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

How long should barbecue tongs be

Updated: 22 October 2026

Your hand is too close to the kettle, and you want a length you can still steer. How long should barbecue tongs be, for a UK kettle, starts around 30–40 cm. This page is reach and control. Material at the grate is the [bamboo or stainless](/hub/grill-accessories/barbecue-tongs-wood/sub/barbecue-tongs-wood-bamboo-or-steel) page. The five listings are the [wooden barbecue tongs comparison](/hub/grill-accessories/barbecue-tongs-wood). A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F. used UK guides and the listings on 20 October 2026. The band is a rule of thumb, not a measurement on a grill.

Your hand is too close to the kettle, and you want a length you can still steer. How long should barbecue tongs be, for a UK kettle, starts around 30–40 cm. This page is reach and control.

Our top picks

Extodry Extodry (9 in and 12 in)

Best overall

Extodry Extodry (9 in and 12 in)
8.6/10about £9.97
View offer
Maywe Tanso Maywe Tanso (12 in)

Best value

Maywe Tanso Maywe Tanso (12 in)
7.8/10about £8.99
View offer
Maywe Tanso Maywe Tanso (17 in)

Rank 3

Maywe Tanso Maywe Tanso (17 in)
7.4/10about £12.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The length band UK guides actually use
  2. 2.Where these five listings sit
  3. 3.When longer is worse
  4. 4.A length to start with

The length band UK guides actually use

Smoke & Soil puts 35–40 cm on kettles, calls 30 cm workable, and calls anything under 30 cm too short. FinalCheck's wider band is 30–50 cm, and 60 cm only for a large grill. Extra length makes the food feel heavier. 12 in is about 30 cm, 17 in about 43 cm, and 9 in about 23 cm. A square field such as 33 cm by 33 cm is not a length. Prefer the title and the bullets.

Where these five listings sit

Extodry at £9.97 states 9 in and 12 in. UK reviews use the 12 in pair at the barbecue, on 4.7 from 3,120. You are not buying 40 cm. Maywe at £8.99 states 30 cm. Those review bodies are not headed United Kingdom, and the same text is on the 17 in ASIN. That £12.99 listing states 43 cm, while the reviews still describe 12 in tongs. Confirm 43 cm in the parcel. Dan&Co states 45 cm of bamboo, and some UK reviews say that is more than they wanted. AIUHI is about a foot. Jaw and wash sit on the buying guide.
Extodry Extodry (9 in and 12 in)

Testsieger

Extodry Extodry (9 in and 12 in)
8.6/10about £9.97
View offer

When longer is worse

Past about 40 cm, food at the end of the arm feels heavier. On a standard kettle, 43 cm or 45 cm is a choice, not a minimum. UK reviews say the Dan&Co opening is about an inch, so 45 cm of bamboo is extra reach for thin food. The 9 in Extodry half, used alone, is back under 30 cm. Centimetres do not turn a bamboo tip into a steel head.

A length to start with

Start with the stated 30 cm pair, Maywe at £8.99, and do not treat the shared non-UK reviews as a measured British arm. The stated 43 cm listing at £12.99 is the extra if you check the parcel. Extodry at £9.97 is the two-length buy with UK review text, and it does not give you 40 cm. Dan&Co's 45 cm is bamboo for thin food only. Skip a single 9 in pair as the grate tong, and skip 60 cm. This folder does not contain that length. If 30 cm still feels close, the next step is the 43 cm bullet.

Common questions

How long should barbecue tongs be for a kettle?
About 30–40 cm of stated length is the rule of thumb Smoke & Soil uses, with 35–40 cm for kettles and kamados and 30 cm called workable. FinalCheck's wider band is 30–50 cm. 60 cm is for a large grill, not the default. Stock tongs around 25 cm leave your hand too close.
Is 30 cm or 12 in enough?
It is the start of the workable band, not a long-reach tong. Maywe's 12 in bullet states 30 cm, and Extodry's longer pair is the 12 in half of a £9.97 set. UK reviews of Extodry use that longer pair at the barbecue. If your kettle still feels tight, look at a stated 43 cm rather than assuming 30 cm was wrong for every grill.
Is 43 cm or 45 cm better than 30 cm?
They are more reach, and they are harder to steer. Maywe states 43 cm on the £12.99 listing. Dan&Co states 45 cm of bamboo at £8.99. Both sit above the 40 cm kettle note and inside a 30–50 cm band. The 43 cm figure is a steel-head bullet whose reviews describe 12 in tongs. The 45 cm figure is real bamboo length that some UK buyers found too long.
Why do some 45 cm tongs still feel wrong?
Because the jaw can be the limit. UK reviews of Dan&Co say the opening is about an inch, so a thick piece never sits in the tips, and some buyers simply wanted a shorter arm. Extra centimetres move your hand back. They do not open the tong, and they add leverage so the food feels heavier.
Are 9 in tongs a barbecue length?
Not as the only pair. 9 in is about 23 cm, under the 30 cm line and close to the 25 cm kitchen tongs UK guides call too short at the grate. In the Extodry set the 9 in pair is the kitchen half. The 12 in pair is the one reviewers take to the barbecue.
Does the 17 in listing's review text prove the length?
No. The title and bullets say 17 in or 43 cm. The review bodies in that saved listing describe 12 in tongs, with no United Kingdom header, and they match the 12 in ASIN, including the 4.7 from 59 and the rank figures. Use the bullet as a claim. Confirm the arm when it arrives.
What is too long to control?
FinalCheck treats 60 cm as a large-grill length and warns that extra length makes food feel heavier. In this set, 45 cm is already where some UK reviews say the Dan&Co pair is more than they wanted. A standard kettle does not need that arm if a stated 30 cm or 43 cm steel pair reaches the food and the jaw can hold it.

Related pages

Best wooden barbecue tongs

Wooden barbecue tongs

Bamboo tongs vs stainless BBQ tongs: which head fits

Wooden barbecue tongs buying guide: four checks first

How to use wooden BBQ tongs: heat, raw food and dry

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 21 October 2026.

  1. Regulation 1935/2004, Annex I (food contact, wood) (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. General Product Safety Regulations 2005: Great Britain (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. Food Standards Agency: cleaning effectively (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Smoke & Soil: the BBQ toolkit (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. Dan & Co: 45 cm bamboo kitchen tongs (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. amazon.co.uk listing B08LQCXBV4 (Extodry set) (retrieved 21 October 2026)