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

Cedar grilling planks: match the board to the fillet

Updated: 23 October 2026

You have a salmon fillet, a kettle or a gas barbecue, and a shelf that calls every board a smoking plank. Some pieces are long enough for a side. A few clip beside a fire instead of lying on the grate. Cedar grilling planks only earn their place when the wood name, the length, and the thickness match the fish. This page is from Peter F., editor for DIY and tools, updated on 20 October 2026. We read the amazon.co.uk listings in the [smoking plank comparison](/hub/grill-accessories/smoking-plank) and did not cook on the boards. A purchase through our links can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a salmon fillet, a kettle or a gas barbecue, and a shelf that calls every board a smoking plank. Some pieces are long enough for a side. A few clip beside a fire instead of lying on the grate.

Our top picks

Wildwood Grilling Wildwood 12-pack, 5x11

Best overall

Wildwood Grilling Wildwood 12-pack, 5x11
8.2/10about £21.72
View offer
Weber Weber small portion planks

Best value

Weber Weber small portion planks
6.8/10about £11.19
View offer
Landical Landical 15x7 cedar, 3

Alternative

Landical Landical 15x7 cedar, 3
6.4/10about £28.27
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Flat plank, flame board, or steel
  2. 2.Western red cedar, cedar, or alder
  3. 3.Match the board to the fillet
  4. 4.Thickness the file will and will not prove
  5. 5.What to check on the day it arrives

Flat plank, flame board, or steel

A flat plank lies on the grate. You soak it, heat the empty wood until it smokes, and cook the fish on top. That is the Wildwood, Weber, Landical, mini, and alder packs. A flame board angles beside an open fire and needs a bracket. Relaxdays and the onlyfire cedar pair are that shape. A stainless flame board is metal you can wash. The onlyfire listing says it will not taste of cedar unless you add chips. A 5 by 11 inch plank will not clip to a fire bowl, and a bracketed board is awkward on a small gas grate. If the rim is the constraint, use the fire-pit page.

Western red cedar, cedar, or alder

Western red cedar, Thuja plicata, is the species Weber UK and Wildwood name. Landical says cedar and does not say western red. Relaxdays says untreated cedar. The onlyfire pair says red cedar in the bullets and stainless steel on the material line, so wait for the parcel. Alder appears once, beside two cedar boards in the Good Cooking pack at £24.78, at 2.7 from nine reviews and with no UK text.
Wildwood Grilling Wildwood 12-pack, 5x11

Testsieger

Wildwood Grilling Wildwood 12-pack, 5x11
8.2/10about £21.72
View offer

Match the board to the fillet

The 9-pack at £16.94 states 7 by 3.7 inches, 17.78 by 9.53 by 0.64 cm. Reviews say the photo looks like full planks. The maker's how-to, which is not the amazon page, says a 5 by 11 inch plank suits about three 6-ounce servings. Landical states 15 by 7 inches, 38 by 18.01 by 0.79 cm, at £28.27 for three, with no UK review. That is the longest flat size written here. Good Cooking claims 14 by 5.5 inches. A review measured 11.5 inches and had not cooked yet.

Thickness the file will and will not prove

Weber's model 17832 is £11.19. The technical line says 6.5 by 4 by 4 cm. UK reviews describe something nearer 30 cm, or about 15 by 11 cm. Model 17522 is a different set of two, stated as 0.8 by 15 by 30 cm. Do not paste that spec onto 17832. Landical claims about 0.3 inch, in line with its 0.79 cm line, with no UK text. The mini pack's 0.64 cm line is a thin portion board. One UK text says a Wildwood pack of two is poor value above about £5.50 a board.

What to check on the day it arrives

Lay the board against the fillet before you soak it. If the fish hangs off, you bought a portion plank for a side. Check the species words on the packet. On a flame board, check that the brackets the title counted are in the box. On the onlyfire cedar pair, one review said a holder was missing. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the backdrop when goods do not match the description. That is a rights frame, not a procedure this page can give you. Soak times sit on the how to soak a cedar plank page. Wood flavour against a washable board sits on cedar or stainless.

Common questions

What length fits a side of salmon?
A whole side needs more than a 5 by 11 inch plank. Wildwood's listing points you to 7 by 15 inch for a whole fillet, and a UK review on the 12-pack says a whole side is too much for the smaller size. Landical states 15 by 7 inches. Measure on arrival, because one Good Cooking review found 11.5 inches against a claimed 14.
Is a 5 by 11 inch plank only for portions?
In the way these listings use it, yes. Wildwood states 5 by 11 inch boards for about two or three servings, and the maker's how-to talks about three 6-ounce pieces with nothing hanging off. That is a useful kettle supper. It is a poor match for one large side.
Does cedar mean western red cedar?
Not on every listing. Weber and Wildwood name western red cedar. Landical says cedar, Relaxdays says untreated cedar, and the alder pack mixes two woods. Aromatic cedar and preserved fence boards are not substitutes. If the packet does not name a cooking wood, do not guess from the colour.
How thick is thick enough?
This comparison cannot give a millimetre for Wildwood or for Weber 17832, because those files do not state one you can trust. UK shops sell grilling planks around 15 to 16 mm, which shows what a thick board looks like, not what these ASINs measure. Read the reviews that say thin, bowed, or split.
Can I use fence cedar?
No. These packs are sold as cooking planks. Fence timber can be treated, and treated or painted wood does not belong under food or on a fire. Sawing western red cedar also makes a dust that the Health and Safety Executive links to asthma in a workplace case. Buy a plank cut for the barbecue.
Why do two Wildwood packs share one star line?
The 2-pack at £11.99 and the 6-pack at £18.95 share model WWG-5X11, part number WWG-5X11-8PK, and 4.5 from 367. The saved listing repeats the same three UK texts, and one of them complains about a pack of two. The 12-pack is separate, with 4.6 from 2,384. Do not add the two files and call it 734 reviews.

Related pages

Best smoking plank

Smoking plank

Cedar plank or stainless salmon board: the flavour

Flame salmon board for a fire pit: measure the rim

How to soak a cedar plank: the Weber one-hour method

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk product files for these ASINs.

  1. Weber UK — Salmon from the Plank (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Weber UK — cedar plank set, model 17522 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. Food Standards Agency — Cooking your food (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Food Standards Agency — cold-smoked fish advice (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. HSE — western red cedar and asthma (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. GOV.UK — Fire safety outdoors (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. London Fire Brigade — BBQ safely leaflet (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22.10.2026)