Do you need a wood stove hearth pad? and what is the wood stove hearth pad requirement specified in fire codes?
In this article, I will help you understand if you need hearth protection for your wood stove, and if you already have one we will look into whether your hearth pad is large enough for your wood-burning stove.
We will also look at fire codes when installing a hearth pad, what kind of materials it can be made of and I’ll give you some tips when installing an old one or replacing a hearth pad with a new one, and lastly, we will talk about how to make a DIY wood stove hearth pad.
So we are going to get started talking about all of the sizes and dimensions that your wood stove hearth pad size needs to be, especially if you live in Canada or the USA.
DISCLAIMER
This post should not be construed as a definite guideline for installation. Installation requirements are not exhaustively detailed. The lack of description of a requirement does not indicate a lack of that requirement. As this is merely an overview, many details and requirements are omitted. Every installation is unique with a different structure, layout, and components to take into consideration. As mentioned above, it’s best to contact a Certified professional prior to installation in order to ensure proper installation. I assume no liability for any actions taken based on what is written in this post.
Wood stove hearth pad requirements
You may be thinking why do I need a wood stove hearth pad, well fire codes state that one is needed over any combustible surface, like wood floors for example, and really most people have one under their stove but some questions we will answer during this post are, do I have the right hearth pad for my stove size and is it made of the right materials to be code compliant.
If wood stove floor protection is not coded compliant it could void your fire insurance at the time of a claim, no one wants that, also having the right size and proper hearth pad materials make your wood-burning stove safer for your family.

so continue reading if you or anyone you know has a wood stove and needs a solution to this problem, and feel free to share our content with others with the social buttons at the top of the page.
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty and talk about wood stove hearth pad requirements and all the sizes and details you need to follow to have a code-compliant wood stove
Wood stove hearth pad size
Wood burning appliance test standards started in the 1970s and have evolved drastically since then, and modern-day stoves are very safe to use when installed correctly.
Floor pads have been an important part of that testing over the years, to know what to expect for clearances to combustibles with your wood-burning stove you should first take a look at the certification label on the back of it.
Generally, to find it you just need to look for a label that is usually black with gold or silver lettering and you will see indications on it that show the clearances to combustibles, you should always use these clearances because your wood stove was tested in accordance to them.
Also, the clearances for distances to a wall or anything combustible like a ceiling are also on your stove label and in your user manual and they are different from the standard wood stove hearth pad requirements.
Pay attention to your wood stove certification label
As a disclaimer always follow the indications for clearances to combustibles specified on your wood stove certification label or owner’s manual, if your wood stove doesn’t have a label it will be considered an uncertified appliance, and your wood stove floor pad clearances change considerably.
How to size your hearth pad
These are standard measurements according to the W.E.T.T certification (standard in Canada)
and the NFI National Fire Institute being the (standard in the USA)
As a disclaimer, make sure you always do your own investigating on these authority websites that set the standards, and always take into consideration what your wood-burning appliance owner’s manual says because every stove is different in size and specs.
So with that said let’s take a look at some information and ideas so you can decide what you need for floor protection under your wood stove.
Regular wood stove hearth pad size
Remember these measurements are only showing you how much space your minimum floor protection needs to be, note that this can be larger than what is shown in the diagrams, and remember this is not showing clearances to a combustible wall or ceiling it is only showing where to situate a wood-burning stove on floor protection.

Regular hearth pad size
The standard distance extended from the back of the wood-burning appliance is 8″.
The standard distance extended from the sides of the wood-burning appliance is 8″.
The standard distance extended out of the front of the wood-burning appliance is 18″.
This distance is larger because the front of the stove is where the doors open and hot coals need an ember pad to fall onto.
Hearth pad size for a wood stove with a side door

With a side door
The standard distance extended from the back of the wood-burning appliance is 8″.
The standard distance extended from the sides of the wood-burning appliance is 8″.
The standard distance extended out of the front of the wood-burning appliance is 18″.
Now if you have a side door or second door you also need to leave an 18″ distance for your hearth pad on that side also.
Corner hearth pad for a wood stove

