wood smoke going up rather than sideways, it is an outdoor fireplace: the Ochre Living Hotham Complete Fireplace Kit for a rendered, built-in look, or the Buschbeck Rondo 3-in-1 Outdoor Fireplace when it also has to cook. If the flame belongs in the middle of the seating, a fire table or fire pit does that job better.

One honest caution about the fireplace route. Buschbeck's FAQ states that its carrier delivers to the nearest vehicle access point and is under no obligation to move the pallet closer; the heaviest component weighs approximately 80 kg, so you will need two or three people for assembly. A portable fire table involves none of that; for a small courtyard, your better buy is often the fire table.

Every fire we range comes with our price-beat promise and owner's after-care: a fit check before it ships, a shepherded delivery and a check-in within a week. We also handle any warranty claim for you. EcoSmart orders ship free. Unsure which name fits the fire you have in mind? Ring Hayden on 1300 515 620, or compare the full range of outdoor fireplaces.

Fire & Warmth

Pizza Ovens

Kitchen

Shade

Water

Garden

Outdoor Furniture

Brands

About

Talk to Hayden