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Paper logs in a smoke control area

Updated: 22.10.2026

You have homemade paper logs, and you need a yes or no before they go on the fire. In a smoke control area the answer is no if the only flue is a chimney and the brick is the fuel. A paper log maker does not create an authorised fuel, and a dry brick is not a Ready to Burn certificate. The [paper briquette press comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/paper-briquette-press) covers the tools, from £19.99 to £133 in the 19 October 2026 amazon.co.uk capture. This page is the chimney rule. Links use the tag pcuk26-21, and a qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have homemade paper logs, and you need a yes or no before they go on the fire. In a smoke control area the answer is no if the only flue is a chimney and the brick is the fuel.

Our top picks

eBuzz eBuzz paper log maker

Best overall

eBuzz eBuzz paper log maker
7.4/10about £19.99
View offer
Relaxdays Relaxdays paper press, black

Best value

Relaxdays Relaxdays paper press, black
7.0/10about £32.90
View offer
VIOLK VIOLK paper press

Alternative

VIOLK VIOLK paper press
2.0/10about £133
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The chimney rule
  2. 2.Authorised fuel and Ready to Burn
  3. 3.Exempt stoves and outdoor fires
  4. 4.Carbon monoxide

The chimney rule

GOV.UK says you must not release smoke from a chimney in a smoke control area. You may burn an authorised fuel, or use a Defra-exempt appliance on the fuel the manufacturer allows. A newspaper brick pressed at home is not on that list. An eco line, or a claim of up to 2 hours, is not authorisation. In England the stated penalties are up to £300 for chimney smoke and up to £1,000 for buying unauthorised fuel for an appliance that is not exempt. Do not copy those figures into Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. Outside a smoke control area, an open fire that may burn dry wood can take a paper brick as a starter.

Authorised fuel and Ready to Burn

Authorised fuels are named products on the Defra list, not a brick you made in a shed. Ready to Burn is separate. Under the Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020, wood sold in England has to meet a moisture limit, and smaller volumes carry the Ready to Burn mark. GOV.UK sets that mark on wood supplied under 2 cubic metres. The scheme certifies fuel that is sold. It does not enrol a homemade brick, and these files have no lab moisture figure for one. Defra’s guide of 12 October 2023 says not to burn household rubbish. The newspaper or cardboard page separates those feedstocks.
eBuzz eBuzz paper log maker

Testsieger

eBuzz eBuzz paper log maker
7.4/10about £19.99
View offer

Exempt stoves and outdoor fires

A Defra-exempt stove is not permission to burn paper. If the manual lists dry wood and a named smokeless fuel, exempt does not add paper bricks. Ecodesign does not add homemade newspaper either. One UK review on eBuzz put a burn at about 30–40 minutes, a household note, not a clearance. Barbecues and chimineas are outside the chimney rule unless they use a chimney on a building. A garden fire pit with no flue into the house is a different case. A stove that vents through a chimney on an outbuilding can fall back inside the rule, and a council can still treat outdoor smoke as a nuisance.

Carbon monoxide

Incomplete burning produces carbon monoxide. In England a relevant landlord must fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any living room with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker. That is the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended in 2022. Fit an alarm wherever a stove or open fire is in use. The alarm does not make the fuel authorised. If you are unsure the street is a smoke control area, ask the council. Ask a sweep if the manual omits paper, if the room smells of soot, or if the chimney has not been swept.

Common questions

Can you burn homemade paper logs in a smoke control area?
Not as the fuel on a chimney. GOV.UK says you must not release smoke from a chimney, and you may burn only an authorised fuel unless the appliance is Defra-exempt and you follow its fuel list. A newspaper brick you pressed is not an authorised fuel. England’s stated penalties are up to £300 for chimney smoke and up to £1,000 for buying unauthorised fuel for a non-exempt appliance. Other nations set their own penalties.
Is a dry paper brick Ready to Burn?
No. Ready to Burn, under the Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020, covers wood and manufactured solid fuels that are supplied, including a moisture limit for wood that is sold. It does not certify a brick you made at home. Drying for weeks may make the brick lighter. It does not issue a number, and these files contain no measured moisture for a finished paper brick. A dry crust can still hide a damp middle.
Can you burn paper bricks in a Defra-exempt stove?
Only if that stove’s exemption and manual allow that fuel. Exempt means the appliance may be used in a smoke control area on the fuels it was approved for, used as the maker specifies. It does not mean any solid fuel is allowed. Ecodesign does not add paper either. If the manual lists wood and a named smokeless fuel, and not paper, do not substitute homemade bricks. Ask the manufacturer or a sweep when the manual is silent.
Are outdoor fire pits under the chimney rule?
A barbecue or a chiminea is outside the chimney rule unless it uses a chimney on a building. A garden fire pit with no flue into the house is in that outdoor group. A stove in an outbuilding that vents through a chimney on the building can come back under the rule. The council can still treat persistent outdoor smoke as a nuisance. Check the appliance, and do not assume the garden is uncontrolled.
Do you need a carbon monoxide alarm if you burn these indoors?
In England a relevant landlord must fit a carbon monoxide alarm in a living room that has a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker. That is the 2015 regulations as amended in 2022. It does not fine every owner-occupier. You should still fit an alarm wherever a stove or open fire is used, because paper and wet fuel both burn incompletely. The alarm does not make the bricks an authorised fuel.

Related pages

How to use a paper log maker

Paper briquette press buying guide

Paper briquette press

Best paper log maker: who should try and who should skip

Newspaper or cardboard briquettes: stove or recycle

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. Smoke control areas: the rules, GOV.UK (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Selling manufactured solid fuels in England, GOV.UK (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Selling wood for domestic use in England, GOV.UK (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. 16 things you should never burn, HETAS (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Correct fuel for optimal burning, HETAS (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Open fires and wood-burning stoves, Defra (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Carbon monoxide alarms for landlords, GOV.UK (retrieved 19 October 2026)