Corner installation
The standard distance extended from the back of the wood-burning appliance is 8″.
The standard distance extended from the back corners of the wood stove to the edge of the sidewall of the hearth pad needs to be 8″.
The standard distance extended out of the front of the wood-burning appliance is 18″.
This distance is larger because the front of the stove is where the doors open and hot coals need an ember pad to fall onto.
Now if you have a side door or second door you also need to leave an 18″ distance for your hearth pad on that side also.
It’s important to note that these measurements can sometimes be slightly different on the certification label of your wood-burning stove, some may say 8″ on the sides and 16″ on the front or side door, generally being the standard in the USA.
How thick does a hearth pad need to be?
The standard for a hearth pad thickness is a minimum of 3/8″ or 8mm, and this can be thicker depending on the noncombustible material used, something that is important and not always stated on stove labels is that the hearth pad should be a continuous surface.
If your wood stove manual requires type 2 ember protection for your hearth pad and you need to calculate your hearth pad R-Values then take a look at my post HOW TO CALCULATE WOOD STOVE HEARTH PAD R VALUES
Floor protection continuous surface
You may be asking why should wood stove floor protection be a continuous surface. well the answer is simple, think about a hearth pad made of bricks or ceramic tiles, if they are laid directly on a combustible wood floor for example there will be gaps between each brick or tile and if by chance an ember falls out onto the floor and between those cracks you could have a serious fire on your hands, you may not even notice that an ember fill out and it could smolder there for hours or even days till it catches fire.

The solution is always a continuous surface like a piece of sheet metal or cement board below the tile or brick that has gaps
Wood stove hearth pad material and shapes
Here are some of the most common materials to protect your floor from fallen embers, and there are a variety of shapes you can choose from, or you can buy a pre-made pad to your liking.
Hearth pad materials
Hearth pads can be made with many different materials to suit your preference and needs, some of the most popular are listed below:
- Steel
- Granite
- Slate
- Glass
- Brick (or brick faces)
- Stone
- Ceramic tile
Just remember if you use any of these materials make sure they are stuck to a continuous non-combustible surface like cement board or sheet metal.
In the section below I talk a little more about this subject.
Hearth pad shapes
Hearth pads also come in a variety of shapes, such as the ones below:
- Rectangular
- Square
- Circular (middle of a room)
- Triamgle (for a corner instalation)
- Octagon
- DIY size and shape (this can be done when following the indications stated on the certification label of your stove
Check out some different hearth pad sizes and shapes at American Panel and Hearth Products
Under your hearth pad
You will need protection under any materials that have gaps like tiles, bricks, or anything that is not a continuous surface as I have mentioned above, so under any of these materials you need a continuous piece of metal or cement board that is the total dimensions of your calculated hearth pad size, this is to prevent any embers from falling between the cracks or gaps possibly causing a fire, and this also makes the surface ridged and stronger.

