A drawer measured in three dimensions and a handle

Ash pans, compared on the three measurements that decide fit

An ash pan is a steel drawer under the grate, and it is replaced for one of two reasons: it has burned through, or the stove never had one that suited. Fit is the whole question and it is three-dimensional — the width and the depth have to clear the compartment, and the height decides how much can be taken out in one trip without the pan fouling the grate above it. Listings give all three on the good sellers and two on the rest. The material and gauge decide life: a thin folded pan distorts as it heats and then no longer slides, which is the usual way they fail rather than by burning through. The handle is the part that gets thought about last and used most: a fixed wire handle is simple and gets hot, a removable handle can be lost, and a folding handle lets the pan sit further in. Then the capacity, which listings quote in litres and which is only useful against how often the stove is used — a pan emptied twice a week and a pan emptied daily are different products even at the same size. We compare dimensions, depth, thickness, material, handle, colour, fits and stated uses.

These parts, set out figure by figure

1. 

   Schürer Metallwaren Steel Ash Pan, 30 × 19 × 8 cm

   A galvanised steel drawer 8 cm deep at 0.6 mm — the thickest material on this shelf, published in two lines and matched to no stove.

   Dimensions

   H 8 cm × W 19 cm × L 30 cm

   Depth

   8 cm, which is a drawer rather than a tray

   Thickness

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   Galvanised steel sheet, 0.6 mm — the thickest in this family · Not published

   Handle

   Not stated

   Colour

   Silver

   Fits

   No appliance named

   Stated uses

   Two

   Amazon reference

   B01N41SA1X (one reference across 3 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4260507950345

   • The thickest sheet on this shelf, which is what resists distortion
   • Eight centimetres deep, so it holds a real quantity between emptyings
   • No handle stated, on a part that is pulled out full

   Best for: A stove whose original pan has rusted through, replaced on measurements taken from the old one

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2. 

   Hearth & Home HH110 Ash Pan, 28 × 21 × 3 cm

   A shallow 3 cm tray sized to a named 40.6 cm grate rather than to a stove — the thinnest section published anywhere on this shelf.

   Dimensions

   28 × 21 × 3 cm (L × W × D)

   Depth

   3 cm — the shallowest in this family

   Thickness

   Not published

   Material

   Not published

   Handle

   Not stated

   Colour

   Black

   Fits

   A 40.6 cm fire grate, stated

   Stated uses

   Two

   Amazon reference

   B019BGD8NY (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   5017193348166

   • Sized against a named grate width rather than against a stove model
   • Shallow, so it fits under a grate where a deep drawer would not
   • Three centimetres holds very little, so it is emptied often

   Best for: An open fireplace with a 40.6 cm grate, where a deep drawer simply will not go

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3. 

   BitWa Hot-Dip Galvanised Ash Pan, 50 × 35 × 4 cm

   The largest tray on this shelf at half a metre wide — and the only listing in this family that says what must not go in it.

   Dimensions

   50 × 35 cm, 4 cm deep — the largest footprint in this family

   Depth

   The maker does not state it.

   Thickness

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   0.5 mm, hot-dip galvanised · Hot-dip galvanising, stated to protect against corrosion in regular contact with ash

   Handle

   Stated light and easy to carry and empty at around 1 kg

   Colour

   The maker does not state it.

   Fits

   No model named

   Stated uses

   Approximately 1 kg · Cooled ash only · Not suitable for hot coal, wood or briquettes, which the maker states reach over 800 °C and cause material distortion

   Amazon reference

   B08QYRMFPC (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4251888905239

   • The only listing in this family to publish a limitation and a reason for it
   • Hot-dip galvanised rather than electroplated, which is the more durable process
   • Cooled ash only, which is a real restriction on a pan that lives under a grate

   Best for: A wide hearth where cooled ash is swept into a large tray rather than caught hot under a grate

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4. 

   Feuerfest 123 GmbH Ash Pan, 222 × 182 × 80 mm

   A hand-made drawer matched to one manufacturer’s models — with the plainest statement in this catalogue that it is not an original part.

   Dimensions

   222 × 182 × 80 mm

   Depth

   The maker does not state it.

   Thickness

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   Heat-resistant galvanised steel sheet

   Handle

   A practical handle, so it pulls out like a drawer and is emptied

   Colour

   Hand-made in the seller’s own production in Germany, stated · Stated that the shade may differ from the photograph

   Fits

   Matched to a named stove manufacturer’s models, with a model overview included · Stated not to be original products of the named firm, only made to fit the models listed

   Stated uses

   Sits below the ash grate or riddling grate and takes what falls through, stated

   Amazon reference

   B0DF83TSRW (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4262465422773

   • The clearest aftermarket disclosure in this catalogue — it says outright that it is not the original part
   • Publishes a handle, which is what an ash pan is actually operated by
   • The most expensive ash pan on this shelf by a wide margin

   Best for: A stove of the named range whose original pan has gone, bought knowing exactly what it is

   Check price on Amazon