Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Metal or wooden log store

Updated: 22 October 2026

A metal or wooden log store answers different jobs. Steel with a fabric cover is the lower price in this amazon.co.uk set when the wood is already dry. Timber with open slats is the better bay when you are still seasoning and the store will sit on show in the garden. Prices below are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The rows are on the [log store comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/log-store). Size order, if you are not ready to choose a material, is the [log store buying guide](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/log-store/sub/log-store-buying-guide).

A metal or wooden log store answers different jobs. Steel with a fabric cover is the lower price in this amazon.co.uk set when the wood is already dry.

Our top picks

Rowlinson Rowlinson Narrow Log Store

Best overall

Rowlinson Rowlinson Narrow Log Store
8.4/10about £106.02
View offer
NALONE NALONE 4 ft firewood rack

Best value

NALONE NALONE 4 ft firewood rack
8.0/10about £39.99
View offer
VOUNOT VOUNOT 2 m log rack, green

Rank 3

VOUNOT VOUNOT 2 m log rack, green
7.2/10about £29.49
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each material is doing
  2. 2.Steel in this set
  3. 3.Timber in this set
  4. 4.The condition

What each material is doing

A wooden log store in the usual UK pattern is a small bay: slatted sides, a roof with some overhang, and a floor or bearers that keep the logs off the soil. Air moves through the gaps. Rain hits the roof, not the bark. That is the picture HETAS describes for storage, top covered and sides open. A steel rack is a tube frame. Logs sit on bars. A fabric cover, if one is in the box, is a sock you pull over the top. Powder coat is a finish claim on the listing. It is not a measured life in a coastal garden. In the UK review text gathered here, cover fit and log length come up far more often than rust. A waterproof label does not cancel airflow.

Steel in this set

The covered steel racks here are the green VOUNOT at 200 × 115 × 40 cm and £29.49, the black VOUNOT at 200 × 116 × 26 cm and £35.99, the black 3 m VOUNOT at £45.99, the NALONE 4 ft rack at £39.99, and the Kendane at £59.99. All of them list a cover. The three VOUNOT covered sizes share 3.6 from 1,249 reviews, so that is one pool, not three tests. The NALONE is the stronger covered signal, 4.0 from 918 reviews, and it is the best value covered rack on the best log store page. Several buyers still say the cover was far too big.
Rowlinson Rowlinson Narrow Log Store

Testsieger

Rowlinson Rowlinson Narrow Log Store
8.4/10about £106.02
View offer

Timber in this set

There is one timber store in this comparison: the Rowlinson Narrow Log Store, model LOGNAR1, at £106.02, with 4.2 from 110 reviews. The listing says it is pressure treated against rot, with a 10-year anti-rot line, a natural timber finish, and a shelf for kindling. There is no fabric cover. UK owners praise the small-garden footprint and say it keeps wood dry once it is built. The amazon details cell says 22 × 24.4 × 61.4 cm and a 5 kg capacity beside an item weight of 21.5 kg. Those figures cannot be the store. The maker's page describes the narrow store at about 156 × 62 × 56 cm. Use the maker size. Pressure treatment is not an invitation to burn the offcuts.

The condition

Choose a covered steel rack when the wood is already dry, you want the lower price in this set, and you accept the cover complaints. In practice that means the NALONE at £39.99 if you want the stronger star line among covered racks, or a VOUNOT covered frame if you accept 3.6 and a shared review pool. Choose the timber store when the job is seasoning, the bay will be seen in the garden, and you can pay £106.02 for the only timber store here. Dry wood and a budget points to steel with a top cover you do not seal. Green wood and a garden bay points to timber.

Common questions

Is a wooden log store better than metal?
It is better when you are seasoning wood and you want open slats under a roof. Metal is better on price in this set and worse when the bars drop short logs or the cover seals the sides. Match the material to whether the wood still needs to dry.
Will a powder-coated rack rust?
It can, especially at welds and where the coat is chipped, which is what retailer guides say about cheap frames. The UK review text in this comparison mentions rust less often than cover fit and log length. No 15-year life was measured here.
Can I season green wood in a covered steel rack?
Only if the cover stays off the sides and air can move, which is hard when buyers say the cover is already too big. If you pull the supplied cover tight to the ground, you have built a damp bag. Timber slats are the simpler seasoning shape.
Does pressure treatment mean I can burn offcuts?
No. Pressure treatment is there to slow rot in the store, which is the 10-year anti-rot line on the Rowlinson listing. Offcuts, sawdust and broken slats from that treatment do not belong in the stove. Burn the logs you bought as firewood.
Why is the timber store dearer in this set?
Because it is a different object. The Rowlinson is a pressure-treated timber kit with a roof shape and a shelf, at £106.02. The steel racks are tube frames, mostly under £60, with or without a fabric cover.
Do I still need airflow if the cover is waterproof?
Yes. Waterproof means rain should not pass the fabric. It does not mean the logs should sit in still, damp air. HETAS keeps the sides open on purpose.
Which one suits a wet, exposed garden?
A timber bay with open sides and a roof, sited off the soil, copes with rain without a sheet that becomes a sail. If there is no overhang, the slatted timber store is the calmer choice in this set, at the higher price.

Related pages

How to store firewood

Log store for a small space

Log store

Best log store UK: the top pick and the best value

Log store buying guide: match job, length and cover

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 19 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK, selling wood for domestic use in England (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020, Schedule 2 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Woodsure, storing firewood indoors and outdoors (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HETAS, log storage (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. HETAS, how much wood for winter (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK, smoke control area rules (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Planning Portal, outbuildings (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Rowlinson, Narrow log store (retrieved 19 October 2026)