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What size kettle barbecue

Updated: 23 October 2026

Saturday is six people, the listing says family, and the grate looks small. Choosing what size kettle barbecue to buy means matching the diameter to the largest meal you will cook, not to a quiet Tuesday. Peter F. used the nine amazon.co.uk listings in this set, Weber UK’s size lines and a UK garden-centre note. We did not measure lid height. Prices move. The table is the [round barbecue comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/round-barbecue). A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Three bands cover this set: 37 cm and smaller, about 45–47 cm, and one 57 cm.

Saturday is six people, the listing says family, and the grate looks small. Choosing what size kettle barbecue to buy means matching the diameter to the largest meal you will cook, not to a quiet Tuesday. Peter F.

Our top picks

House of Home House of Home 45 cm kettle

Best overall

House of Home House of Home 45 cm kettle
9.2/10about £33.99
View offer
Weber Weber Smokey Joe Premium 37 cm

Alternative

Weber Weber Smokey Joe Premium 37 cm
9.0/10about £84.99
View offer
Weber Weber Compact Kettle 57 cm

Rank 3

Weber Weber Compact Kettle 57 cm
9.0/10about £99.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.37 cm and smaller
  2. 2.About 45 to 47 cm
  3. 3.57 cm
  4. 4.How to read a people claim

37 cm and smaller

The only 37 cm kettle here is the Weber Smokey Joe Premium, B00HUHNCB0, at £84.99. UK reviews put it at two to four people, with a Tuck-N-Carry lid for the car or a campsite. A cool strip is narrow. It is a poor family table. If a title beside this ASIN says family, treat that word as marketing. The BSDLZCH pan, about 28 × 10 cm at £16.23, and the IRONMAX hibachi, a 9.8 inch surface at £63.53, state no lid. If carrying is the job, the Smokey Joe is the pick on best round charcoal barbecue.

About 45 to 47 cm

Weber’s UK line for a 47 cm Original is 1,548 cm², pictured as about nine burgers. Both Weber 47 cm listings here repeat that area and four to six people: the Compact at £49.49 and the Original at £111.24. Five UK reviews on the Original put the grate nearer two to five. House of Home is close: 45 cm, 1,520 cm², a 75 cm cook height and a body of 53 × 47 × 91.5 cm, at £33.99. HOMION is about 43.5 cm. PREMZO is a 43 cm grate. Riverside Garden Centre puts a Compact 47 cm at about four people. That is a retailer guide, not a test of House of Home. Enamel versus a thin bowl is on Weber kettle or cheap kettle.
House of Home House of Home 45 cm kettle

Testsieger

House of Home House of Home 45 cm kettle
9.2/10about £33.99
View offer

57 cm

Only one listing here is 57 cm: the Weber Compact Kettle, B0FTZKKJDQ, at £99.99. The bullets say 2,342 cm² and six to eight people. Riverside says Compact lids are shallower than Originals. We have no measured lid height. The item line is 63 × 57 × 98 cm, beside a spec field of 57 square centimetres. Keep 2,342 cm² for the slab. The extra diameter is a real indirect zone. On 47 cm that split is cramped. Checks that are not about centimetres are in the kettle barbecue buying guide.

How to read a people claim

A bullet that says four to six, and a review that says ten, are not the same kind of sentence. The bullet is the seller’s capacity line. The review is one household’s meal. On the House of Home file those comments run from two or three people to ten. Quote the bullet when you compare listings. “Feeds ten” on a 45 cm grate is one supper, not a specification. If two people is the plan most weekends and six is once a year, a 47 cm kettle you will light beats a 57 cm you leave in the shed.

Common questions

Is 47 cm enough for four?
Often, for a direct cook. Both Weber 47 cm listings state 1,548 cm² and four to six people, and Riverside’s Compact note is about four. Five UK reviews on the Original put the grate at about two to five. Four burgers plus a cool zone is tight. The 57 cm Compact is the listing that adds diameter.
When is 57 cm worth the space?
When the largest meal needs a cool half of the grate, or you regularly cook for more than a couple. The only 57 cm cooker here is the Weber Compact, with 2,342 cm² and a six-to-eight claim, at £99.99. The item line is 63 × 57 × 98 cm. Riverside calls Compact lids shallower than Originals. We have no measured lid height.
Is a Smokey Joe a small family kettle?
It is a 37 cm tabletop. UK reviews fit the Smokey Joe Premium to two to four people and to camping, at £84.99. A two-zone meal means a narrow cool strip. Do not buy it because a title says family. The lid locks for carrying, and enamel flakes at the handle appear in the reviews.
How many people is 45 cm?
House of Home states a 45 cm grate and 1,520 cm², close to Weber’s 1,548 cm² on the 47 cm kettles. Reviews say two to three, about four to six, and in one comment up to ten. Use four for a direct cook, and treat ten as one reviewer’s meal. HOMION and PREMZO sit in the same band. They are not 57 cm cookers.
What about the 11 inch pan?
The BSDLZCH is about 28 cm across and 10 cm high, at £16.23, and the bullets do not describe a lid or a vent. It is a shallow open pan, not a 37 cm kettle. Reviews mention water in the base and a table that was burnt, so use a non-flammable surface. Three UK reviews like the size and the price.
Does a hibachi count as a 30 cm kettle?
No. The IRONMAX is a cast-iron hibachi with a 9.8 inch surface, about 24.9 × 29 × 15 cm and 5.9 kg, at £63.53. No lid is stated. The written reviews are from the United States. One mentions a screwed base that leaks grease. Count it as an open two-person pan, not as a 37 cm kettle.

Related pages

How to use a kettle barbecue

Round barbecue

Best round charcoal barbecue: who each pick suits you

Kettle barbecue buying guide: lid, vents, listings

Weber kettle or cheap kettle: when a £29 bowl fails

Sources

Public UK sources for outdoor fire safety, smoke and cooking temperature, plus Weber UK on charcoal vents. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved with this comparison. Retrieved 23 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK — Fire safety outdoors (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  2. London Fire Brigade — BBQs (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  3. GOV.UK — Nuisance smoke: how councils deal with complaints (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  4. GOV.UK — Smoke control area enforcement (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  5. Food Standards Agency — Cooking your food (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  6. Weber UK — How to control charcoal barbecue temperature (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  7. Citizens Advice — Return faulty goods (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  8. BSI — BS EN 1860 series (retrieved 23.10.2026)