Glass or steel, and the overhang in front of the door

Spark plates, compared on the overhang that matters

A spark plate is the sheet under and in front of a stove that catches what falls out of the door. It has no performance figure at all, which is why this shelf is read on dimensions and on one derived number: the overhang in front of the door. Appliance makers state a required projection — commonly around 50 cm forward and 30 cm to each side of the opening — and the plate is chosen against that requirement, not against the stove's footprint. A plate that exactly matches the stove protects nothing. The material splits the shelf in two. Toughened glass, usually 6 or 8 mm, is the common domestic answer: it is invisible against the floor, it is heavy enough to stay put, and the thickness is the figure to read because it is what survives a dropped log. Steel plates are thinner, cheaper, and available in shapes glass cannot be cut to. The shape — rectangle, teardrop, semicircle, hexagon — is chosen from the stove and the room rather than from a specification. Then the edge finish, which on glass is the difference between a polished bevel and a cut edge, and which decides whether the plate can be walked on barefoot. We compare dimensions, shape, thickness, material, weight, temperature, edge and other uses.

These parts, set out figure by figure

1. 

   Khongoo Spark Protection Mat, 80 × 50 cm

   A foldable silicone-and-glass-fibre mat that wipes clean and stores flat — spark protection with no trip edge at all.

   Dimensions

   80 × 50 cm

   Shape

   The maker does not state it.

   Thickness

   1 mm, stated as ultra-flat with no trip hazard

   Material

   Two silicone layers around a reinforced glass-fibre core

   Weight

   The maker does not state it.

   Temperature

   Stated to resist up to 1,000 °C (1,832 °F)

   Edge

   The maker does not state it.

   Other uses

   Oil- and water-repellent; burnt-on marks and ash residue stated to come off with a damp cloth or washing-up liquid · Folds away, stated · Garden fire pits, a mat under a charcoal grill, and as a soldering work surface · Stated excellent for blocking sparks but not the choice for decoration

   Amazon reference

   B0FD9WJW9Z (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   9313448776231

   • No trip edge at all, which every rigid plate on this shelf has
   • Washable with ordinary washing-up liquid, and burnt-on marks stated to come off
   • A flexible mat gives no impact protection against a dropped log

   Best for: Spark protection that has to disappear between fires, or move outdoors with a fire pit

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2. 

   KOTARBAU Powder-Coated Steel Spark Plate, 60 × 80 cm

   Black powder-coated steel at 1 mm and 1.6 kg — on a listing that gives its size two different ways, 600 × 800 mm and 80 by 80 cm.

   Dimensions

   Width 600 mm, length 800 mm in the technical data — a feature line states 80 cm by 80 cm

   Shape

   The maker does not state it.

   Thickness

   1 mm

   Material

   Powder-coated steel · Black · Powder coating stated to make the sheet more durable, more scratch-resistant and less sensitive to fire and high temperatures

   Weight

   1.6 kg

   Temperature

   Not published

   Edge

   The maker does not state it.

   Other uses

   Stated to take a minute to wipe down

   Amazon reference

   B0CLXQDXY1 (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   5904994071655

   • Publishes thickness, both dimensions and weight in one technical line
   • Black powder coating, which disappears against a dark floor where galvanised steel does not
   • The technical data and a feature line give two different sizes

   Best for: A dark hearth where the plate should not be noticed, at a size between the small sheets and the arches

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3. 

   Euro Tische Clear Glass Plate, 80 × 70 cm

   Clear toughened glass that leaves the floor visible — sold equally as a table top, with spark protection as one of its listed uses.

   Dimensions

   80 × 70 cm

   Shape

   The maker does not state it.

   Thickness

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   6 mm ESG toughened safety glass · Clear glass — also offered in black · Stated scratch-resistant and easy to care for

   Weight

   The maker does not state it.

   Temperature

   Heat-resistant to 300 °C, stated

   Edge

   Facet-ground, stated for a stylish transition to the floor · None stated

   Other uses

   Table tops, garden furniture, desks and kitchen splashbacks, per the listing

   Amazon reference

   B0754JQM77 (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4260143788739

   • Clear rather than black, so the floor underneath stays visible and the plate nearly disappears
   • Publishes a temperature — 300 °C, the highest for glass on this shelf
   • Sold as much as furniture glass as a hearth plate, with spark protection one use among several

   Best for: A floor worth seeing — parquet or tile — where a black plate would be a hole in it

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4. 

   bijon Round-Arch Spark Plate, 100 × 100 cm

   A round-arch glass plate whose bevel is published at eighteen millimetres — the only listing on this shelf to say how wide the ramp is.

