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What size kamado fits the grate and the stairs

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are in a UK kitchen with a tape measure, a flight of stairs, and kamado titles that lead with an inch size. What size kamado you need is the grate you can verify, then whether the kilogrammes will come up from the kerb. A 21 inch badge can sit on an area larger than its own circle, and a 23 inch shell can hide a 50 cm grid. This page walks the areas and weights on the seven listings in our [kamado barbecue comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/kamado-barbecue). Figures are shelf details from 19 October 2026. We did not cook on the grills.

You are in a UK kitchen with a tape measure, a flight of stairs, and kamado titles that lead with an inch size.

Our top picks

Char-Griller Char-Griller Akorn Jr

Best overall

Char-Griller Char-Griller Akorn Jr
6.4/10about £169.99
View offer
Ynni Ynni Kamado 23 inch

Rank 2

Ynni Ynni Kamado 23 inch
7.1/10about £810
View offer
Relaxdays Relaxdays 26 cm kamado

Alternative

Relaxdays Relaxdays 26 cm kamado
4.3/10about £137.90
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Inches are not the meal
  2. 2.The grates in this comparison
  3. 3.Weight is the other size
  4. 4.Which size to order

Inches are not the meal

The inch in the title is usually the outside, and the food sits on a smaller grid. Love2BBQ’s guide says a 24 inch grate is about 78 percent more area than an 18 inch grate. Ynni’s TQ0C23GR states a 23.2 inch shell and a 19.7 inch grid. A 21 inch circle is about 2,234 cm², and a 50 cm circle is about 1,963 cm². Goods Emporium’s BBQ-KE21 says 21 inch and 0.27 m², which is 2,700 cm², so leave that figure off the plan until the seller confirms the grid. A Big Green Egg Large and a Kamado Joe Classic III both use about a 46 cm grate, and neither is an ASIN here.

The grates in this comparison

Relaxdays at £137.90 is 530.93 cm² on about 26 cm, a one-or-two-person grate, and the ceramic still weighs 21.3 kg. A matching area does not rescue a shell that has to arrive whole. The black Akorn Jr at £169.99 is 155 square inches, about 1,000 cm². One UK review describes a large chicken, and another says several burgers, which is not four plates at once. The ash E86714 at £232.40 prints 14 square inches against a 14 inch diameter, so keep the black Junior unless you want that finish after discarding the area. Ynni at £810 gives 1,982 cm² on a 50 cm grid, the only large figure here that matches its diameter. The BBQ-KE21 colours, from £589.99 to £649.99, keep an unsettled 2,700 cm². Box contents sit on the kamado buying guide.
Char-Griller Char-Griller Akorn Jr

Testsieger

Char-Griller Char-Griller Akorn Jr
6.4/10about £169.99
View offer

Weight is the other size

A grate you cannot get home is not a size you own. The Akorn Jr is 16.2 kg with side handles, so one adult can lift it on the stairs. Relaxdays is 21.3 kg, still a one-person lift on a flat path. Goods Emporium prints about 75 kg in one field and 85 kg in the specification, kerbside for two or three people, because a drop can crack the ceramic. Ynni is 95 kg, and one UK review asks for lifting instructions. Alone at the pallet, you leave both eggs. Two people do not need the only large verified grid, while a full 50 cm cook makes 1,000 cm² the limit. If grate and weight still disagree, compare the shell on ceramic or steel.

Which size to order

Order Relaxdays only when one or two people and a 26 cm grate are the brief, and you will inspect the ceramic first. Order the black Akorn when 155 square inches and a 16.2 kg carry match the stairs. Order the Ynni when you want the 50 cm grid and two or three people can take 95 kg from the kerb. Leave the ash area field, and leave 0.27 m², until a seller confirms a grid that fits the title. On 15 October 2026 a UK shelf showed a Big Green Egg Large at £1,495 before a stand. That egg is not one of these seven listings.

Common questions

How many people is a 26 cm egg?
Read 530.93 cm² on about 26 cm as one or two people, not a family spread. It weighs 21.3 kg, with 2.6 from six ratings and cracked ceramic already in the texts. A matching area does not repair a shell that arrives in pieces.
Is 155 square inches enough for four?
155 square inches is about 1,000 cm². A UK review describes a large chicken, and another says several burgers. That is not four full plates at once. Burgers and sides for four are tight beside Ynni’s 1,982 cm². In sequence for a smaller table, the area matches what those owners describe.
What is the difference between a 21 inch and a 23 inch kamado here?
The BBQ-KE21 carries the 21 inch title. Ynni is a 23.2 inch shell with a 19.7 inch, 50 cm grid, and 1,982 cm² sits close to a 50 cm circle. The BBQ-KE21 field of 0.27 m² is about 2,700 cm² and does not fit a 21 inch circle of about 2,234 cm². The verified large grid is the 50 cm one.
Why is 0.27 square metres hard to trust?
0.27 m² is 2,700 cm². A 21 inch circle is about 2,234 cm². The listed area is larger than that circle, so it cannot be the inside of the same shape unless another grid is missing. Leave it off a plan for guests until the seller confirms the cooking surface.
Can I get a 21 inch ceramic up the stairs?
The BBQ-KE21 is about 75 kg in one field and 85 kg in the specification, because a drop can crack ceramic. Two or three people are the stated lift, not one person on a staircase. Ynni is 95 kg. The Akorn Jr at 16.2 kg is the cooker one adult can take upstairs.
Does a bigger kamado use more charcoal on a small cook?
These listings do not give a charcoal weight for a small cook, and we did not measure one. A 95 kg Ynni still has to come up to temperature, a different cook from a 16.2 kg Akorn when the meal is for two. Skip the 1,982 cm² grid when dinners fit on about 1,000 cm².

Related pages

Best kamado barbecue

Kamado barbecue

Kamado buying guide before you click these listings

Ceramic kamado or steel: heat store or a lighter carry

How to light a kamado safely and then cool it outside

Sources

Public UK sources on satisfactory quality, smoke, carbon monoxide and barbecue fire safety, plus buyer notes on kamado size and vent lag. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 19 October 2026. These listings are not scored as certified to BS EN 1860-1.

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. GOV.UK — smoke control area enforcement (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. GOV.UK — nuisance smoke (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. NHS — carbon monoxide poisoning (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. London Fire Brigade — BBQ safety (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. BSI — BS EN 1860-1:2024 solid-fuel barbecues (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Smokey Rebel — kamado guide (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Love2BBQ — kamado size guide (retrieved 22.10.2026)