This is a useful point if you are building your own DIY hearth pad, but if you buy one pre-made from a manufacturer you don’t need to worry about this because it will be built to code.
Hearth pad trim
Some people call this a wood stove ember pad and the name makes sense because the reasoning behind it is to stop embers from falling on your wood floor and so on, and some people ask if this is an ember pad can I use a wood trim around the outside edge to finish it, and the answer is yes you can as long as you are 18″ distance from the front or any secondary door, and 8 on each side and back, but id you van finish yours with a metal edge it can be a little safer, and most store-bought ember pads or hearth pads come with a finished metal edge.
Wood stove hearth pad Ideas
There are so many choices and ideas when buying a wood stove hearth pad si below I thought I’d give you a few ideas if you want to make your own as a DIY project then the video below is a great place to start and you can also follow the guidelines I have given you in this post.
Build a wood stove hearth pad DIY
Building your own pad can be very cost-effective, generally costing between $150 to $250 depending on the materials you use.
If you go the route and want to build your own wood stove floor protection just make sure you measure correctly and take into consideration the points mentioned above to build it correctly.
Lisa’s video is a great introduction for anyone wanting to make their own DIY wood stove floor pad so check it out.
How do you build a raised hearth pad?
This video is for those of you that would like to build a raised hearth pad, but don’t have the experience that’s needed to frame it, this video takes out the guesswork so you can feel comfortable trying a DIY project like building a raised hearth pad.
Buy a wood stove hearth pad
If you decide to buy a premanufactured hearth pad you can expect to pay around $400 to $700+ depending on what you are looking for.
There are some great ones on amazon, or you can also buy one directly through your local fireplace store
If you do decide to buy a premanufactured hearth pad, make sure you take into account your wood stove size and take into consideration the size of floor protection you need.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading, I really hope this information was useful, please feel free to share this post with friends that might need it, and also leave a comment below if you found this post interesting.
A little talk about R value would be helpful in the “Build your Hearth pad” section. I only mentioned this because this sight is great ! Thx, (:D)
Thanks for your comment Dennis, I’ll add that in.
Hello, Dennis I just wanted to let you know I have made a post about R Values to update my hearth pad info, if you want to take a look just touch the link.
HOW TO CALCULATE WOOD STOVE HEARTH PAD R VALUES
if i purchase a wood stove that is 22.5 wide by 21.5 deep, how large of a floor heat shield do i need to buy?
would a 36×48
be a safe size for the stove board (under the wood stove)
Hello, Mary thank you for sending me this question and for taking the time to read my blog.
36×48 should be fine for a stove 22.5 wide by 21.5 deep if you are living in the USA because the requirements are 6″ past each side and 16″ at the front, the measurements stated in the post are for Canada and are slightly different but I will be updating that soon to also show the USA dimensions, To be sure you should always consult the owners manual online and you will be able to see the exact dimensions to be sure.
have a wonderful day
Hello, Mary thank you for your comment, it would be best to look at the owner’s manual of the stove to get the exact measurements of the hearth pad needed, and also make sure it is a certified wood stove with a certification label on the back of it if it doesn’t have this label it will fall into a different category.
We’re installing our first wood stove in a cabin we built. We want to use quartz for the hearth. We have quarts panels (tiles) we plan to use. We want to put 1/2” cement board on top of the plywood flooring, and top it with the quarts. How thick would the quarts need to be? thanks so much!!
Hello Marcy, thank you for sending me this question, if you look at your wood stove owner manual it should mention what type of ember protection is required for your hearth pad this may say type 1 or type 2 and if it is type 2 it may also state what is called R-Values, to understand this better and make your calculations I have made a post based on your question to hopefully help you and other homeowners that have the same question.
You can find this article in the link and a chart to understand and calculate your R-values
HOW TO CALCULATE WOOD STOVE HEARTH PAD “R” VALUES
I am installing a Drolet Pyropak woodstove on top of a concrete slab containing in-floor hydronic heating loops. I plan to use a 1/2″ thickness hearth pad containing Micore with a 1.03 R factor. Since the concrete has been tinted and epoxy coated I will most likely go over-sized on the hearth pad dimensions but I still have concerns about the possibility of either radiant or conductive heat effecting the floor (or worse the in-floor pex loops) beneath the wood stove. There doesn’t seem to be a lot out there regarding this topic. Thanks
Hello, Paul thank you for your comment, in the owners manual for the Drolet Pyropak on page 30, 7.3 under the heading floor protector it states this “Steel with a minimum thickness of 0.015’’ (0.38 mm) or ceramic tiles sealed together with grout. No protection is required if the unit is installed on a non-combustible floor (ex: concrete)
Hope that helps.
Here is the link to the manual online https://woodstovepro.com/store/pdf/Drolet-Pyropak-Owners-Manual.pdf
Thanks Johnathan,
I appreciate this information. It’s good to know that there are professionals such as yourself willing to share their expertise!
You are very welcome, I’m happy to help
Hi Johnathan,
Thanks so much for providing this information.
Greatly appreciated!
Paul
No problem Paul, thank you for commenting and have a great day