   Dimensions

   18 mm, with edges ground and polished — the only bevel figure in this family · 100 × 100 cm

   Shape

   Round arch

   Thickness

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   ESG single-pane safety glass, 6 mm

   Weight

   The maker does not state it.

   Temperature

   Heat-resistant up to 280 °C, stated · Stated to have strongly increased resistance to temperature change · Stated that toughened glass matters especially for families with children, for its thermal shock and bending strength

   Edge

   The maker does not state it.

   Other uses

   Stated at a few minutes

   Amazon reference

   B00AB3UD7Q (one reference across 3 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4260204161365

   • Publishes the facet width, which decides how gentle the edge is to walk onto
   • Names thermal shock resistance specifically, which is the property a hearth plate actually needs
   • Two hundred and eighty degrees is the lower of the two glass figures on this shelf

   Best for: A stove standing against a wall where the plate is walked onto every day and the edge has to be forgiving

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5. 

   raik Teardrop Glass Spark Plate, 110 × 110 cm

   A teardrop cut for a stove standing in a corner — the only shape on this shelf designed for where the appliance actually is, with a published 700 kg capacity.

   Dimensions

   110 × 110 cm (1,100 × 1,100 mm)

   Shape

   Teardrop, stated for stoves standing in a room corner

   Thickness

   The maker does not state it.

   Material

   ESG single-pane safety glass, transparent

   Weight

   Stated up to 700 kg — the only load figure in this family

   Temperature

   Stated resistant to high temperatures up to 300 °C · Stated to break into small blunt pieces, minimising injury risk

   Edge

   Facet included

   Other uses

   Parquet, laminate, vinyl or linoleum

   Amazon reference

   B01CK0CXOI (one reference across 1 Amazon marketplace)

   EAN

   4260405769896

   • The only shape on this shelf cut for a corner-standing stove, which is where a great many stoves stand
   • Publishes a load capacity, which nothing else in this family does
   • Mentions meeting safety regulations without naming any, which decides nothing for a buyer

   Best for: A stove set diagonally across the corner of a room, where a rectangle wastes half its area against two walls

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6. 

   FEUER CAMPUS Rectangular Steel Spark Plate, 120 × 100 cm

   Two millimetres of steel at the largest rectangular size here — on a listing that calls it enamelled in the title and powder-coated in the text.

   Dimensions

   120 × 100 cm (width × length)

   Shape

   Rectangle

   Thickness

   2 mm — the thickest steel on this shelf

   Material

   Enamelled steel per the title; black powder coating per the feature list

   Weight

   Not published

   Temperature

   Stated long-lasting, easy-care and corrosion-resistant · Not published

   Edge

   The maker does not state it.

   Other uses

   Protection against flying sparks, radiant heat and dirt

   Amazon reference

   B0GKQTHLXQ (one reference across 3 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4260279478450

   • Twice the thickness of the other steel plate on this shelf, which is what a large unsupported area needs
   • The largest rectangle in this family at 120 × 100 cm
   • Enamelled in the title and powder-coated in the features — two different finishes for the same plate

   Best for: A large stove against a flat wall, where the plate must reach far and stay flat underfoot

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7. 

   HARK Semicircular Metal Spark Plate, 1,230 × 1,300 mm

   A stove manufacturer’s own semicircular plate in graphite, 1.5 mm thick — the largest piece of floor protection on this shelf.

   Dimensions

   1,230 × 1,300 mm — the largest in this family

   Shape

   Semicircular

   Thickness

   1.5 mm

   Material

   Graphite · Original accessory from a stove manufacturer, stated

   Weight

   Not published

   Temperature

   Not published

   Edge

   Not stated

   Other uses

   The maker does not state it.

   Amazon reference

   B0054PS60W (one reference across 1 Amazon marketplace)

   EAN

   4040396002079

   • The largest floor protection on this shelf, which is what a large open-fronted appliance needs
   • A semicircle, so the coverage is deepest directly in front of the door
   • Five published features and none of them a claim about heat or function

   Best for: One of this maker’s own appliances, or any large stove needing a semicircle rather than a rectangle

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